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How to Stop Your Home From Being Hacked

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How to Stop Your Home From Being Hacked

How to Stop Your Home From Being Hacked

Billions of new objects are being connected to the internet of things (IoT), and it’s going to change your life.

However, if you are not careful, this change may not be in the positive way that is expected.

As more home devices get connected to the internet, new doors get opened for hackers to potentially access your personal information. Any hacking of this data could have dire consequences to your personal life, career, or financial security.

Today’s infographic from RefiGuide gives context around IoT hacking, including the range of security concerns created by new IoT devices and suggestions on how you can protect yourself.

IoT Hacking Isn’t New

Did you know that former Vice President Dick Cheney had a Wi-Fi enabled pacemaker? His cardiologist disabled this feature in 2007 to ensure that hackers couldn’t control his heartbeat. While this seems like the plot from the TV series Homeland (it was), that doesn’t make it any less possible.

Internet security experts have been warning for years about the dangers of a more connected world. To date, we’ve seen the following examples of IoT hacks:

Despite thousands of new IoT devices hitting the market, the fact is that many lack sufficient encryption features. This makes them particularly vulnerable.

Further, connected devices provide multiple entrances for would-be hackers: the device, connected devices, data centers, and communication channels are all possible access points.

How to Protect Yourself

Until manufacturers are able to guarantee that basic cybersecurity measures are in place for new IoT devices, there are a few ways you can protect yourself.

First, make strong passwords for your router and connected devices, and consider disabling them when you are away from home for extended periods of time. Don’t connect devices that you don’t need – consider holding off on your Wi-Fi connected “smart fridge” until it is something you truly need.

Next, create segmented networks at home for your IoT devices, PC and mobile, and guests. Give each of them different tiers of access, such that someone hacking the IoT network will not be able to tap into your personal data.

Lastly, keep your router firmware up-to-date. This is the programming it uses to function, and regularly updating firmware (either automatically or manually) means that it will be less vulnerable to hacks.

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Markets

Charted: What are Retail Investors Interested in Buying in 2023?

What key themes and strategies are retail investors looking at for the rest of 2023? Preview: AI is a popular choice.

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A cropped bar chart showing the various options retail investors picked as part of their strategy for the second half of 2023.

Charted: Retail Investors’ Top Picks for 2023

U.S. retail investors, enticed by a brief pause in the interest rate cycle, came roaring back in the early summer. But what are their investment priorities for the second half of 2023?

We visualized the data from Public’s 2023 Retail Investor Report, which surveyed 1,005 retail investors on their platform, asking “which investment strategy or themes are you interested in as part of your overall investment strategy?”

Survey respondents ticked all the options that applied to them, thus their response percentages do not sum to 100%.

Where Are Retail Investors Putting Their Money?

By far the most popular strategy for retail investors is dividend investing with 50% of the respondents selecting it as something they’re interested in.

Dividends can help supplement incomes and come with tax benefits (especially for lower income investors or if the dividend is paid out into a tax-deferred account), and can be a popular choice during more inflationary times.

Investment StrategyPercent of Respondents
Dividend Investing50%
Artificial Intelligence36%
Total Stock Market Index36%
Renewable Energy33%
Big Tech31%
Treasuries (T-Bills)31%
Electric Vehicles 27%
Large Cap26%
Small Cap24%
Emerging Markets23%
Real Estate23%
Gold & Precious Metals23%
Mid Cap19%
Inflation Protection13%
Commodities12%

Meanwhile, the hype around AI hasn’t faded, with 36% of the respondents saying they’d be interested in investing in the theme—including juggernaut chipmaker Nvidia. This is tied for second place with Total Stock Market Index investing.

Treasury Bills (30%) represent the safety anchoring of the portfolio but the ongoing climate crisis is also on investors’ minds with Renewable Energy (33%) and EVs (27%) scoring fairly high on the interest list.

Commodities and Inflation-Protection stocks on the other hand have fallen out of favor.

Come on Barbie, Let’s Go Party…

Another interesting takeaway pulled from the survey is how conversations about prevailing companies—or the buzz around them—are influencing trades. The platform found that public investors in Mattel increased 6.6 times after the success of the ‘Barbie’ movie.

Bud Light also saw a 1.5x increase in retail investors, despite receiving negative attention from their fans after the company did a beer promotion campaign with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Given the origin story of a large chunk of American retail investors revolves around GameStop and AMC, these insights aren’t new, but they do reveal a persisting trend.

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