Reduce Holiday Stress

Now we are officially into the holiday season, and for many people that represents a lot of stress. It does not have to be that way! I published an article last year that has been very popular, and I hope it will help you to get the most joy from your holiday season this year: Seven Tips to Save Time and Reduce Holiday Stress.

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that as many as 10 million Americans have their identities stolen each year.  You or someone you know may have experienced some form of identity theft.

Identity theft is serious. People whose identities have been stolen can spend hundreds to thousands of dollars and countless hours cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. Consumers victimized by identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing, or cars because of false negative information on their credit reports. They may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit. The potential for damage, loss, and stress is enormous.

Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personal information. For identity thieves, your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information is as good as gold. Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to access your information:

• They may steal your mail, wallet, or purse.
  
• They may get personal information from you by posing as legitimate companies through email, in a practice known as "phishing."
  
• They might serve as an impostor and lie to you on the phone to get you to divulge sensitive information.

Keep reading to see what else you can do to minimize holiday stress in some other ways…

This time of year is "high season" for wallet and purse thefts. We're in crowded areas with people brushing up against us. A seasoned thief can get a wallet out of a back pocket or a purse without you even knowing. Now is a good time to take additional precaution and practice extra vigilance to reduce the chances of this happening to you.

Here are some suggestions for keeping your important and sensitive information as safe secure as possible so you can have some peace-of-mind:

• Keep a record of the contents of your wallet. The best way to do this is to photocopy everything--front and back, if important information is on both sides of a card or document--and keep copies in a couple of safe and accessible places. Keep a copy at home, as well as a safe place outside your home (perhaps a safe deposit box at the bank). This information will help you know what to cancel and what to replace, and it gives you a backup copy of the contents of your wallet, in the event of a fire. Be sure you include credit cards, health insurance cards, or cash cards, along with the company contact information (often on the back of the card). That way, if your wallet is stolen or lost, you'll not only know exactly what's missing, you'll be able to notify banks and credit card companies right away.

• Make sure someone you trust has an extra key to your home (along with security system codes and passwords, if necessary) in case of an emergency. If you are out of town and the copy of your wallet contents is at home, you may need to ask someone else to find it and either fax it to you or give you the information over the phone.

• Be sure that a trusted friend or relative knows where you keep important papers in your home, such as your will, insurance policies, safe deposit box info, etc. If you become incapacitated, others will need to step in and assist. Knowing where things are kept will be a big help.

• Speaking of wills, if you don't have one, get one as soon as possible. This is especially important if you have dependents (children, pets, etc.) so you can stipulate who will care for them if you are unable to. Of course, you also want to stipulate who is to get your hard-earned money, assets (including any businesses you own), and possessions. .

• Protect your financial and personal information from getting into the wrong hands. Be sure to shred or destroy unused checks, tax returns, credit card numbers on receipts and statements, before putting them in the trash. Also, if you get any phone calls from your bank or credit card company (suggesting that there is something questionable happening to your account and asking you to verify your account information, password, etc.), NEVER give the caller this information. Tell them that you will call their company back, using the number that YOU have on file for them. Calls and emails are popular ways for crooks to trick you into providing sensitive information.

• Consider purchasing credit and identity theft protection so you have assistance if anything happens with your credit cards, social security number, etc. I have been using Identity Guard for years. There are several other companies that provide coverage that monitors for unusual behavior and notifies you if there is any suspicious activity related to your credit. If there is any identity or credit theft, they provide assistance to help you shut down accounts and recover what you have lost.

In addition to taking the above precautions, here are a couple more preventive measures you can take:

• As you are driving around doing your holiday shopping, keep your purchases in the trunk of the car or in a place that is not visible to those passing by. Car break-ins are more common when a thief can see that a car is filled with recent purchases. Keep the receipts with you rather than with the purchases. That way, if they are stolen, you will at least have proof of what you just purchased (in the event that insurance will cover your loss), and it will make it harder for the thief to return your purchases for cash.

• Be sure you have adequate homeowner's or renter's insurance to cover the replacement of your assets if they are stolen or destroyed. These policies should be reviewed every year or when a significant asset has been added or removed from your household or business. If you live in flood, earthquake or hurricane zones, you may need additional insurance to cover loss from these natural disasters. Without additional insurance, you may not be covered.

In closing, as you are out shopping for someone who already "has everything," consider giving an Alternative Gift. A number of charities offer gift catalogs of things you can "purchase" through them so they can better serve those in need. These charities will provide you with a card that you can give to the person you gave the Alternative Gift in honor of, or they will send them something to let them know that you gave a gift to their charity in honor of them. If you are not familiar with a local charity offering Alternative Gift ideas, here are links to some gift catalogs from a few International charities who are doing some wonderful work:

• Heifer International
• Red Cross
• Mercy Corps
• World Vision

Here's my year-end gift to you.  Zig Ziglar died last week from pneumonia, and he left us with a lifetime of his wisdom in books and recordings.  I invite you to isten to a short story (less than 10 minutes long) recorded by Zig Ziglar, titled Attitude Makes All the Difference, as you prepare for the coming year.

I am so grateful for the amazing hear I've had, and for the many people who are part of my life.  Click here to watch a short video pictoral review.  Turn your speakers on and you'll hear the song I sang to go with it.

Have a blessed, peaceful, and meaningful holiday season.