We’ve offered lots of tips on how to keep your device safe online:

• Take your time before you respond to an unsolicited request.
• Double check the email address or link before you click on anything.
• Do not email personal information, especially account details or Social Security information, to anyone.

Today, in honor of Safer Internet Day, we offer you tips on how to keep yourself safe online.

As convenient as our screens can be, they can also lure us in, stress us out and make us feel worse than we need to about the world.

We can control our online experience, though.

Here are seven ways to protect yourself.

1. Set screen time limits. We do this for our children and we should do it for ourselves too. Set a timer or a specific schedule for yourself and stick to it. If you can, turn your phone off at night.
2. Control your newsfeed. Unfollow accounts that promote negativity and aim to incite. You don’t have to expose yourself to content that upsets you. Join online groups that focus on supportive and uplifting topics.
3. Turn off notifications. They distract you. You can check out content when it’s convenient for you.
4. Schedule periodic no screentime days. They act like deep cleansing breaths and give you time to enjoy other things.
5. Comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t judge yourself against someone else’s carefully crafted online presence.
6. Check your sources! A tremendous amount of information is available to us with just one click. But it’s up to us to make sure we’re choosing legitimate sources for that information. It’s a good idea to check multiple sources before you accept a post as fact.
7. Protect your privacy and be very mindful of what you post. Check your settings to make sure you understand who can see what you post. Do this for your social media sites and the digital photos you post.

We hope these tips help you enjoy a positive online experience. If you have any questions about internet safety, please don’t hesitate to ask. It’s much easier to answer a question, or review a link, or set up two-factor authentication, then it is to dig your way back out of a security breach.

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Please remember that past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by Winch Advisory Services, LLC [“Winch”]), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this blog will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful.  Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions.  Moreover, no portion of this discussion or information serves as the receipt of, or a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Winch. contained in this blog serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Winch. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing. Neither Winch’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if Winch is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. Winch is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of the Winch’s current written disclosure Brochure and Form CRS discussing our advisory services and fees is available for review upon request or at www.winchfinancial.com. Please Note: Winch does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to Winch’s web site or blog or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. Please Remember: If you are a Winch client, please contact Winch, in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous recommendations and/or services, or if you would like to impose, add, or to modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment advisory services.  Unless, and until, you notify us, in writing, to the contrary, we shall continue to provide services as we do currently. Please Also Remember to advise us if you have not been receiving account statements (at least quarterly) from the account custodian.