According to a report from the Javelin Strategy and Research firm, the top spots for security measures to prevent identity theft go to three banks: Bank of America, Washington Mutual and JP Morgan Chase.

Banks were rated for online account security, including the use of multiple passwords and authentication methods.

You can read about it here in an article at Consumer Affairs dot com. The article warns that even though these banks got high ratings, they have all suffered security breaches in recent years.

Identity theft. It’s more widespread all the time with con artists coming up with new methods of getting our personal information every time we start to catch onto the old ones. You need to be aware of some basic security steps to safeguard yourself from identity theft.

Now you may have done your budget after my last post and decided that possibly it would be a good thing if someone stole your identity, but trust me, they would make a worse job of your credit than you ever could.

The Federal Trade Commission’s website on identity theft helps you:

Deter identity thieves by safeguarding your information;

Detect suspicious activity by routinely monitoring your financial accounts and billing statements;

and

Defend against ID theft as soon as you suspect a problem.

For tips on how to protect yourself from identity theft and what to do if you have become a victim of ID theft, visit the FTC’s ID Theft site.

“Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a rise it’s no surprise
That they’re giving none away”
Money Pink Floyd

Asking for a raise is never easy. But the fact is that you can get them to give that money away, if you approach the situation professionally and with facts and figures in hand.

First, assess your position honestly. If you have issues that might hamper your being granted a raise, work on improving them first. What might be key objections? Attendance? Some area of your job in which you don’t meet expectations? Do you lack certain skills? Work on improving any areas that you can identify as possible problems and then be prepared to show your boss proof of the improvement in your job performance.

Next, check the market. Find out what others in similar positions with similar education and skills are being paid. Look at your skills and their value to the company. Keep a list of your accomplishments over the past year. Show the boss areas in which you have excelled, and those in which others rely on your skills.

Decide what you want and what you are willing to accept before you go in. Be prepared to negotiate, and consider other benefits besides money. In some cases, a boss may not be able to offer you a raise but may be able to reward your hard work with some perks that are just as appealing.

Don’t threaten. Ultimatums can backfire. Don’t bring emotions into the discussion. Your approach should be businesslike. You are marketing your skills. Discuss any extra classes you are taking, any new tasks you have taken on at work and occasions when you have been singled out for praise on a project or a job well done.

Some tools to help you prepare:

Salary dot com

Economic Research Institute

The best way to start making a budget and analyzing expenses is to start with documentation, lots of it. If you have them, financial records for 12 months is preferable. Luckily, with modern technology and online access to most accounts you may not even need pay stubs, bank account statements, or credit card statements. Utility bills are a good thing to have as usage differs month to month and you want to take an average.

First list all your income. This should include all sources of income, including child support and loan proceeds. This is the easy part.

Next, list expenses. Use categories to make it easier for you to see what proportion of your income gets spent where. Add or delete categories from my list to fit your personal lifestyle. Typical categories are:

* Rent or Mortgage payments (include insurance)
* Utilities – Electricity, Heat, Phone, Cable or Satellite TV, DSL or other internet service, Water and Sewer
* Food – include not only groceries but all food expenses, like school lunches and eating out
* Transportation – car payments, insurance, fuel and maintenance
* Clothing – expenditures for purchases and costs of cleaning
* Medical – include any payment for medical services or prescription drugs, include expenses for eye exams and eyeglasses if applicable
* Miscellaneous – include here any regular expense that doesn’t fit into other categories, such as music lessons for your cat

At this point you can add the totals on both the income and the outflow charts. You probably have already noticed that there is a large sum of money missing and unaccounted for. Finding out where that money goes is your next job. Track any expense you make in the next week. If you stop at the ATM, record what you took out and how you spent it, record every cup of coffee or order of pizza. Any time you spend anything outside of the major expense categories, write it down!

Once you have that total, you can make your budget.