Cyber criminals have many motives and goals, but separating you from your hard earned cash is one of the most lucrative for the criminals and potentially devastating for you.  I've put  a checklist on my website at https://www.moneypilotadvisor.com you can download for free with more details and tips.

Do you use the same password to log into multiple websites? Or use common phrases or personal information in your passwords?  If someone gets your login for one account they may be able to log into other important accounts, like your bank account or investment accounts. I know it’s a pain to have all those t passwords with random letters, numbers, symbols. Try using a password manager that can generate and save unique passwords for you. If your device has biometric authentication, use it to unlock our devices and to access stored passwords. And whenever possible used two factor identification. That's when the company you're trying to login to sends you a text or an email to verify it's actually you logging in. 

Do you sharealot of personal information on social media sites? Some cyber criminals look on these sites for key information like your birth date, place of birth, or mothers maiden name which can aid them in resetting passwords associated with your financial accounts giving them access and locking you out. Consider making your social media account private where possible or hiding sensitive personal information. 

Are images in emails you receive set by default to download to your computer automatically? This is one way cyber criminals lure you into clicking links or opening attachments which are then redirected to a compromised website. When you receive an unsolicited email don't open any attachments until you can confirm who the sender really is. 

Research the apps before you install them on your phone.  And give them the minimal permission necessary to use your data. Cyber criminals can build legitimate looking apps that can steal your data and monitor your phones actions. 

Always remember if someone calls claiming to be from a government agency either offering you relief payments or demanding payments for fines or taxes, this is a scam. The IRS for example will never call or email you. Any official communication they will send you through snail mail. The same goes for someone claiming you won sweepstakes. Or someone calling from the “credit card department” asking you for your credit card information .

A common thread is the thieves will contact you by email, phone, or text, pressure you with immediate deadlines or threats, and try to get you to send them money, gift cards, credit card information, or a check. Or work to get key personal information from you like account numbers, passwords, to steal your identity and rob you through impersonation. Hang up, don’t text back, and don’t open the email. Call the company or agency directly using a phone number you know is correct to see if they are legitimately trying to contact you.

If your data is stolen, consider freezing your credit immediately by contacting the three major major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. Change your password on any sites that have the same credentials. Report fraud immediately to your financial institutions . If you lost money in a scam or victim of identity theft file a report with your local police and the Federal Trade Commission. Check you credit report details regularly. By law you can receive a free copy from each of the three credit agencies once a year at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action  
Don’t wait to find out our a victim of fraud until you get denied for a mortgage, car loan, or line of credit, or worse flagged on your security clearance investigation. 

This week I'm speaking at Military Money Conference near Raleigh, NC. It's the biggest gathering of the military and money community ever. If you've ever thought about a career in the personal finance field, this conference is for you.  Attendees can expect inspiration and actionable advice and connecting within the personal finance community. Here's all the information  https://milmoneycon.com/register/ 

Today I'll talk about some of the different career options related to personal finance. First, personal financial planning and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. https://www.cfp.net/why-cfp-certification/why-get-certified CFP’s meet with clients to explore what’s important to them and create holistic financial plans to meet their unique financial dreams and challenges. CFPs provide advice in a wide range of specialties, like budgeting, planning for transitions, paying for college and retirement, managing risk, taxes, investing, and what ifs like disability or premature death. If you enjoy helping people in a very comprehensive way, this path may be for you. Learn more at The Military Financial Advisors Association (MFAA) which is a nonprofit of independent financial planning experts that specialize in military and veteran families. And we're on a mission to help service members, spouses, and veterans get started in the profession. Check out and the Military to Financial Planner podcast

Learn more at the Financial Planning Association (FPA). If you’d like real taste sign up for the FPA Externship https://fpaexternship.org which this year June - July. You get to peek behind the curtain and see over 25 firms and experts at work, and do the work yourself. No experience necessary and all are welcome. It’s totally virtual and if you miss a session live, it’s recorded. If you are interested in helping people in their financial lives but don’t know what that even looks like this will be the best $250 you’ve ever spent.

 If you like educating and counseling check out the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education® (AFCPE®) It believes in empowering all people to achieve lasting financial well-being through the highest standards of financial counseling, coaching, and education. Their Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) designation delves into financial issues relevant for lower and middle-class Americans, like managing credit cards and debt, budgeting, and managing cash flows. For  military spouses, this can be a great way to enter the personal finance field,  find volunteer and PAID opportunities. AFCPE also offers special pricing for military spouses.

Like people, but love numbers and rules? You might excel as a tax preparer and become an Enrolled Agent (EA). An enrolled agent is a person who can represent taxpayers before the IRS after passing a test covering individual and business tax returns. You could start your own tax return preparation service or work for another preparer. There's volunteer work like the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) Program provides free income tax preparation for servicemembers and lower income Americans. There's paid work with commercial tax preparation companies like H&R Block which also provide entry level training, often for free.

 If you have questions and would like to know more, don’t hesitate to reach out. This field is really breaking open opportunities for new faces in different places. Come join the party.

You may have heard that the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) may finally be joining us in the 2st century. There are some good and important changes coming, and there's going to be a transition period when you won’t be able to access to your TSP.

According to TSP, it is launching its official mobile app that will give you access to your TSP My Account. You'll be able to log onto your account using biometric identification software on your mobile device, like fingerprint access and facial recognition which will add an extra level of security. They are also promising virtual assistance  via the mobile app or the web. There will be an interactive virtual assistant and automated support 24 hours a day. The virtual assistant can transfer you to an in-person representative during business hours, if needed. TSP is also promising an online chat function to connect you directly to a real representative for personalized support during business hours.

New streamlined paperwork processing is also coming, promising the ability to complete many transactions online with an "Easy, secure, and legally binding e-signature.”  In particular, they're promising assistance and a streamlined processing for rollovers from other 401(k)s or IRAs into TSP. And you should be able to make electronic transfers for loan payments and payoffs, and disbursements from your account.

Here's the key dates they need to know:

April 8 – Last day to request paper loan documents by telephone

• April 21 – Last day to submit paper loan documents
• April 29 – Last day to request all other paper forms, whether by phone or online.
• Mayy 16 – Last day to submit or access all forms (online or hard copy). This includes withdrawal, rollover or transfer requests as well as beneficiary changes..
• So basically if you want to make any request that needs a form you must submit it by May 16. 
• May 16 is also the last day to contact TSP via email
• May 26 – Last day to make transfers between different mixes of investments  or change contributions. So if you want to rebalance, do it before May 26th. 
• May 26th is also the last day you can contact TSP via telephone.
• From May 26 at noon Eastern time through the first week of June, account access of any kind will NOT be available. All your investments in TSP will still be there, your automatic payroll contributions will continue, and invested funds will continue to reflect market changes. 

Think of this May 26th through the first week of June as a total eclipse of the TSP. Seeing the world go dark in a total eclipse of the sun can be scary. But have faith the sun is still there and will come out again from behind the moon. In the same way TSP will “go dark” from May 26 through the first week of June. But what comes out on the other side should be a much improved, more participant-friendly TSP.

Now after the upgrade, all TSP users will have to update your login information before accessing your online account for the first time. TSP is promising step-by-step prompts to walk you through it. You’ll verify your identity, update your contact information and set up your account security.

Coming later this year, but not with this upgrade TSP plans to add a window within TSP where you could purchase outside mutual funds through the TSP website. I'm keeping an eye on this as well and will certainly do a podcast on that as details become available.

For more information watch your emails or go to tsp.gov and click on the banner right at the top of the page New features and other changes coming to TSP later this year.”  Can I put a link to that in the show notes

https://www.tsp.gov/new-tsp-features/key-transition-dates/