SoFi Blog

Social media makes it easy for us to share our lives with friends and family. Your dog is looking particularly cute today? Snap a pic and add it to your Instagram story. Selling a few items before a big move? Share the news on Facebook so your friends have first dibs on the goods.

While social media seems like a fun addition to your day to day activity, it can come with some unexpected dangers. Even if you don’t think you’re sharing impactful details, it’s important to think of how to keep information secure on the internet.

With tuition costs on the rise at private primary and secondary schools, as well as private universities, parents often have to make choices about how much money they can spend on their child’s education—and when to spend it.

If education costs are going to be a struggle, should they invest their money early on in a private school that lays a solid foundation for the future? Or should they save their dollars for college tuition and give their child a head start on life without the burden of student debt?

Many parents, of course, will find ways to pay for everything. They might sacrifice their retirement savings, downsize their lifestyle (maybe with a less-expensive home or fewer vacations), or borrow to help pay for student costs.

But is a private school education really worth it?

Giving back during the holiday season can feel really great. When you donate a portion of your hard-earned money to charitable causes such as homelessness, wildlife preservation, hunger relief, or many others, you could potentially make a positive impact on someone’s life or even the world as a whole.

In theory, the internet makes it extremely easy to donate to these causes. However, there are many organizations and individuals who prey on others’ generosity via false and/or unsecure websites.

These swindlers aim to con people into handing over funds to fake charities for personal gain. If you fall for one of these donation scams, you could run the risk of not only losing your money but also compromising your personal information.

There are many honest and reputable charities out there doing great work, but how can you tell the difference between the real and the fake? The following seven guidelines could help you identify and avoid charity scams this holiday so you can better protect your money while still giving back.

Alexa, how can I protect myself from… you?

Baby monitors, digital assistants, thermostats, doorbells, security cameras, even light bulbs and refrigerators are now able to connect, share, and interact with users and other devices.

With so many smart devices available, it might be hard to see the downside of technology that puts monitoring and control of homelife directly in the hands of the consumer.

But when connecting these everyday objects to the Internet, however, there is also the possibility of leaving your home vulnerable to attacks from digital hackers.

This post is the second in a series discussing the ins and outs of life insurance. You can read part I here.

The previous post in this series discussed some of the key differences between term and whole life insurance. My personal belief is that buying term and investing the difference is a superior decision for an overwhelming majority of people. There are a few cases in which purchasing whole life might make more sense for some people. To see a full breakdown of these hypotheticals, check out this blog post.

The post will delve into the reasons many life insurance salespeople promote when selling insurance. Hopefully, this information can help make you aware of the full spectrum of information so you’re better able to make an informed decision.