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Keep Your Family Safe Online
Posted by Randy | August 18, 2010
In this digital age, our children are growing up in a world of uncharted territory for many parents. The new source of knowledge: the Internet. But the Internet, as much as it is an educational resource, is also an anonymous, unrestrained, and potentially destructive medium. I encourage you to speak with your children about their online use and make sure they are safe. Here are some tips for online safety:

- Keep the computer in an open area, like the kitchen or family room, and use the Internet with your kids.

- Make sure your children understand the dangers of sharing certain information, like the name of their school, sports teams, clubs, where they work or hang out, or any other information that could be used to identify them or locate them offline.

- Make sure your kids’ social networking profiles don't say too much about them. Explain why it's inappropriate — even dangerous — to use their full name, age, or hometown. Even if your kids think their profiles makes them anonymous, it doesn't take a genius to combine clues to figure out who your kids are and where they can be found.

- Use privacy settings to restrict who can access and post on your child's website.

- Remind your kids that once they post information online, they can't take it back.

- Tell your kids to trust their gut if they have suspicions. If they ever feel uncomfortable or threatened by anything online, encourage them to tell you.

More information can be found on OnGuardOnline,gov, a site dedicated to providing practical tips to help guard your family online. Click here to read more.
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Your Credit Rights
Posted by Randy | July 08, 2010

Credit is valuable. Especially now as we’re in the midst of economic uncertainty, it is important to know how much credit you have and what your rights are as a consumer. Your credit can impact where you live and even where you work, as employers may check credit reports. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have certain rights when it comes to your credit:

- You must be told if information in your file has been used against you.

- You have the right to know what is in your file.

- You have the right to ask for a credit score.

- You have the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information.

- Consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or

unverifiable information.

- Consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information.

- You must give your consent for reports to be provided to employers.

- You may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report.

- You may seek damages from violators.

For more information on each of these rights and additional rights under this Act, click here.

You can request a free annual copy of your credit report from www.annualcreditreport.com, the only authorized source under federal law.

 
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