People say that March and April are the two worse months of the year due to tax season.  I guess in a way I can agree but in my mind it’s something that needs to be done regardless of how horrible it’s going to be so I just try to muscle through it as fast as I can so that I can put it behind me for another year.

Just remember that tax season is when ALL of your most important information is all in one place so you need to be extra careful and make sure your tax information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands leading to identity theft.

Here are a few tips you should try and remember this tax season:

• There are hundreds if not thousands of tax prepares that claim they can check current as well as past tax returns to get you the largest refund.  Make sure the person you get to check your returns is legit and belongs to a reputable tax firm.
• While doing your taxes at home never leave all of you important tax documents laying out in the open.  When you are finished with your taxes be sure to secure your documents.
• Make sure if you are searching for tax forms online to only search www.irs.gov.  Any other site could be phishing for your personal information.
• NEVER carry your social security card with you.  Always keep it in a safe place at home.
• Keep important documents locked in a safe if possible.
• Buy a shredder and shread any documents that you no loonger need that may contain your personal information.

Now that tax season is in full swing be sure to keep your eyes open and your guard up to identity thieves and even more so once the tax season is over.  Thieves will be hoping that once tax season is over you will let your guard down which will allow them to steal your identity without any fight.  Don’t be that person.

Also, don’t forget to play the LifeLock for Life Sweepstakes on Facebook where all you need to do is “LIKE” LifeLock on Facebook then visit the LifeLock for Life tab and begin playing by answering different questions for great prizes. For the month of March/April the questions will be focusing on tax time so make sure you play every week for a chance to win some really cool prizes.

Be sure to follow LifeLock on Twitter, Facebook and Google +

I have received compensation for my participation as a LifeLock Ambassador but ALL opinions are my own.

For the month of January and February we are talking about buying a new home while keeping your identity safe.  You can see my post that I did for January HERE.

Buying a home is the biggest purchase we will ever make and keeping our identity safe while doing so is just as important and buying the house.  These days everyone asks for our social security number to verify our identity but we as consumers and home buyers need to make sure that doesn’t fall into the wrong persons hands.  Our identity is who we are and we need to remember that and keep it as safe as we possibly can.

I am not saying you can never reveal anything about yourself to anyone but here are a few tips to remember that will help safeguard your identity:

• Never give a person or company your Social Security number unless they have a legitimate reason for knowing it. If a company doesn’t need to check your credit, they most likely don’t need your Social Security number.
• Keep all financial documents in a safe place like a lockbox or safe.  If you no longer need statements or documents that contain your personal information be sure to shred them so that your information doesn’t get into the wrong hands.
• When buying a new home and moving use a reputable moving company that comes highly recommended.  Never use a mover unless you know who will be handling your personal items.
• Consider placing an alert on your credit report. Fraud alert messages notify creditors to verify a person’s identification before extending credit in that person’s name.
• Be present during your entire move if possible.  Movers that see you walking around and checking stuff out will be less likely to try any funny business.
• Transport any sensitive information yourself like wills, bank statements, credit card statements, etc.
• NEVER keep your laptop or desktop computer open and unattended during your move.  Keep them password protected and close by so that your information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

So like I have said in the past none of the above tips are 100% fool proof but you can greatly reduce your risk of identity theft if you are extra cautious and take the extra steps necessary to keep your information and identity safe.

Also, don’t forget to play the  LifeLock for Life Sweepstakes on Facebook where all you need to do is “LIKE” LifeLock on Facebook then visit the LifeLock for Life tab and begin playing by answering different questions for great prizes.  For the month of February the questions will be focusing on buying a new home so make sure you play every week for a chance to win some really cool prizes.

Be sure to follow LifeLock on Twitter, Facebook and Google +

I have received compensation for my participation as a LifeLock Ambassador but ALL opinions are my own.

Buying a new home is one of the most important purchases you will ever make in your life so you need to make sure you are 100% ready before making that leap.

Believe it or not Melinda and I haven’t gotten to this point yet for one reason or another.  The main reason is because we have moved around a lot due to my different jobs and another reason is we aren’t 100% sure where we would like to settle for good.  Personal finances play a part in this equation as well and seeing the amount of foreclosures in America makes me think twice about ever wanting to buy a new home.

For those of you that are in the process of buying a new home and will be planning on moving in the near future here are a few times that might be useful:

• Be sure to put in a change of address at the post office as well as changing your address with your bank, employer and any other place where they might be sending you financial documents or checks.
• Keep all important documents in a safe during your move so that you know everything is safe and secure.
• When buying new furniture and items for your new home using a credit card with a small credit limit is better than using a debit card.
• If your new home doesn’t have a locking mailbox be sure to replace it with one that does as soon as possible.
• Be sure to use LifeLock to monitor your credit because they are relentless in helping you protect your identity so you can have peace of mind while enjoying your new house.

Also, don’t forget to play the  LifeLock for Life Sweepstakes on Facebook where all you need to do is “LIKE” LifeLock on Facebook then visit the LifeLock for Life tab and begin playing by answering different questions for great prizes.  For the month of January and February the questions will be focusing on buying a new home so make sure you play every week for a chance to win some really cool prizes.

Be sure to follow LifeLock on Twitter, Facebook and Google +

I have received compensation for my participation as a LifeLock Ambassador but ALL opinions are my own.