Don’t Let Scammers Steal Your Retirement

TPIR Ep 112 Full Show.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

TPIR Ep 112 Full Show.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Speaker 1:
Any examples used are for illustrative purposes only and do not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs and may not be suitable for all investors. It is not intended to predict the performance of any specific investment, and is not a solicitation or recommendation of any investment strategy.

Speaker 2:
Welcome to Take Pride in Retirement, the podcast dedicated to helping members of the Lgbtq+ community protect and grow their hard earned money. Get set for a show full of education and insights with your host and advisor, Matt McClure. We recognize every family is unique. The goal of the show is to help you achieve financial freedom so you and your loved ones can have the retirement you've always dreamed of. A retirement you can take pride in, no matter who you are, where you're from, or who you love. So now let's start the show. Here's Matt McClure. Well, hello.

Speaker 1:
There and welcome to another edition of Take Pride in Retirement. Matt McClure here with you, your host, your advisor, your friend, your pal and your confidant. Thanks so much for being a part of things, as always.

Speaker 2:
And I am Josh Rhett noble, the attache to the advisor aka co-host.

Speaker 1:
Oh, the attache, it's, uh, it's very French, you know. Um, c c no, wait, wait a minute. That's different. Um, thank you so much. As we said, for being a part of things, it really does mean a whole lot like this video. Subscribe to the channel if you're watching on YouTube, if you're listening to the podcast, subscribe there as well. It has to happen. Well, okay, this is true. I gotta gotta make room for the tune. Um, we'll take it. It can be low or high depending on our mood for the day. Yeah. Well, you know, here recently, who knows? Who knows from day to day? Who knows? Sorry to interrupt. You know, it's fine. So, um, I only have ad. It's no problem. The, uh. But no, it's, uh, really a great, great thing. If you would do that. If you would like. And subscribe to the YouTube channel, to the podcast, to any of the things. We're all over the socials. Um, just, you know, wherever the show is, find us and like it and subscribe it. And that would be awesome. And we would appreciate it very, very much. Help spread the word about the great things that are taking place via take pride in retirement, trying to educate LGBTQ plus folks about retirement planning issues, help eliminate the stress. Um, for that, that, uh, you know, planning because it can be very stressful.

Speaker 1:
And so I want to help take some of that stress away. Um, speaking of which, uh, you can go to the website, take pride in retirement.com reach out there and, uh, I can, you know, do a free consultation for you. Absolutely free, no cost, no obligation at all. And, um, we can, you know, take a deep dive into your financial situation and come up with a plan that's built for you no matter who you are, where you come from, who you love, how you identify or how much money you have. All right, all right. So speaking of all of those things, so April is the month that we are currently in. Uh, if you are watching this, you know, within the month of April, of course, now that things live on forever online, it's like, you know, maybe you're watching this in June, but this is still relevant to you no matter what month you're watching or listening. It's financial literacy month in the month of April. And today, we're not only talking about like, um, you know, growing your money. That's a, that's a big part of what we often talk about here, but we're talking about protecting what you've built. And one of the biggest threats, as I recently unfortunately found out, uh, frauds and scams and, uh, it's not fun.

Speaker 2:
No, not at all. And the thing is, like, when we think about retirement planning, we think about investing, saving social security, but fraud, um, we don't like fraud. So that feels like a different category in itself. Is this really that big of a risk for retirees? Right.

Speaker 1:
It is. And I mean, you know, I feel like the older that we get, the more vulnerable we become to fraud. I mean, you know, this from like, we'll sit with my, my mom sometimes and she'll be like, oh, I just got this message from so and so. It's like my showing my Amazon, um, uh, password has expired and wants me to click that. And I'm like, don't click the thing, you know? Right. So yeah, I mean, it's, it's not, um, I will often jokingly say, oh God, I hate people, but like people who like, try and scam, especially try and scam folks who are of retirement age or older, like, come on, like, like get, get a new line of work or do something or an actual line of work because it is just awful and, and so not fun. And so we're going to break down today, like why fraud is such a big risk, how to spot it, how to avoid it, uh, what to do if it happens later on. I've got a really insightful interview that I just did, um, with Kathy Stokes. No relation to Ford Stokes, who I work with at Active Wealth Management, a completely different branch of the family tree, I guess. No relation. But she's with the AARP Fraud Watch Network. She heads up a lot of the things that they do over there, and she really has a lot of great insights into this.

Speaker 1:
And they did a new survey recently. It's a really good, um, interview full of full of some good information. So we'll get that to you here in just a few. So this could be the most important about 20 minutes you spend this week folks. So stay with us as we go through all of the topics at hand. Yeah. So Matt, why does fraud belong in a retirement planning conversation? I mean, it's right alongside what asset allocation and withdrawal strategies. So why does it belong in this conversation? Well, you know, it belongs because it is. You know, we're talking about your finances. We're talking about protecting one of the like, the big thing that we talk about, um, a lot of the time when I meet with folks is, is protecting and growing your hard earned money. And it's your hard earned money, not somebody else's. And so you don't want somebody to scam you out of it or like, like recently just happened to me. Somehow your debit card number gets out there and somebody charges up a bunch of stuff at a at a pizza joint and a gas station and at a fast food place to the tune of hundreds of dollars. And, um, you know, that not necessarily the most fun thing to wake up to on a Thursday morning of a particular week.

Speaker 1:
So now, I mean, you, you've got to protect what you've got, right? And so let's say if, um, you're living on a fixed income in retirement, like so many people are a scammer drains say $50,000, you're not replacing that with the next paycheck, right? That is your grocery money. That's your healthcare fund. That's your travel plans for years, potentially. And so that is one reason why. Number two, there's less time to recover. You know, if you're 35 and you've got like, say 30 years before you're going to retire, so you've got plenty of time to recover that loss. But at 70 or later, after that, every dollar has significantly more impact, especially if you lose it, right. So that's another big one. And there are also, you know, potentially tax consequences. I mean, withdrawals from retirement accounts can trigger taxes on top of the loss. And so that can just mean cascading financial damage. And so there was this AARP study. And we're going to go into this with Kathy in just a minute here. That shows 4 in 10 Americans, 40% of people in this country have experienced fraud. That is not it's not that they know somebody who's experienced fraud. They have experienced fraud themselves.

Speaker 1:
I can add myself to that 40% now here recently. Uh, that's not it's not fun. And so they've been personally victimized or personally targeted. And awareness is rising about this, but so is the anxiety of it. Um, and also, you know, there are some unique sort of, uh, vulnerabilities for Lgbtq+ folks because I often say this like, thankfully I have, and you have always had as well, good family support systems there. Not everybody is fortunate like that. Right? And so a lot of people may be living alone. They might not have kids to support them. They might not have supportive, you know, parents or siblings or whatever the situation might be. And scammers will tend to look for people who are more isolated because they'll be more vulnerable. Right? There's a historical distrust of institutions, uh, that is still prevalent in the Lgbtq+ community. So there's this hesitation perhaps to report fraud that has happened. Um, and that's exactly what scammers count on. Is silence, right? Of not being having to face any kind of consequences or anything like that. So, you know, protecting your retirement, it's not just about your returns from your market investments. Market based investments or other kind of investments. But it's about playing defense as well. It's about defending holding line, you know, protecting what you have.

Speaker 1:
And you need a security strategy as much as you do an investment strategy, as much as you do an income strategy in retirement. Now, an income strategy can be part of your sort of defensive strategy and your protection strategy. I can explain that more to you in detail. When you give me a call 85524692178552469211. Or you can visit take pride in retirement.com and uh, you know, sign up for free consultation there. We'll take a look at your entire financial picture and, uh, see what's right for you. Wonderful. And I always say Matt is the advisor that cares. So he understands our community, community. He understands that every situation is different. So give him a call, reach out to him because he really cares about what he does, especially for our community. Well thank you. Take pride in retirement once again. Is that website or call (855) 246-9211. Well, more than 100 million Americans have already experienced some form of fraud. It is a huge problem. And AARP is out with a new study showing, you know, kind of the things that are leaving us vulnerable to fraud. And here joining us to talk more about that is Kathy Stokes. She's the senior director of fraud prevention programs at the AARP Fraud Watch Network. Kathy, nice to see you again. Thanks so much for being here.

Speaker 3:
Thanks for having me, Matt.

Speaker 1:
We really do appreciate it. So what are some of the most important findings from this new survey that you have at AARP?

Speaker 3:
Well, that 4 in 10 finding is is pretty big, but we've seen that edging up over the last five or so years. But it also has increased people's understanding that this isn't just a problem for a particular demographic. You know, we've allowed ourselves to believe for so long that this only happens to older adults because of cognitive decline, for example, and it's just not true. Now we have 87% of us understanding that fraud can happen to anyone, but it's also raised the level of anxiety quite considerably.

Speaker 1:
Right. And that, I feel like is one of the things that, um, is most prevalent to me, you know, is just thinking about how things as we go, as time moves along, as it tends to do. We, um, you know, things change. The more they change, the more they stay the same, the more things change. Right? And so, um, yeah, fraud is there, but the tactics that people use to try and pull one over on you may change. And we have to adjust our behavior because of that, right? I? I mean, what are some of the things that we're doing as, as laypeople out here that sort of leave us vulnerable to fraud?

Speaker 3:
Well, Matt, the funny thing is maybe it's the ironic thing. Um, what we're doing is what we should be able to do. We're answering a phone call. We're clicking on a link in a text. We're clicking on an advertisement online looking for the good deal. All of these things we should be able to do safely, but we're not. And yes, there are things that we can do to protect ourselves, but there's got to be something more that that, um, government and industry, uh, tech companies can do to stop those scams from coming to us to begin with. One of the things that we all kind of have a challenge with though, is the password, you know, the strong and unique password for every single account is hard. So we kind of cheat and we take, uh, you know, we take liberty. Um, but we don't have to do that. There are password managers that are increasingly easier to use. And once you adopt it, it just becomes so much easier to protect yourself that way.

Speaker 1:
Yeah. And it really is. It's like one of those steps I feel like that you think is sounds too daunting, but if you just take a few minutes up front to adopt the thing and you begin using it, it kind of gets easier. Um, and what are some other steps maybe that people can, can take to protect their personal information and their, their money as well? Especially, I know that it's one thing that I worry about with my, with my mom is I think you just brought it up a minute ago, like, you know, you click a link looking for that great deal on like Facebook or on Instagram or something like that. And next thing you know, you're in this sort of web of, okay, is this legit? Is it not? And are people going to have access to my, my personal information and therefore my money?

Speaker 3:
Yeah, it's, it's quite overwhelming, isn't it? Um, one of the things we can all be doing and you can do with your mom is have regular conversations about what's happening out there. If you can put it into the construct that this is the number one crime in this country and that we have to have each other's backs. Um, we tend to go in talking to mom and dad saying, don't answer the phone, don't click on the link, but we're not giving them context. What if we said, hey, mom, there's this tech support scam out there and you know what's happening. People are getting this pop up and maybe there's a loud noise and you click on a link and all kinds of bad things can happen. What do you think about that? Have the conversation. The more we talk about it and the more we feel like we're part of the solution together, I think the safer all of us can be.

Speaker 1:
Yeah, it's like, it's like being proactive instead of reactive, right?

Speaker 3:
It's yeah, yeah, it's really hard. Um, once the scam has happened to, to, to pick up the pieces financially and emotionally.

Speaker 1:
Yeah. And I was going to say, you know what? If people do suspect that they have been a victim of fraud, uh, what can they do at that point? As you said, it could be a difficult thing to pick up those pieces, but what are some steps that people can take at that point?

Speaker 3:
Yeah. So if, um, if the scam involved taking money from one of your financial accounts, I would call that financial institution and see if there's anything they could possibly do to help you get that money back. Um, and then it's filing a police report, call law enforcement, go to the local precinct and say, I am a fraud victim and I need to file a report. Sometimes you'll get pushback saying, well, you know, it's all overseas. We can't help you and insist you need that report. They need to hear how often this is happening. But you also need that report because, you know, there's more talk these days about victim restitution funds because, you know, in these scams, the money almost never comes back to you. Um, so you want to have a record of that and you'd need it if there was an identity fraud situation.

Speaker 1:
Yeah, definitely. So. Well, Kathy, just about time for us to start wrapping things up here, but anything else you wanted to add? Maybe any other findings from this new report or where people can go just to learn more information.

Speaker 3:
Yeah, I think something we kind of tend to forget because it's not online anymore is the importance of shredding. So shred your sensitive documents so that somebody can't dumpster dive and grab it. And we're doing shred events all over the country. Other events as well. This month, just go to AARP organized events to find out what's happening near you.

Speaker 1:
All right. Very good. Kathy Stokes is senior director of fraud prevention programs at the AARP Fraud Watch Network. Kathy, thank you so much. Great to talk to you again.

Speaker 3:
You too, Matt.

Speaker 1:
Thanks and great talking to Kathy. I've spoken with her before and shared her interviews on the on the show before and really great insights into this sort of the growing prevalence of it, the rising awareness of it, but still how people are really at risk for fraud, especially, you know, as we get into our retirement years. Yeah. And that stat that 4 in 10 people. So what are what are people actually doing that makes them vulnerable like that. Yeah. Well, you know, you've got, um, and Kathy touched on a couple of these things a little bit, but we'll expand on kind of here that like you've got, uh, the suspicious link that got sent and, and this one boy around the holidays. Uh, these come fast and furious sometimes, and you've got maybe a lot of different orders, especially like say you go shopping online and you get a text that says, um, you know, your package cannot be delivered. Click here and it, and it says it's from the US Postal Service or from UPS or Fedex or from Amazon or whomever. Um, and you go in and you click on that link and then you end up giving your personal information to a scammer. And then the rest, as they say, is history. They, you know, a lot of times they can look really, really convincing. Um, and not just via text, you know, in email as well. Um, that, uh, you know, might look like have a logo on it that is very, uh, close to what the actual logo is for the real thing.

Speaker 1:
Um, or, you know, if you get an email or a text that says unusual. You know, bank activity, verify your information now. Always approach those things with skepticism. Give a call to the actual financial institution before you type in anything for sure. Um, they also, you know, there are also these urgency tactics. They want to create a sense of urgency, right? The scammers do. So they'll be like, act now or this is limited time or you really need to do this right now or this deal is not going to be there or whatever the thing is. Uh, or like, you know, we'll close your account in 24 hours or that kind of thing. And that's designed to make you leave logic behind and just act on emotions. And, uh, you know, we've talked about that a lot on the show too. Don't, um, invest with your emotions. Uh, also don't click on these links or, you know, do the things that they want you to do with emotions. Take a step back, breathe and then, you know, move forward with something that is based in logic and not based in your own. Um, you know, emotional turmoil that you might be experiencing there. And so in addition to that, you've got, you know, your weak passwords, maybe your reused passwords, if you use the same password for everything.

Speaker 1:
And I know it's a hassle to like, use a different password for all the things. And you're like, am I ever going to remember it? There are password managers out there. Um, Kathy talked about that as well. That can really help you along in that. So, you know, it's, that's like, um, something that is super important and especially important to, to think about. You know, we sort of focused in my, my talk with Kathy there about like, you know, um, sort of your general accounts and information and maybe like your Amazon or your whatever, but if it's your retirement accounts, you want to take, you know, even greater concern because that's your entire financial life, it's your financial foundation for your retirement. And so that's something that you certainly can't afford to lose, right? So it's not just like you're losing your access to Netflix or Wow presents. Yeah, exactly. No more Drag Race UK for you. Um, which, which again, not good, but you can handle that losing, you know, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars or whatever from your retirement account. That's a bigger deal. And so, uh, you know, somebody draining that 401 K before you realize it, that is, um, you know, something that is not only a lifestyle change, it's devastating for you in, in your retirement. Uh, there's also, you know, the, everybody of course, is on social media have been for years now. And so there are social media scams out there.

Speaker 1:
I remember my, I keep bringing up my mom, but you know, she's, she's 80. So she's, she sees these things and tells me about them. And thankfully she tells me about them. I think before she clicks on stuff, at least most of the time. Um, but it's like there are these social media scams out there. And she, she was mentioning the other day. Oh yeah, there was this thing on Facebook. And, uh, she had ordered something from somewhere that never got delivered. And so, you know, it's like I just, again, uh, find a legit line of work people, but they do these things like social media scams. If there's like a fake investment opportunity, uh, you know, with these, these astronomical guaranteed returns or something that are not, um, not realistic at all. Um, especially like for the LGBTQ plus community, maybe look out for things that target us specifically as far as this, you know, maybe there's an offer for us. That's something that you would like. That sounds too good to be true. Um, you know, like we're LGBTQ plus owned and we understand your needs. Well, that could be very true if it's a legitimate thing, but it could also be not a legitimate thing. So make sure it's a legitimate thing. Scammers can weaponize that as that kind of community trust, right? So it's, it's just, I, I hate that it's even a thing that we have to talk about.

Speaker 1:
But hey, we got to talk about it because you got to protect yourself. You got to protect what you have. Right? Yeah. And what are some practical solutions where you can protect yourself? Well, number one here, use that password manager that, uh, Kathy was mentioning that I've mentioned as well. Um, there are several different options out there and I don't really necessarily prefer one over the other. Whatever works for you, but it actually can create these complex unique passwords, or you could even like come up with your own complex and unique passwords, whatever the situation might be that meets certain criteria, but then the password manager will just store that. So you don't have to memorize all of these things that are just random collections of letters and numbers and symbols, right? So that is a good solution there. Number one, to help give you those, those unique logins or unique passwords for your logins for these different things. And so, um, that's number one. Number two, turn on two factor authentication for anything and everything that you log in for, especially something as important as your retirement accounts. So that's like, you know, uh, you try to log into something and you put your name, username, your password, and then it sends a code to your phone or it sends a push notification to your phone. And then you log in from there. You provide that code to the website or you log in using, you know, your face ID or your whatever on your phone.

Speaker 1:
Um, as just proof that you are who you say you are. Right? And that stops most of these automated attacks that are out there. Um, and then again, with the urgency piece, I would say just slow down. Like I said before, take a, take a deep breath back up. Uh, if there's this urgency thing that, that you're seeing, that's a red flag. Like if somebody says, you have to do this now, do you really have to do this now? Because probably not, right? So especially if you don't know them, like you don't know them from Adam, it's like, no, just leave me alone, person and let me live my life. Um, and I get it. Like they try to create that sense of urgency and get you to act on emotions, but that is, again, a red flag here. And so legitimate companies were going to give you time to, to do something. They're going to try and work with you, but scammers want you to they don't want you to have time to think about it. They just want you to react, right? They want you to react in the moment. And, um, you know, act again on emotion. Yeah. And to quote very classic SNL sketch, simmer down, simmer down now. Right. Thank you. Sherry. Simmer down. Take, take a moment and simmer down. And and again, if something feels rushed or emotional, that's a red flag.

Speaker 1:
Yeah. It is. I mean, you gotta you gotta pause. You've got to verify. You've got to never make financial decisions under any kind of pressure or duress or whatever. Just make sure that you are making these of sound mind. And, um, if somebody's trying to create that sense of urgency, you can't be of sound mind because you're just you're too emotional and in that moment. So yeah, take, take some time there. And if you need help sort of evaluating, you know, your overall financial picture, um, give me a call 85524692178552469211 or go to take pride in retirement.com. I'd love to help you create a plan that's going to stand the test of time no matter what happens, uh, you know, in the markets and all that stuff. And then, you know, make sure that you keep all of that secure and, uh, I'll make sure that you've got that two factor authentication turned on for all these accounts and all those other things, because you want to just protect what you have. That's the name of the game today. Protection. It's, it's almost like a song from Jem. Um, protection. Listen, half these people are not going to know what Jem and the holograms was. You don't know the 1980s cartoon. There's this one tune that Matt and I always hear, no matter what the. If it sounds like deception. Which is the tune. Uh, shout out to Britta Phillips, who sang that.

Speaker 1:
She's wonderful. Um, it's deception and we always go whatever to that. So like today it would be protection. Protection, right? Speaking of protection, let's talk about the worst case scenario, Matt. So let's say someone realizes they have been scammed, right? So or even they just suspect something's wrong. Like what do they do? Well, one thing, the very first thing that I got to say about this, don't be don't feel shame about it. It happens to people, right? Don't get down on yourself and be like, oh, God, I'm so dumb or whatever. That's just that does nobody any good. Um, if it can happen to you, it can happen to anybody. It really, really can. You know, some very smart people have been scammed. Educated people have been very scammed. It happens to them every day. So don't feel like you are just an embarrassment or whatever. But the thing is that that is a, that is a waste of time to feel that way and to just sort of wallow a little bit because you want to act as fast as you possibly can. And the things that you want to do when you actually take that action, number one, contact your financial institutions. It's the very first thing that I did when I woke up, when I realized that I, my debit card number had been compromised, was I called the bank and they immediately canceled the debit card, which is kind of a bummer because it's the debit card that hadn't ever had this problem.

Speaker 1:
So it's a debit card number I've had for like 15 years. And so now I got to go in and memorize. Oh yeah, oh yeah. And now I got to go in and like change everything everywhere. And I'm like, oh, but at least you caught it early because you just happened to look at your account. Yeah, I happened to log in and I was like, wait a minute, this is not right. So pizza and chicken and chicken and chicken and chicken and chicken and chicken gas. Chicken and chicken. Exactly. And then gas from the chicken at least. At least I hope for those people. That's awful. We're not going to wish poorly on anyone that may be them since they stole your card number. This is true, I mean, but nothing too bad. Just some gas anyway. So, um, but contact those financial institutions immediately. Let them know. You know, the bank, the credit card company, uh, the brokerage, the, um, you know, annuity company, like whomever that might have that, uh, account. Make sure that they know that they have 24, seven fraud departments most of the time. And, um, you know, if you get that call in as soon as possible, that faster contact time really increases the chance that you're going to be able to get your money back, or at least some of it, or they'll put, you know, be able to stop the payments and that kind of thing.

Speaker 1:
Um, number two is to, especially if it's something where you've been contacted by somebody, the call may be traceable. The email may be traceable text or whatever could be traceable back to a person or an organization or whatever. Contact the police because that is something where you you can file a police report and this documentation could then lead to, you know, bringing those people to justice and preventing them from doing this to other people in the future. And you'll also need it for yourself for insurance claims, credit disputes and that kind of stuff as well. Identity theft recovery, if that's the case for you. Um, number three is to, uh, report to other authorities as well. Ftc, the Federal Trade Commission has a website. It's identity.gov. Um, that is something that, uh, can give you, you know, a personalized recovery plan as well there. Uh, the AARP fraud watch network, who I just spoke with Kathy Stokes here on the show from, they've got a lot of great resources there as well. And you can go there and see where all the different places are, that you can report these things and different steps to take as well. And then going forward, protect your identity. Credit monitoring, fraud alerts through the three major credit bureaus. All of those things, um, super, super important. And, you know, for our LGBTQ plus listeners as well, you know, if you are targeted through something like a community connection, like, oh, we're here to help the LGBTQ plus community and then they end up scamming you.

Speaker 1:
That is like betrayal times two. You know, it's a double betrayal here. Um, because they've sort of, um, you know, acted on you because you're a member of this community to trust in them because they say they are and that they want to help you, but actually they're just trying to scam you. And here's the thing though, if you speak up about that, that, that scam or that, uh, way that you have been taken advantage of, that's going to help others in the community as well. Be on the lookout for this, right? Because if you don't know that something's out there, you don't know what's out there. Um, but if you do, you can actually take steps to protect yourself and protect your hard earned money. Um, and your experience really can be somebody else's warning here. Don't be silent because that just protects the scammers. And so, you know, if you have been targeted, those are some things you can do. You can also, if you just want a look at your finances in a deep dive into it to know what you have to know, what you have to protect in the first place and get a plan in place for that. Take pride in retirement. Com is the place to go. Yes. Please contact him.

Speaker 1:
He will help you. And so thinking about this, what does financial literacy really mean in the context of fraud, which I know you kind of touched on this, but what does it really mean? Yeah. You know, I mean, people say, um, like in terms of your financial literacy, they often think of just, you know, budgeting or investing and saving. All of those things are important, right? Absolutely important. You can't ignore them. Um, but also, you've got to recognize the risks that are out there beyond things that we talk about all the time, like market risk, like the volatility in the market or, um, the risk of longevity, Longevity. Risk. These other types of risks that we talk about. And so, um, you know, protecting your identity, protecting your assets, super, super important because those are other risks that we might face. And having a plan if something goes wrong is so important. True financial confidence comes from knowing that not only are you properly invested, but that those investments are actually protected and that you've done everything that you can to make sure that that is the case. So just a couple of things here before we close out the show, or just some action steps that you can take. Number one is to review account security. Again, turn on that two factor authentication for any and all accounts. Number two, update your passwords, especially if you've got one that's like, okay, you've always had a cat named fluffy and your website and your password to every website ever is fluffy one, two, three.

Speaker 1:
You might want to change that, you know, so get that taken care of. Have a conversation with your spouse, with your partner, with, um, you know, maybe a trusted friend about your, uh, the ways that you're protecting yourself, who to call, where your documents are, all those things. There's a fraud hotline. What is that number? And, you know, you can also attend some community events if you want. Aarp as, as Kathy mentioned earlier, has these shred days where they'll shred physical documents that have all that important information there. And, and that sounds like fun anyway. I know, well, you're just left with a bunch of confetti at the end, so throw a parade, for heaven's sake. Um, no, but then they also do these fraud prevention workshops, which are really helpful. Um, so yeah, I mean, protection of your assets means not only protection from that market volatility and the other risks that we talk about, but protection from scammers. And look, that can give you a lot of confidence in the fact that you are going to actually have the retirement that you've dreamed of and a retirement that you can take pride in. And so that is the thing. Financial Literacy Month is really about empowerment through knowledge. And that's what we try to give you here on the show. And when you go to take pride in retirement.com and reach out for personalized advice, love it.

Speaker 1:
And of course, all I have in my head is protection. That is what we all need is protection. Yes, please call me. Please call me 85524692178552469211. I can review your current plans, show you what's working, what's not. Identify any risks that you may experience or be experiencing or be exposed to inside that plan. Most importantly, I'll build a strategy that's based on your situation and based around your values as a member of the LGBTQ plus community or beyond, right? So, and it's not just about investments. Again, it's about peace of mind. Take pride in retirement.com is the website. Take pride in retirement.com. And I know we've had fun with this and we've been joking around. You know, I've been quoting cartoons from the 1980s, but this is something to truly take seriously. So protecting your future is just as important as building it. Yeah, it absolutely is. Well, that's going to do it for this edition of the show. I have had fun and my my week has improved as we've done now two of these episodes. Um, and, uh, you know, I've gotten further, uh, my, my experience with the whole debit card thing further behind me. Um, but I appreciate you, of course, uh, being my sidekick and my attache, uh, as always, and I appreciate you watching or listening to the show, wherever you are, no matter who you are, where you come from, who you love, how you identify, how much money you have, you deserve a retirement you can take pride in, and I'd love to help you get there.

Speaker 1:
Until next time, take pride in yourselves and take care of each other. We'll see you then. Thanks for listening. To Take Pride in Retirement. Members of the Lgbtq+ community deserve to work with the fiduciary financial advisor who puts their needs first. To schedule a free, no obligation consultation with Matt McClure and the team at Active Wealth Management, call (855) 246-9211 or go online to take pride in retirement.com. Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management LLC. Bcm, a registered investment advisor, BCM and Active Wealth Management Incorporated are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BCM but are offered in, sold through individually licensed and appointed agents. Any comments regarding safe and secure investments and guaranteed income streams refer only to fixed insurance products. They do not in any way refer to investment advisory products. Rates and guarantees provided by insurance products and annuities are subject to the financial strength of the issuing insurance company, not guaranteed by any bank or the FDIC. Registered investment advisors and investment advisor representatives act as fiduciaries for all of our investment management clients. We have an obligation to act in the best interest of our clients and to make full disclosure of any conflicts of interest, please refer to our firm brochure, the ADV Too-a item for for additional information.

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