photo‘Hope for the best but plan for the worst’- wise words that we should all live by. None of us want to dwell on what could go wrong in life, but not having a plan B in place when things don’t go our way can make a stressful situation so much worse. Keeping yourself safe and secure, and protecting yourself from all kinds of harm is something that all responsible adults should be doing- unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world. Here are some of the ways you can go about it.
Home Security
Home is our respite from the world. Our own little sanctuary, where we can rest and unwind and prepare to get back out there to handle whatever life throws at us. It’s a safe place where we can protect our possessions and our family. However there are a number of things that can cause harm or damage, and so it’s important that we protect against them. A good security monitoring system and burglar alarm will help to keep intruders out. Upgrade windows and doors if they’re worse for wear, and change your locks if you haven’t done so since you first moved in. Invest in a good safe, and bolt this down to the ground in an inconspicuous place like in a cupboard. That way you have somewhere secure to keep your family’s valuables and paperwork.
Financial Security
Research has shown that a huge proportion of people are only a couple of paychecks from homelessness. What this means is that few people have the savings or resources to be able to get by for long if they lost their job. Life is unpredictable, you might feel like you have true job security but an illness or disability, the company going bust or anything else could lead to you becoming unemployed. Get enough savings behind you so that you’re able to get by if something like this happens. Take out the right insurances which will cover you if the worst were to happen. Buildings and contents insurance, dental and medical insurance, and mortgage protection insurance are all examples. Work in these costs into your monthly budget, should you ever need them one day you’ll be so glad you were prepared.
Data Security
In this digital age, we live so much of our lives online. We manage our bank balance and our health conditions online, we work online, play online. For this reason, cybercrime is more rife than ever. Keeping your details protected is crucial, and if it’s been a while since you updated your passwords and bumped up security then now is a good time to do so. Two step verification where you have to have a code emailed to your phone as an additional layer of security works very well. That way no one can hack your accounts remotely, you need access to your phone to get in. Authenticator apps work in a similar way. Since we’re all glued to our phones and have them on us constantly, it’s no extra hassle but prevents anyone else being able to get in.
