Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses

Concerns about cyberattacks on small businesses continue to grow, and knowing how to protect your business is crucial. Because smaller businesses don’t have the same amount of security as a big businesses, they’re prime victims for cybercriminals. Keep reading to learn the best ways to keep your small business out of online danger.

Always use strong and secure passwords

This is the most obvious and well-known cybersecurity tip, but it’s one of the most important. If you want any sort of protection from hackers, your passwords must be strong, secure and updated regularly. You can take extra precautions by having a strong password created for you online rather than creating your own.

Never use the same password for multiple accounts

Going along with the first tip, password security is a must. Not only should your passwords be strong and updated, but they should differ on each account. Using the same password for multiple accounts is risky because if one account is compromised, they all are. There are online password managers you can utilize to help with keeping track of the multiple passwords you have on varying accounts.

Keep your software updated

Outdated and old versions of apps can be more vulnerable to hacker access. A great way to keep your software secure is to install all updates for software and applications as soon as they’re made available.

Use VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)

VPNs are made to encrypt all traffic that leaves and enters your device. Using a VPN is a smart step towards securing your business’s information. If a cybercriminal somehow hacks you and intercepts your information, it will all be encrypted data which is useless for them.

Train your employees properly

Being consistent with your employee is extremely important for your small business’s online safety. Make sure all employees know what precautions to take, how to use and handle business information and what the penalties are for failing to follow those rules.

Try hacking your own system

Hiring an IT specialist to analyze and audit your system to search for weaknesses is a great way to see what needs to be improved. Doing this will help you understand how to better protect your small business.

Most small businesses are very under-protected when it comes to cyber safety and protecting their information. We hope you’ll follow these tips and take all the necessary precautions in order to keep your small business out of harm’s way.

6 Wallet-Friendly School Lunch Ideas

Going back to school comes with its handful of expenses, and school lunch is one of them. Although packing lunch for your kids each day might not sound appealing, it will save you big bucks and is easier than you think. We hope you’ll give these six wallet-friendly lunch ideas a try this school year!

1. Cheese Quesadilla: Not only is this lunch delicious, but it’s super cheap and easy to make. All you need is a tortilla, a couple of cheese slices and whatever veggies you have to add in. This meal is a kid-favorite, plus it’s a great way to sneak some veggies in their diet, too.

2. English Muffin Pizzas: These mini pizzas are a game-changer when it comes to school lunches! All you need is an English muffin, pizza sauce, shredded cheese and other pizza toppings your kids’ desire. Simply cut the English muffin in half, spread the pizza sauce on top, sprinkle on some cheese and add some toppings like bell peppers or olives. Cold or hot, these pizzas are delicious!

3. Homemade Lunch Kit: The popular Lunchables are actually super easy to recreate and much cheaper when you make them yourself. All you need to do is fill a divided container with sliced lunch meat, crackers and cheese. These lunch kits usually come with a juice pouch and a sweet treat you can throw in, too.

4. Veggie Pasta Salad: This simple meal is great for preparing early and having ready to go in the fridge. All you need to do is mix whatever vegetables you’d like – like carrots, peppers or broccoli, with cooked pasta and Italian dressing. To brighten your child’s day, try out some fun-shaped pasta.

5. Peanut Butter and Jelly: Don’t forget about the classic and super cheap go-to school lunch! Many schools have a nut-free policy, but luckily there are lots of alternatives in stores that are nut-free but taste just like peanut butter, like Wowbutter® or sunflower seed butter.

6. Lunch Meat Rolls: By simply rolling some lunch meat, cheese slices and veggies in a tortilla shell, this lunch is ready to go in minutes! Keep the rolls together by using a toothpick and add a dip like ranch on the side.

While your kids return to school, you can be sure they are happy and satisfied with their lunches. Meanwhile, enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you aren’t breaking the bank with these meals!

I’m in Debt – What Should I Do?

While struggling with debt isn’t uncommon, getting out of it as soon as possible is important. Student loans, car loans, credit cards and other payments can lead to your pile of debt getting bigger and bigger. So, what steps should you take if you are in debt? Keep reading to find out.

1. Clean Out Your House & Sell What You Don’t Use

Start small and simply sell the things you don’t need. You’d be surprised how many things you have around the house that you never use. While doing this won’t erase your debt, it will give you some extra money to put towards paying it off and help you recognize some of the unnecessary purchases you’ve made.

2. Find a Side Job

If you have a full-time job but have weekends open, finding a part-time job to fill that time would be extremely beneficial. Working on your days off might not seem ideal, but if you’re serious about paying off your debt, it’s a great step in the right direction. Just remember these circumstances are temporary and the bigger your steps towards erasing your debt are, the quicker you can get it done.

3. Analyze Your Spending Habits

The best way to understand your spending habits is to write all of your payments from the last month or two down on paper. Once you see everything in front of you, try dividing that into categories – necessary expenses (like rent, utilities, groceries, etc.) and unnecessary expenses (coffee trips, clothes, video games, etc.). Now that you see how much you’ve spend on things that aren’t necessary, start rethinking the way you handle your money every day. Next time you think of buying that cute shirt, ask yourself if you need it. These small purchases add up and the money could be put towards your debt, instead!

4. Never Spend More Than You Make

How do people get into debt? They spend more money than they’re bringing in. If you’re trying to get rid of debt, you definitely can’t be adding more money to that pile. Trim down your budget so you know you’re making more than you’re spending. The best way to know if you’re doing this is to simply track everything you spend and everything you make. At the end of your pay period, make sure the money earned is higher than the money spent.

Paying off the debt you owe might seem like a big job, but freedom from debt starts with taking the first step. Start by implementing these effective tips into your daily life, stay organized and keep a positive mindset. Debt is temporary if you work hard and stay motivated! Get saving by opening a savings account with us today.

Online Safety Tips for Remote Workers

Whether you’ve been working from home for a while or just recently started, getting a refresher on staying safe online is always a good idea. Working remotely comes with being at risk for a cyber-attack, which can be dangerous for your private work data. Read these online security tips to ensure you’re doing what you can to keep cybercriminals away.

Keep Your Work Covered

It’s always nice to change up the scenery and visit a park or coffee shop to get some work done. Working in public does come with its concerns, so make sure you’re playing it safe. Don’t let those around you peek at your screen or see what work you’re doing. You never know what strangers are up to and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Cybercriminals can be anywhere!

Always Use Strong Passwords

Not only should your accounts be protected with a strong password, but your devices should be, too. Make sure your laptop, phone and other devices are locked with a secure password. Remember not to use the same password across multiple accounts – if one password is compromised, then all of your accounts could be taken over. A great tool for this is a password manager, which will create and remember strong and secure passwords for you.

Set Up Two-Factor Authentication

Along with having a strong password comes the importance of two-factor authentication. This will add an additional step to your login process to make sure your account is protected and not being hacked. Some common ways this works is through an email/text confirmation or fingerprint scan. Two-factor authentication ensures that, even if your password is compromised, you still have a backup plan in action.

Beware of Public Wi-Fi

Using public Wi-Fi is the prime way that cybercriminals are able to access your data. They’re using the same network as you, making it much easier for them to hack your device or accounts. If you’re doing work in a public place, use a personal hotspot or a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic, which would make it unreadable to others.

We hope these tips were good reminders for those of you who work remotely. Cybersecurity is becoming more and more important as technology advances, so be sure to share this information with coworkers, family, friends and others you know who are working from home and contact us to learn how we can help you with all things finance!

7 Daily Habits That Will Save You Money

Saving money doesn’t have to be complicated – there are habits to incorporate into your daily routine that will save you money in the long run. These tips are simple and easy to start but also very effective. It’s time to take control of your finances and make some healthy changes!

1. Pay with cash

Using a credit card for everyday purchases can be tempting and often lead to impulse buying. A good way to stick to your budget is to have a certain amount of cash for the week and use only that cash. This is also great because you can’t spend money that you don’t have.

2. Do more things at home

Too often we rely on other places to do tasks that can easily be done at home. For example, many people spend lots of money going out to eat, getting their car washed, stopping for coffee, getting their hair trimmed and more. These are all things that can be done for a much lower cost in the comfort of your own home!

3. Check the secondhand shop first

You never know what secondhand gems you can find until you try! Before making a purchase, check garage sales, thrift stores, the Facebook Marketplace or more to see what deals you can find.

4. Schedule when to track your spending

To hold yourself accountable for what you’re spending, it’s a good idea to track your spending. Plan a day you’ll do this each week, so it becomes a habit. It’s a great way to reflect on what purchases were necessary and which ones weren’t. There are lots of apps you can download to help with this.

5. Be careful with your utilities

Even though utilities are a recurring cost, there are still many ways to reduce how much you must pay. Try cutting costs by keeping lights off, taking shorter showers, opening your windows rather than cranking the AC, etc. These costs can add up so this is a great habit to start!

6. Reevaluate memberships and subscriptions

Go through all the subscriptions and memberships you pay for. Which ones are necessary and which ones aren’t? Save yourself some unneeded costs by getting rid of some monthly payments.

7. Take time to think before you buy

Before making a non-essential purchase, give yourself a few days to think about it. Only follow through with the purchase if after those days you still really want it to help reduce impulse buying.

We hope these tips will make a difference in the way you handle finances in your everyday life. Turning these seven things into habits will certainly pay off in the long run, so give them a shot!

Know These Safety Tips Before Shopping Online

As fun and entertaining as online shopping is, there are many things to consider in terms of safety. Websites that may look real could be scams, products that look great could be knockoffs, and stores you think are reliable could take advantage of your card information. Keep reading to find out how to stay safe online while you’re shopping.

Read Customer Reviews

One of the greatest parts about online shopping is reading about others’ experiences with the company or product so you know what to expect. One easy way to see if a product is reliable is to scroll down to the reviews section and see what other customers had to say. Be careful, though, as some customer reviews could be spam placed there for potential customers to be tricked into buying the product they have their eye on.

Make Sure the Website is Secure

This simple double-check could save you lots of trouble while online shopping. Simply take a look at the URL of the website you’re shopping on to see if it’s secure. If it starts with “https” instead of “http,” that means the website will keep your data secure. This is very important since you want the card information you’re entering to be safe.

Avoid Public Wi-Fi

Your personal Wi-Fi or data is the smartest option when online shopping. Public Wi-Fi comes with its dangers since cybercriminals that are using the same network as you can hack into your information much easier. While browsing and shopping around using a public network isn’t harmful, don’t make any purchases until you’re connected to your own secure Wi-Fi.

Do Some Research

This is especially important when shopping from a business you’ve never purchased from before. Just checking reviews doesn’t always do the job – it’s smart to do some research about the retailer so you know they’re legitimate. If you’re shopping on a well-known company’s website, double check the link to make sure you’re on the real website and not a fake one.

Now that you know how important it is to stay safe online, you’ll be able to implement these tips next time you shop. Stay smart with your online purchases and feel free to contact us with any questions. Happy shopping!

Online Safety Tips for Retirees

Online safety is a much bigger problem than most people realize. It’s estimated that seniors lose a total of about $30 billion every year because of online scams. We want to prevent that from happening, and we bet you do, too. We’ve put together some of the easiest ways for seniors to be safe online.

Be careful when making online purchases. Hackers and scammers can make their websites look pretty realistic and trustworthy on the outside. Here are some ways to know when not to enter your personal information.

Look for reviews if buying a product.
Make sure the website is secure.
If possible, only shop on websites you or others have used in the past.

Keep tabs on all of your accounts. Be sure not to let your accounts, on social media or elsewhere, go left unvisited for too long. The following points will help you know how to keep your personal accounts protected.

Use strong and secure passwords, as well as different passwords for each account.
Give a trusted family member or friend access to your accounts in case of emergency.

Think about what you’re posting. Just because your account is private doesn’t mean everything you post in there is safe from the world’s eyes. There are still ways for hackers to access your account or for others to copy and share your posts.

Don’t post pictures or information you wouldn’t want the public to know about.
If you need to share important but private information, consider doing so in person or over a phone call if possible.

Don’t trust all emails and messages. Although many email providers have an automatic spam filter, some make it to your inbox. When it comes to social media, messages from strangers can be dangerous.

Ignore the “You’re a winner!” or “Free prize!” messages.
Verify with friends before sending any money in case their account was hacked.
Don’t trust direct messages unless you can verify who the person is and why they’d be reaching out to you.

Be careful what you choose to download. Hackers will often create free downloadable documents that are actually viruses. Here are some steps to make sure your device doesn’t get hacked.

Know and trust your source before downloading anything.
Have a protective security software installed on your device.
Verify with a professional that it’s a trusted source.

Technology is a wonderful thing, but it definitely comes with dangers. Be sure to follow these practical online safety tips and continue protecting your personal information!

Why You Should Bank Local

You’ve heard big banks advertise their services all over the world, but most consumers don’t realize all of the benefits that come with banking local. When it comes to customer service, banking fees and ethical choices, banking local is the smart choice, and we’ll tell you why.

Great Customer Service

Because local banks have less customers than your average megabank, the employees have the chance to form deeper relationships with the people they serve.

Tailored Programs

Community banks have the ability to create unique and personal programs for their customers based on their needs. Big banks suggest they have more choices and services, but most local banks offer those exact services, too.

Ethical Standards

Because of the direct effect the employees’ behavior has on the community, local banks hold their employees to a very high standard. Local banks understand the policies of where they work, and they also invest in other small, local businesses.

Lower Fees

Fees, like the ones at ATMs, are becoming more common among megabanks and the prices are rising as time goes on. Research shows that local banks offer more free accounts to their customers as well as charge fewer fees compared to big banks.

Convenience

Megabanks, just like any big business, have lots of customers to help. You might find yourself with a question or concern but end up waiting on hold for hours. Local banks are dedicated to providing their customers with convenience and satisfaction.

Involvement in the Community

When it comes to giving back and charity involvement, local banks are there. Customers feel a sense of satisfaction knowing the business they support gives back and cares about others. Community banks love supporting charity events like races or fundraisers, which is why their logos are commonly advertised throughout the community.

These often-unknown benefits of banking local are important for consumers to hear about. Community banks want what’s best for YOU. Contact Milledgeville State Bank with any questions, and take a step in the right direction by banking local today!

7 Personal Cybersecurity Tips

As time goes on and technology expands, people are becoming more and more prone to cybercriminal attacks. By following some basic tips, you could avoid a multitude of problems in the future!

1. Use Strong and Varying Passwords

This is probably the most obvious and common cybersecurity tip known to web users. Don’t underestimate the importance of your password strength! Change your password every once in a while to be safe (recommended at least once a year). Also, don’t use the same password for more than one account.

2. Be Careful With Your Personal Info

Personal information, like your address, birthday or phone number, should be posted carefully. The smartest option would just be to keep as much of that information off of your social media as possible. These personal details are used by cybercriminals to locate individuals. Better safe than sorry!

3. Recognize and Stay Away From Phishing

Phishing is when someone poses as someone they aren’t to trick people into giving them information, clicking on a dangerous link, etc. This is the most common way ransomware attacks originate. Be suspicious about the emails and messages you receive and don’t open messages from people you don’t know.

4. Utilize Two-Factor Identification

Many social media sites have two-factor identification options and most users don’t take advantage of this helpful security option. Two-factor identification prompts you to not only enter your username and password, but also another personal identification code.

5. Update Your Software

Keeping your device’s software updated might not seem like a safety-related tip, but both businesses and consumers have suffered from hackers due to not updating. Try turning on the automatic updates offered on your device.

6. Say No to Public Wi-Fi

Using public Wi-Fi if it’s available seems like a no-brainer. What most people don’t realize is how much easier it is for cybercriminals to access your accounts and devices when you’re connected to a public Wi-Fi network. Consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your device while using public W-Fi.

7. Install Trusted Apps Only

Not all applications are safe, and not all of them can be trusted. Check reviews and ratings before installing anything you’re unfamiliar with!

Don’t let yourself fall into the statistics of those dealing with cybercriminals! Protect your devices, accounts and personal information by following these tips and always being cautious online.

6 Money Tips to Prevent Spring Stress

Research shows that money is the number one cause of stress among Americans. Balancing your expenses and managing your spending habits can be tricky, but we’ve come up with six great tips to help keep that stress away.

1. Track What You’re Spending

Keeping track of what you spend money on is a great way to analyze your spending habits and make changes. Sometimes you don’t realize what spending problems you have until you see your payments on paper. Keep a paper or digital list, or even download a money spending app, to help alleviate some stress.

2. Reach Out for Support

Having a support system is a great way to reach your financial goals. Ask a reliable friend to hold you accountable for your spending habits and surround yourself with people that want you to succeed financially.

3. Limit Temptation

If you tend to make unnecessary or impulse purchases when you’re in a certain area, like in a mall or downtown, do your best to avoid those areas. Whatever brings about the temptation to spend money when you don’t need to, keep your distance from it. Next time you visit a mall, maybe bring along your accountability partner so they can help out!

4. Make a Plan

Sit down and spend some time reviewing your financial situation. Figure out when money causes you stress and brainstorm a way to ease that stress. For example, if you tend to worry about spending money while getting groceries, try setting a weekly or monthly grocery budget and make a grocery list that matches up. Next time you go to the store, you’ll have the list and won’t have to worry about what number the store clerk will say at checkout.

5. Have an Emergency Fund

Unexpected expenses will come about in life and, in those situations, you’ll feel a lot better knowing you have a backup plan. It might seem like a challenge to build an emergency fund, but start small and build it up over time.

6. Check Your Progress

Seeing how far you’ve come after implementing a financial plan is like a breath of fresh air. Look at the positives and be proud of yourself for making a change in the first place.

If you’re making an effort to control your spending habits, the stress of money will eventually become less and less. Feel free to contact Milledgeville State Bank to learn more about money habits and take steps towards having a stress-free spring season.