The bust in the housing market and the subsequent decline in our economy have left most Americans running for protective cover. We now hedge our bets, retract many of our “spec” investments and hunker down for the financial equivalent of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
As parents, spouses, investors and hard working contributors to our economy, we not only have the right to protect our “good names”, we have an obligation to do so. Financial self-defense has become a moral imperative in our uncertain economic times.
My own sensitivity to the subject of financial self-defense is a result of my personal identity theft ordeal a few years ago. At that point in my life I lived a relatively carefree existence with negligible awareness of the dangers that lurked on the horizon of my financial future.
Pretending to be me, an imposter abruptly ended my slumber. The dream morphed into a nightmare.
The imperative to defend myself became mandatory. It was now a matter of survival and I was determined to stay afloat financially.
Here are a few characteristics of those who are willing to take on the challenge of suiting up for the game of identity self-protection. I call these brave souls, Identity Warriors.
- They recognize their own vulnerability
- They create defensive momentum, avoiding analysis paralysis
- The seek informed sources of insight like www.ftc.gov
- They construct a personal plan to Detect Deter and Defend
- They are consistent and vigilant
- They routinely inspect what they expect on their credit reports
As Nelson Mandela reminds us: ” With freedom comes responsibility”.
