OCTOBER 2019
‘Generation S’ PSA Calls Everyone to Help Raise Awareness of the Impact of Sickle Cell Disease p. 15
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Rural Leader Magazine, LLC is a digital publication that highlights every day people doing extraordinary things nationally and abroad. www.RuralLeaderMag.com www.GetRuralLeaderMag.com
About Us
Launched in March 2014, Rural Leader
Magazine, LLC is a digital publication with a mission to highlight every day people doing extraordinary things in business, education, music, community, art, sports, and leadership nationally and abroad. Rural Leader Magazine honors exemplary individuals on a variety of levels, such as the 20 under 20 Honors, 40 under 40 Honors, Best Small Town Restaurant, Small Town America’s 100 Most Influential People, the Scholars of Collegiate Distinction, Fifty under Fifty, and the Eagle Elite Club.—
Contents
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Kuanita E. Murphy, PhD
6 Dreaming of Starting a New Business? Remember these Five Things 8 Medicare Open Enrollment: How to Save Money Next Year 9 Money flip or flop? How to Avoid Falling for Online Scams 11 Which is more important to recognize, emojis or road signs? 12 Expert Tips to Reduce Workplace Stress for Better Health
14 Six Ways to Create Community in Your Neighborhood COVER STORY 15 ‘Generation S’ PSA Calls Everyone to Help Raise Awareness of the Impact of Sickle Cell Disease 17 CDC Foundation Program makes a Difference for People with Cancer 19 Cybercriminals are Targeting the Education Sector: How to Protect Your Family
Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, in English, or other languages, is prohibited without written consent. Send editorial ideas to Kuanita Murphy, PhD, Editor-in-Chief editor@ruralleadermag.com Contact Us info@ruralleadermag.com editor@ruralleadermag.com
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Editor’s Note Dear Readers, Inside this issue, there are a number of great articles about leadership best practices, building positive self-esteem and productivity! We hope you enjoy this issue. As always, I hope you enjoy this issue and continue to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google +, and LinkedIn. Thanks again for your continual support! Sincerely,
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Kuanita E. Murphy, PhD Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
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Dreaming of Starting a New Business? Remember these Five Things If you’re dreaming about starting a business, or if you’re already a business owner looking to grow your business, chances are that you’ll need a loan at some point to help your vision become reality. And if you’re a veteran or active-duty servicemember, you already possess the skills and vital experience needed to make your business a success. “From resourcefulness and determination to the ability to take smart risks, military experience teaches skills that translate well for business ownership,” said Tony Pica, vice president of business services at Navy Federal Credit Union. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 Survey of Small Business Owners found that 2.52 million businesses in the United States (or 9.1%) are majority-owned by veterans. There are many resources available for veterans interested in starting or growing their business, including those from the U.S. Small Business Administration. What are lenders looking for? Here are five considerations to keep in mind before securing a loan for your business: 1. Do your market research and prepare a solid business plan. Doing research on the industry and preparing a solid business plan is an important step to take when seeking financing for your company. If you can demonstrate to lenders that you’ve done your due diligence - created a detailed business plan, have a trusted team, know the demand for your product or service, and developed a sales strategy to show the viability of your business - you’ll be much more likely to convince them to take a chance on you and your company. 2. Review your overall financial profile. “Your complete financial health demonstrates your creditworthiness to lenders, so it’s best to review your credit history before applying for a business loan,” Pica said. “You’ll also want to know the amount of money
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you need to borrow and what exactly it will be used for.” Presenting your complete background, such as your education and experience, including whether you’ve worked at or managed a similar business in the past, can also make a big difference. 3. Be willing to invest some of your personal money. Depending on the lending request, you might need to provide a cash injection or collateral. This may include your home, a vehicle, marketable securities or tangible inventory. The lender wants to make sure that you’re willing to put your own skin in the game. In many cases, a certain amount of capital may be required by law. 4. Expanding an existing business? Demonstrate evidence of continued success. Lenders will want to see evidence of your past and projected cash flow as a result of expanding your existing company. If the loan is for a new business, you’ll need to show lenders your ability to repay it by providing a detailed explanation that includes projected expenses and income, based on solid research. 5. Partner with your trusted financial institution. Once you’ve done your market research and developed a concrete business plan, talk to your trusted bank or credit union about the business lending products and services available to you. For example, Navy Federal Credit Union Business Services provides more than just loans for equipment, vehicles and commercial real estate for its members. It provides a whole suite of options, such as business checking and savings accounts and business credit cards, as well as assistance with bill pay, payroll processing, insurance policies and retirement coverage for employees. Financing your budding business can be a smooth process with these considerations in mind.—
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Medicare Open Enrollment: How to Save Money Next Year Medicare Open Enrollment is about to kick off. For most people already enrolled in Medicare, the annual Open Enrollment period (Oct. 15 through Dec. 7) is the only opportunity to make changes to your existing Medicare coverage. Even if you are happy with your Medicare coverage, you should take the time to explore your options. There may be a plan that is better suited to your health and financial needs that could save you hundreds of dollars in the upcoming year. During Medicare Open Enrollment, Medicare beneficiaries can switch Part D prescription drug plans; switch Medicare Advantage plans, which offer health (and often drug) coverage through private insurers; switch from Original Medicare, administered by the federal government, to Medicare Advantage; or switch from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare. All changes made to coverage during Open Enrollment take effect on Jan. 1, 2020. Dan Klein, president and CEO of the Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation, an independent charitable organization dedicated to helping people afford out-of-pocket costs for prescribed medications, offers the following tips for navigating Medicare Open Enrollment. 1. Do your homework. Take the time to shop around and understand the benefits and costs of each plan so you can find the coverage that works best for you. Changes to your health status, doctors or other healthcare providers, prescription drugs or budget may mean that your current plan is no longer the most cost-effective choice for you. Insurance companies can also make annual changes to their plans that might affect the drugs covered, provider networks and your out-of-pocket costs. 2. Make sure your doctors and providers are in-network. Before selecting a Medicare Advantage plan, it’s smart to check that your preferred doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are in the plan’s provider network. If you visit a doctor, hospital or pharmacy that is outside of the network, you will likely have to pay more. If your insurance company has changed your plan’s provider network for next year, you may want to use Open Enrollment to switch to a plan that will include your current doctors, hospitals and pharmacies in-network to lower your medical costs. Note: With Original Medicare you can go to any doctor that accepts Medicare patients. 8 RuralLeaderMag.com | October 2019
3. Make sure your medications are covered. Medicare Part D helps cover the cost of prescription drugs. Many Medicare Advantage plans provide prescription drug coverage as well. It’s important to ensure that your plan covers the medications you need and that the plan’s network of pharmacies makes it convenient for you to access your drugs. Switching prescription drug coverage, or even adding it for the first time, can help make the critical medical treatments you need less expensive. 4. Assess if your plan is still a good fit for your budget. Annually, there may be changes to your Medicare plan that affect your out-of-pocket costs. Out-of-pocket costs are your expenses for medical care that aren’t reimbursed by insurance. When selecting a plan, you should consider what you will be responsible for paying under the plan, including the deductible, out-of-pocket limit, co-pays and co-insurance. Also, if you are enrolled in Original Medicare and do not already have supplemental coverage, now may be a good time to consider purchasing a Medigap plan. 5. Determine how you will pay for your out-ofpocket costs. With rising deductibles, premiums, co-pays and co-insurance, the inability to pay is a growing problem for people with Medicare. There may be assistance available to you if you cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs for your prescription medications. You should research your options now. If you have limited income and resources, you may qualify for a federal Medicare Low Income Subsidy (LIS) - also known as Extra Help - to help pay for your prescription drug costs. You may also be eligible for a patient assistance program that provides people with financial assistance to cover out-of-pocket costs for their medical treatments. You can learn more about PAN and patient assistance charities by visiting PANFoundation.org. Other helpful online resources are available at: * Medicare.gov * BenefitsCheckup.org * MedicareInteractive.org By taking the time to re-evaluate your existing coverage and learn about all the options, you may be able to save significantly on your healthcare costs next year.—
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Money flip or flop? How to Avoid Falling for Online Scams Scammers are always cooking up creative new ways to separate people from their money. The sad reality is that it often works. The latest schemes involve so-called “money flipping,” and it’s showing up in consumers’ newsfeeds on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and even via text messaging. Keep these things in mind when you see an enticing post or are randomly approached by someone about any form of money flipping or “get rich quick” schemes: 1. Trust your gut. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You can ignore the testimonials with photos of big piles of cash, the fancy cars and the flashy jewels they displayed with captions of their “success” - scammers may tell you that they work for a money transmitter and have “tricks” on how to double your money. However, monetary systems cannot be “manipulated” by adding a few “extra 0s” to any transaction in an attempt to turn a small investment into big money in minutes. Cons claim they will keep a percentage of the profit as commission, but as soon as a victim sends the upfront investment money, they will unfriend or block you on social media, not answer texts or calls and disappear with your dough without a trace. 2. Don’t be fooled by a text from a “friend” Even if a text or SMS appears to be from someone you know, if someone’s asking you for money for any reason, you should think twice before taking action. If you really think it’s from a friend or a social media acquaintance, contact them directly in another way (by phone, via email or in person) to confirm the situation. Chances are that it’s really a hacker who is masquerading as someone you really know to try to convince you to take the bait. 3. Use your head. Does it seem realistic that someone could turn your $200 into $2,000 by the end of the day? If it were that easy, surely everyone would be doing it. If it doesn’t make sense to you, that’s because it’s nonsense. While common sense should
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tell us that this is a scam, you should also consider how it would be legal if it did work. In this instance, there is no logical, legal way that such a scam could be effective and legitimate. Never let your emotions blind you to these facts. Even if it were possible to modify the amount of a transfer, it would be criminal to defraud a legitimate business by participating in this scheme. Never invest in something you don’t totally understand. 4. Remember that you don’t really know who you’re talking to. Even if the person posting on social media or messaging you says that they work in the financial industry, or that they’ve successfully made wads of cash and are just sharing their good fortune out of the kindness of their heart, remember that you have no idea who that person really is, even if they insist they want to get you a good deal or help you get rich quick. 5. Never click any links or give out personal information. Someone trying to scam you on Instagram or any other social media site will often lure you into a continuing conversation over text or SMS, then try to get you to click a link to a compromised site - or may even try to get you to reveal personal info like your bank account or Social Security number. Anyone asking you for your money or sensitive financial details is not a giver, they’re just a taker. Flip burgers, flip pancakes - just do not try to flip your hard-earned cash! Never give money to anyone promising to make you quick and easy money. There is no such thing as free money. For more tips and awareness information about consumer fraud, visit: wu.com/fraudawareness. If you believe you may be a victim of fraud using Western Union, call the Western Union Fraud Hotline number at 1-800-448-1492.—
Which is more important to recognize, emojis or road signs? If you were to take a quiz to test your ability to identify common emojis and road signs, how do you think you’d fare? According to the results from a recent survey by Mercury Insurance, 1,890 respondents did not do so well. The meaning of the “yawning” emoji was correctly identified by 85% of the respondents, but only 31% of quiz-takers correctly identified the meaning of the “lane reduction” road sign. Additionally, 71% knew the “in love” emoji, but the “keep right” road sign was correctly identified by only 51% of quiz-takers. Emojis are continually being added to our texting and messaging vocabulary, and for the most part, we’re able to keep up with this ever-changing landscape. Fortunately for the more than 200 million licensed U.S. drivers, road signs are highly regulated and consistent, and are designed to help keep drivers safe and easily guide them to their destinations. The bad news, however, is that far more people are able to identify emojis than road signs. And what’s worse is that many times they’re looking at these cute little icons while they’re driving. “Sure, emojis are a fun, modern-day form of shorthand, and may be more intuitive, but there’s a time and place to use them, and behind the wheel of a car isn’t one of them,” said Kevin Quinn, vice president of claims and customer experience at Mer-
cury Insurance. “A picture may be worth a thousand words in some cases, but it certainly isn’t worth getting into a collision and risking someone’s life. Most collisions are avoidable if drivers focus on their main task of safely operating a vehicle.” Distracted driving - anything that takes a driver’s attention away from the road, including texting and talking on a phone - accounted for 3,166 fatalities in 2017, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Texting while driving is extremely dangerous, as it takes your eyes off the road for five seconds on average - whether you’re reading or sending the message. The results of the quiz also highlight the importance of knowing what each road sign means, so you and those around you are safe. “These signs are instantly communicating to drivers what actions to take, much like emojis instantly communicate what friends or family members might be trying to convey in a text,” said Quinn. “It’s OK to only somewhat understand an emoji, but it’s imperative to know exactly what a road sign is telling you; otherwise it could lead to disastrous results on the road where no one can afford a misunderstanding. And being an attentive driver who knows the rules of the road and safely gets where they’re going might earn you a smiley face from your auto insurance company, just don’t read it while you’re operating a vehicle.”— GetRuralLeaderMag.com | October 2019 11
Expert Tips to Reduce Workplace Stress for Better Health
Feeling stressed at work? If so, you’re not alone. A recent Gallup Poll on stress, worry and anger revealed that 55% of Americans said they experienced stress “a lot” during the day, up from 46% in 2006. In the workplace, stress can affect your attitude, relationships with colleagues and work performance. Although a modest amount of stress is normal, high levels of stress can be dangerous to your health and may contribute to serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, anxiety and depression. But there are ways to help manage stress. Ann Marie O’Brien, R.N., national director of health strategies, UnitedHealthcare, shares the following tips that may reduce your workplace stress and get you back on a healthy track performing at your usual best. 1) Talk to your boss. Consider having an open discussion with your boss about the stressors associated with your work responsibilities. Ask if there is an opportunity for additional skills training, or possibly even restructure your job to make it more manageable and better aligned with your interests and skills. Also, check if your company has an employee assistance program (EAP), which may provide available counseling and online resources. 2) Brush up on your time-management skills. We’ve all had days when it seems impossible to get everything done. In some cases, poor time management is the reason we feel this way, which then may 12 RuralLeaderMag.com | October 2019
trigger stress. For your next work assignment, talk with your supervisor before getting started to plan realistic goals, priorities and deadlines. 3) Take advantage of workplace well-being programs. An increasing number of employers are offering well-being programs through their health plan and are making healthier food options available in the workplace. Some employers offer gym reimbursement programs such as UnitedHealthcare’s Gym Check-In, have onsite workout rooms, offer stand-up desks, and encourage walking meetings and well-being challenges like taking the stairs. For your physical and mental health, combine exercise with a well-balanced diet, O’Brien said. 4) Grow your support network. If you have a close colleague at work, talk with that person and explain your work stressors and brainstorm possible solutions. If you don’t, then reach out to friends and loved ones. It’s important that you don’t isolate yourself after a stressful event. 5) Focus on yourself. If you’re feeling stress, a simple treat such as going to a movie, enjoying your favorite meal or just getting away to take a brief walk can give you time to unwind and recharge. If you cannot get a handle on your stress, talk to your doctor. She or he may recommend a counselor who could help you find other ways to help reduce or manage the unhealthy stress in your life.—
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Six Ways to Create Community in Your Neighborhood It’s easy to see the value of living in caring neighborhoods and being good neighbors. One recent survey found 75 percent of Americans think it’s important to welcome new neighbors, 58 percent say it’s important for neighbors to socialize and 37 percent are more likely to seek help from a neighbor than a friend when it comes to small projects. The chance to meet others is often cited as a primary reason millennials prefer living in urban neighborhoods. The survey found 58 percent of millennials have had face-to-face interactions with their neighbors, while 40 percent wish they were better connected than they already are. Interested in becoming a better inhabitant of your own neighborhood? Consider these suggestions aimed at promoting a kinder, friendlier environment. 1) Introduce yourself. Take the first step. Instead of avoiding contact when in your yard or out for a walk, shake hands, say hi and make an effort to remember people’s names. Even when in-person contact is brief, it can go a long way toward helping people feel connected and more like friends than strangers. 2) Take new neighbors housewarming gifts. Make newcomers feel wanted and welcome by acknowledging their arrival with a thoughtful gift. One meaningful and sure-to-be-welcome idea is a beautifully fragranced soy candle from Bright Endeavors, a Chicago-area nonprofit that employs young mothers. Every purchase helps empower young women by teaching them job training and giving them the skills needed to gain permanent employment and provide for their children. 3) Give new families contact info for neighbors and neighborhood amenities. Include phone num-
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bers for emergency services, doctors’ offices, dentists, schools, babysitters, entertainment options, sources of great takeout food, dry cleaners and any other assets you think may be helpful. People will appreciate your insider view into local amenities, and they’ll be more likely to communicate key information to others if their contact info is readily available. 4) Organize a neighborhood event. It could be as simple as a front-porch open house or as strategically planned as a neighborhood cleanup, but any gathering that brings people together to socialize is bound to create goodwill and a friendlier neighborhood vibe. 5) Stay aware of who needs help. When possible, organize meal delivery, dog walking, transportation or other assistance for neighbors going through tough times. Teaming up to help others may make your neighbors feel more connected, and people on the receiving end of such kindness tend to pay it forward. 6) Live by the golden rule. Treat your neighbors as you would like to be treated. Clean up after pets and kids, drive through at reasonable speeds, don’t be overly loud, mow at reasonable hours, return anything you’ve borrowed and generally stay aware of how you’re coming across to others. It feels good to live in a neighborhood that feels more like a community than an anonymous collection of strangers. Consider how you can take the initiative to create warmth and peace within your own neighborhood. Find more information, visit BrightEndeavors.org.—
‘Generation S’ PSA Calls Everyone to Help Raise Awareness of the Impact of Sickle Cell Disease Despite being one of the most common genetic disorders in the world, patients with sickle cell disease frequently live their lives in the shadows - their voices going unheard, their condition may often go undertreated or ignored. A new public service announcement (PSA) campaign featuring Grammy®-nominated singer, film and Broadway star, Jordin Sparks, and five people touched by the disease, invites the public to get involved and help patients through understanding and support. Last year, Sparks helped launch “Generation S” - a national sickle cell disease storytelling project sponsored by Novartis that encourages people touched by the disease to break their silence about the true impact of sickle cell disease. Since then, more than 750 stories about experiencing life with sickle cell disease have been submitted to JoinGenS.com. Although sickle cell disease affects roughly 100,000 Americans, it has gone unseen by many. The general public may not understand the impact and burden of sickle cell disease. The stigma associated with the disease has left many patients under-treated and lost in the health care system. Despite their challenges, the PSA highlights the resiliency of people touched by sickle cell disease, who are fighting the disease and starting foundations in honor of family members. Here are some ways to join Jordin Sparks and the storytellers to help educate those who may interact with people living with sickle cell disease at work or in their personal lives: Stay informed - What is sickle cell disease? Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that affects the shape of red blood cells and makes blood cells sticki-
er than usual. This can cause blockages in blood vessels and when the blood flow slows or gets blocked, there can be more health risks over time, like organ damage and organ failure and other long-term health complications. It also can impact family and friends of those carrying the disease in profound ways. While one patient describes her condition as feeling like “shattered glass moving through my veins,” others share stories of watching loved ones struggle for years without being able to ease their suffering. Communicate and interact. By sharing the PSA, you can help the public understand the burden and impact of the condition and the real life stories of those living with sickle cell disease. The PSA is supported by Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA), Sickle Cell 101, Sick Cells, the Sickle Cell Community Consortium (SCCC) and Bold Lips for Sickle Cell - all partners to Novartis’s “Generation S.” Interact with the community and view additional stories featured in the “Generation S” mosaic on the JoinGenS.com website. Share your story. For Jordin Sparks, sickle cell disease is personal. She lost her young stepsister to the disease in 2018. “Many people still don’t know the impact sickle cell disease has on people living with it, and their families and friends,” Sparks said. “I hope this PSA will help change our mindset regarding sickle cell and I am proud to lend my voice to shine a light on these stories.” To learn more and share your story, visit www. JoinGenS.com.— GetRuralLeaderMag.com | October 2019 15
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CDC Foundation Program makes a Difference for People with Cancer Imagine being diagnosed with cancer, going through chemotherapy, and then getting sidelined by an infection. Unfortunately for people with cancer, this is a serious potential side effect of chemotherapy. Each year, more than half a million people with cancer are treated with chemotherapy, which may weaken their immune system (a condition known as neutropenia), making them more vulnerable to getting an infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an infection linked to neutropenia is one of the most dangerous side effects of chemotherapy that can put a patient in the hospital, delay their treatments or even cause death. That’s why back in 2009, CDC and the CDC Foundation, with financial support from Amgen Oncology, set out to develop innovative ways to educate people about this side effect and steps they can take to reduce their risk of infections during chemotherapy. The Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients (PICP) program is now celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and continues to provide evidence-based resources for patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. To celebrate this milestone, the program has developed its first-ever public service announcement (PSA) highlighting the importance of infection prevention during chemotherapy and tips on how people with cancer can lower their infection risk. “The CDC Foundation is honored to have been part of this program that has helped educate and inform cancer patients about their increased risk of an infection during chemotherapy since 2009,” said Dr. Judith Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “The PICP program has been strengthened over time as a result of our strong and lasting partnerships that allow these innovative tools to be disseminated to patients.” “These resources are working,” said Dr. Lisa Richardson, MPH, director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. “By providing patients and oncology providers with simple, evidence-based materials, cancer patients and caregivers report that they understand their risk for neutropenia and infection
better after visiting our website.” As part of the program’s evolution, PICP recently launched new educational tools using virtual human technology: TINA. Housed in a free mobile app and on PreventCancerInfections.org, our fully animated virtual provider TINA (Talking about Infection and Neutropenia Awareness) is an interactive tool for patients and providers. For patients, TINA will ask and answer the user’s questions about infection risk and the steps they can take to protect themselves. For oncology providers, TINA allows the user to role-play and practice a conversation with an emotionally responsive and interactive virtual patient. This training tool was developed to help providers improve their conversations with patients about a topic that can be difficult to explain. The PICP program is also available in Spanish, including a Spanish-language version of TINA (TINA en Español). One in three Hispanic men and women are diagnosed with cancer each year, yet there are few Spanish-language resources available, according to the American Cancer Society. Based on the fundamental belief that every person should have information tailored to their needs, 3 Pasos Para Prevenir infecciones durante el tratamiento del cancer was launched to meet the needs of the Spanish-speaking community. “An infection during chemotherapy is serious, yet many cancer patients are not aware of what they can do to lower that risk,” said Dr. Darryl Sleep, senior vice president, Global Medical and Chief Medical Officer at Amgen. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve done with CDC and the CDC Foundation over the past 10 years to provide evidence-based, educational resources to patients and their families.” For more information about PICP and its English and Spanish resources available for patients, caregivers and providers, visit https://www.preventcancerinfections.org/. TINA and TINA en Español are also available online or as a free mobile app.—
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Cybercriminals are Targeting the Education Sector: How to Protect Your Family With increased attacks, back-to-school planning must include cybersecurity. As children return to school across the country there is a topic not found in textbooks or traditional coursework that parents, guardians and educators should prioritize: smart cybersecurity practices. Recent McAfee Labs research found cybercriminals are actively targeting the education sector, with publicly disclosed attacks increasing 50% in Q1 2019. As children increasingly use various devices starting at younger ages both at school and home, smart online practices should be learned early on. While there is a need for more cybersecurity education, students are not learning about the importance of it in school. In fact, a McAfee survey found only about a third (36%) of American students learn how to keep personal information safe through school resources, instead, 42% report that the news is their best resource for cybersecurity education. This issue continues through college with only 19% of American college students ages 18-25 taking extra steps to protect their school and academic records. Academic information is a rich resource for personal data, which can lead to identity theft and other criminal activity and these stats demonstrate the importance of educating children sooner rather than later when it comes to cybersecurity to keep them informed and protected. “It is crucial that students, parents and educational institutions of all levels are more thorough and proactive about protecting what matters to them and students’ futures. It is equally important that we educate students about cyber safety. After all, by the time college rolls around nearly half of students are unaware of the likelihood that they will fall victim to cybercrime in their lifetime,” says Gary Davis, McAfee’s chief consumer security evangelist. Davis shares smart tips for parents and their children to better protect personal data: Discuss cyber safety: It starts with education, it’s crucial for families to have an ongoing dialog about
cyber safety. Talk to your family about ways to identify phishing scams and what to do if your data was involved in a data breach. Never reuse passwords: Use unique passwords for each one of your accounts, even if it’s for an account that doesn’t hold a lot of personal information. Use a password manager to simplify your password management needs. Always set privacy and security settings: Anyone with access to the internet can view your social media if it’s public, so protect your identity and privacy by turning your profiles to private in order to have control over who can see information about you. You should also take the time to understand the various security and privacy settings to see which work best for your lifestyle. Use the cloud with security mindset: If you plan to store your documents in the cloud, be sure to set up an additional layer of access security to keep your data available and secure. One way of doing this is through two-factor authentication. Always connect with caution: If you must conduct transactions on a public Wi-Fi connection, especially those financial in nature, use a virtual private network (VPN) to help keep your connection secure and details private. Invest in security software: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so invest in security software like McAfee’s Total Protection that scans for malware and untrusted sites to protect your entire family whether on a computer or digital device like a smartphone or tablet. Plan a conversation today with your family and discuss the best steps for protecting personal data. With a proactive approach, students can keep personal data secure so they can focus on academics, reaching milestones and making memories.—
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