By Kelly Nizzer Bates on January 25, 2012
Everyone knows it's bad to use the same password for different sites. But we do it anyway because remembering different passwords is annoying. Remembering different, difficult passwords is even more bothersome!
Generally, we choose a readable word as a base for the password. Then, when pressed to, we add a numeral or symbol to make the password more secure, most people add a 1 or ! to the end of that word (and you thought you were the only one doing this!)
So how do we keep ourselves safe online:
- Chose a password that doesn’t contain a readable word
- Mix uppercase and lowercase
- Use a number or symbol in the middle of the word, not at the end
- Don’t use 1 or an exclamation mark
- Don’t use symbols to replace letters in a word, e.g.. @ sign for lower case A
- And of course, create unique passwords for different sites
This all sounds difficult and time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. Use this foolproof method to create passwords that are nearly impossible to crack and yet easy to remember. Better still, this will take only a few minutes of your time.
Step 1 – Start with a memorable phrase. Chose a phrase that has something to do with your life. It can be a random collection of words. The key is to make sure it’s something you can remember without writing it down.
Example:
My first car was a Mazda Tribute
I like to eat sushi at the House of Hunan
Etc.
Step 2 - Now turn the phrase into an acronym. Be sure to use symbols, numbers and capital letters.
Example:
My first car was a Mazda Tribute becomes – m1stcwaMT
I like to east sushi at the House of Hunan becomes – iltes@tHoH
That’s it – your finished!! These mnemonic passwords are hard to forget and even harder to crack.
Want to see how strong your current password is?
Password Strength Tester
Posted in Business Advisory, Confidence, Information Technology | Tagged secure password |
By Tom Hager on January 24, 2012
- About 150 million people contribute and 55 million collect
- Average monthly benefit: retired worker = $1,200; retired couple = $1,900
- Social Security benefits are calculated using the highest 35 years of earnings
- 62 is the earliest you can receive benefits–most people start at 62 and 95% start by 66
- Every month you delay after full retirement age, up to age 70, benefits increase. Wait until 66–benefits are 33% greater; wait until 70 years old–benefits are 75% greater
- Full retirement age is 66 and will be increasing to 67
- Spousal benefit is the greater of 50% of higher earning spouse or your own
- Surviving spouse benefit is 100% of the deceased spouse’s earnings
- A divorced spouse who was married for over 10 years and has not remarried can draw against the ex-spouse’s history.
- Social Security is the single biggest item in the federal budget
There is no Social Security “trust fund.” This trust fund contains IOUs. If Social Security runs a surplus, Congress spends it. An IOU that you write to yourself does not create wealth, so it’s basically useless. Where is the money going to come from to pay these IOUs? Your guess is as good as mine, but the best guess is higher taxes!
Social Security is supposed to be funded through 2037.
Social Security was not meant to be your only source of retirement income. Full retirement age will probably continue to increase and benefits will correspondingly decrease. Planning for the future becomes more relevant. We can help.
Posted in Assurance, Business Advisory, Confidence, Human Resources | Tagged social security |
By Debbie Petrone on January 18, 2012
Even though the Internal Revenue Service likes to present a “kinder, friendlier” image to the public, you better believe that they are not slacking off in the collection of taxes. After all, their job is to raise money for the federal government. IRS staff has actually decreased, but more sophisticated computer programs cross check items on your tax returns with information they get from employers, brokers, banks, and other sources.
The Internal Revenue Service has increased audit rates by 34% between 2010 and 2011 for those taxpayers earning more than $200,000. However, even for 2011, only 6.4 % of the nation’s highest income earners were audited. That rate goes up to 24 % for those reporting over $1 million in income.
Charitable giving is certainly encouraged, but be sure to have a written acknowledgment from the charity for gifts over $250 – a canceled check will not do. The IRS is now asking for such paperwork in “correspondence audits” and will deny the deductions if it is missing. Also, donating large sums of money to the extent that the donation exceeds 50% or more of your income can trigger an audit. If you are donating items instead of money, don’t even think about taking a charitable deduction unless you have a receipt, or in the case of items valued over $5,000, an appraisal.
Income received in cash tends to get scrutinized. This includes, but is not limited to waiters, bartenders, internet sales, and gamblers. Self-employed individuals are often on the IRS radar, but businesses that report losses year after year are particularly vulnerable. Such businesses tend to be considered hobbies–a way for a taxpayer to subsidize their interests and recreations and are not allowed. The IRS has issued a manual to its agents on what to look for in this area.
Hiring your family members as employees can be problematic–especially if they are under ten years old. You will have to prove that these relatives are actually working. Additionally, the IRS has tables of common deductions on business returns operating in a similar area so these deductions are electronically cross-referenced.
Finally, preparing your tax return by hand with a pencil and paper tends to invite IRS attention. At the very least, the return should be prepared using tax preparation software to eliminate math and transposition errors. If you use a professional tax preparer, it is important to use someone who is licensed, knowledgeable, and ethical. Some people get audited because their tax preparer got audited! The problem of ill-prepared tax preparers was so pervasive, the IRS stepped up licensing and continuing education requirements. Your preparer should be a CPA (Certified Public Accountant), an EA (IRS Enrolled Agent) or starting in 2012, a RTP (Registered Tax Preparer).
Posted in Accounting, Assurance, Auditing, Confidence, Tax | Tagged tax audit |
As the economy continues to challenge everyone, the motivation for some employees to steal isn’t hard to understand. Although the term “fraud-proof” may be a bit hyperbolic, it doesn’t hurt to shoot for the stars when trying to safeguard your revenue and assets. One way to divide and potentially conquer fraudsters is to focus on the three primary areas where fraud typically can occur:
