Privacy, Security

Are Privacy and Security Good for Your Personal Finances?

March 9, 2022 / My Data Removal Staff
a $100 bill that is made of puzzle pieces with some pieces off to the side

Where do privacy, security, and personal finances intersect? They intersect with you. Small costs now (whether just time or also money) can save a lot of potential headache and costs later.

Summary

Creating good privacy and security habits both online and offline can save you time and money down the road. The peace of mind that these habits and services buy is well worth the costs. Notching up your privacy and security likely won’t make you rich but, like insurance, they mitigate risks you face and are well worth the investment of time and money.

Good privacy and security are like insurance

In simple terms, insurance works by trading risk for money. You pay auto insurance premiums so that if you get into an accident, the insurance company will pay for most of the damages. Insurance can be pricey, but most of us choose spend money on insurance. For the cost, the peace of mind and protection offered by insurance are a great deal.

Upgrading your privacy and security practices do the same thing. You have to pay a cost, whether it be in time or money. But doing these things can reduce the likelihood of some bad things happening to you. Some of these negative consequences can be expensive to resolve, both in terms of time and money. For example:

What makes you a target?

Most of these things come about because your personal information has been compromised in some way. Some of the above things happen, not because you did anything wrong, but because you were unlucky. Sometimes you make yourself more of a target because you have lax security and privacy practices, and your personal information is more readily available. Bad guys can get your data in a number of ways:

What can you do?

What all of these actions essentially do is make your information harder to find or access. This will make you harder to find on people search sites, harder to piece together your information if you’re part of a data breach, and harder to be a target of identity theft. While you can never be 100% invincible, the more of the following actions you take, the more secure you will be. And just like buying a good insurance plan, these actions can help mitigate potential risks and save you time and money down the road.

Actions you should take
Services you can get for free
Services to consider paying for
Conclusion

There are a lot of things that you can do to help improve your privacy and security. It can seem overwhelming or hard to know where to start. Some of the suggestions can be costly or at least a hassle. Privacy and security are a marathon, not a sprint. Consider the options and do what is right for you. Being a little more intentional today than you were yesterday is a step in the right direction. Good luck in your journey and let us know how we can help!

For a deeper dive into privacy and security check out our Why Privacy? and Why Security? blog posts.

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