You’ve worked hard to live the dream — running your own business from home. But have you taken steps to protect it? If you run your own small business or a side hustle, you probably already understand how important it is to keep your business secure from potential dangers including cyberattacks, power outages, and more. Life is unpredictable, but fortunately, there are a few easy ways you can keep your small, at-home business safe and secure.

Make Sure Your Cybersecurity Is Up-to-Date

Like most modern technology users, you’ve probably gotten a lot savvier about phishing and online spam over the years. But what about the overall cybersecurity of your business? As technology has changed, cyberattacks have become more advanced. Sadly, research shows that around 60% of small businesses that fall victims to a cyberattack end up going out of business within the following six months.

You can prevent this by checking your cybersecurity and installing all recommended software updates. Don’t send important business information via email, and always use strong passwords.

Use an SSD to Store Your Data

A Solid State Drive, or ‘SSD,’ is a newer form of data storage that uses flash memory. Essentially functioning as a hard drive, an SSD runs at a higher speed and delivers superior performance and durability. It’s also worth noting that SSDs are lighter and require less energy to run, keeping your computer at decreased risk of overheating. As far as your home business goes, this means you’ll be able to do more and store more data without having to worry about slowing down your computer. If anything, it may even help prolong the life of your computer, allowing you to keep focusing on doing the work that matters.

Keep Important Documents in a Fireproof Safe

Nobody likes to think they’ll ever be the victim of a fire, but the truth is that house fires are more common than many people realize. The National Fire Protection Association reports that an average of 358,000 house fires occur every year. In fact, more than $2 billion is lost in house fires every winter season alone.

While you should already be practicing fire prevention steps like fixing any faulty wiring right away, updating appliances, and not leaving hot stoves or burning candles unattended, taking extra precautions is a good idea for your home business. One easy step is to store all important documents in a fireproof safe. Doing so will help you quickly pick up the pieces just in case the unpredictable does happen.

Make Sure Your Business Equipment Is Insured

All businesses small and large should be insured. While your home insurance will cover the building you work out of, you’ll need to make sure you have insurance that specifically covers your business equipment and liability needs. But depending on the kind of operation you have, it may be a good idea to have an insurance plan tailored just to suit your needs. For example, an increasing amount of small businesses are starting to invest in captive insurance. This form of coverage essentially means the business establishes its own insurance company in order to better address its unique set of risks.

In addition to being more in tune with the business’s risks, captive insurance plans can provide higher tax benefits and save the company money. It’s estimated that around 90% of Fortune 500 companies currently have captive insurance plans set up, but a simpler form of these plans, called micro-captives, can help smaller companies save considerable money as well.

Learn and Follow the Law

Many small business owners find themselves in hot water when they miss important legal steps for their small business. Whether it’s paying all applicable taxes on time or getting necessary permits, it’s crucial to make sure you’re following local law. If you’re unsure of what you need to operate legally or feel overwhelmed, you might want to consult with a lawyer. It’s always best to be overly careful rather than risk the future of your business on a technicality.

Driving in the winter can be tricky for anyone, more so for a teen. While your instinct as a parent may be to keep them off the roads, in this season, it may not always be a possibility. Have a look at the three tips below which you can use to help them stay safe while they’re behind the wheel in winter.

Advise Them to Stay Sober

It’s always important to be sober when behind the wheel, no matter the season. Because of the different conditions in winter, however, it becomes even more important to do so because even a little intoxication will affect the judgment and reaction time of a driver. It’s also your duty as a parent to model positive behavior to your teen even if they have reached the legal drinking age. If they attend any parties, advise them to get a cab back home and not take the risk of driving themselves. They should share this information with their friends and not agree to get into a car that will be driven by someone under the influence as the risk is simply too high. Apart from the risk of getting into an accident, there is also the law to deal with. In PA, for instance, getting a second DUI conviction can attract a stay in jail of anywhere from five days to six months.

Do Some Practice

To make sure that your teen knows the perils of driving in winter and they understand what to do, have them practice in a safe area until they’re sure they will be able to drive safely on the road. Find a wide-open space like an empty parking lot that will be safe and have minimal obstructions so there’s a smaller risk of an incident. Show them the right way to brake on winter roads as well as turn and stay visible to other road users. Let them know that at this time, it’s extremely important for them to be observant and if they feel like they are out of their depth at any point, they should call an emergency number for help. While their car may have some advanced driving features, it’s crucial that they know how to handle a car by feeling its reaction in direct relation to their actions. Because winter roads minimize the grip that a car has on the road, driving in winter is more of a physical thing than anything else. With about 96% of injury cases settled before trial, it may seem like you will have a simple case if your teen experiences or causes accidental injury, but it’s best to avoid it completely in the first place by teaching your teen how to drive safely in winter.

Get The Car Ready For Winter

Finally, a good car will go a long way in keeping your teen driver safe while they’re driving in winter. So will a car that is equipped for winter driving. Things like winter tires, a shovel, and the number of a reliable towing company on their phone are not to be compromised. An emergency kit with snow boots, flares, a flashlight, jumper cables, and non-perishable foodstuffs is also important to keep in the car at all times in case an emergency arises, as these will help them stay safe and possibly get themselves out of the situation. In total, auto accidents take an economic toll of $250 billion on the U.S. economy, an amount that may see a reduction if people practice safe driving in tricky seasons like winter. Make sure that your teen does not add on to this amount by helping them avoid getting into trouble on winter roads.

It’s important for any parent with teenagers to ensure that they know how to stay safe on the road in winter. Share the three tips above with them, and you will have played your role.

As a parent, one of the best things you can do for your kids is to plan for when you are not there. Estate planning is something that many parents have a hard time talking about. No one likes to think that they will not be here for their children. However, one of the best things you can do for your children is to have a plan for the future that will protect them in case you cannot.

Why Do You Need an Estate Plan?

You may be reading this as a young, healthy adult parent and think this must not apply to me, but it does. An estate plan is primarily for your children. Young or mature, an estate plan helps your family to navigate your estate after you are gone.

An estate plan is not only about doling out your property after you are gone, it is also a plan for who will take care of your underage children. For older adults with grown children, an estate plan helps to take the burden of decision-making off their shoulders.

At A Minimum Every Parent Should Do This

It is highly recommended that as soon as you become a parent you meet with an estate planning attorney to draw up the necessary documents to protect your child. Once you have your initial estate plan in place, you should revisit it every five years to update it. Of course, if there are any life events like a divorce, new marriage, or a big move to another state, you will need to revisit the estate plan sooner.

Here Are the Three Things You Should Know About Estate Planning

There are some misconceptions about estate planning that can be dispelled by understanding these three things:

• Estate planning is not only for the wealthy. You do not need to have a certain level of wealth to create an estate plan.
• There are planning tools that can save your estate money.
• Estate planning can protect your children.

One of the most common misconceptions is that you have to be in a certain income bracket to use estate planning tools. The fact is anyone can use estate planning tools to protect their family. There are many tools like trust deeds that will not only save your estate money but that will also generate a return of about 10%. Estate planning is a part of sound financial planning.

The Simple Tools

There are several key components to estate planning but none is more important or simplistic as a will. A will not only designate your beneficiaries and how your estate should be divided, but it also allows you to appoint a guardian for your children. It is an essential tool in any type of estate plan.

Another tool that is highly relevant in the estate planning process is the Power of Attorney. This tool is especially important for mature parents. It is estimated that about 75% of seniors have at least a single chronic condition that impacts their health, with many having two or more chronic conditions that impact their health. A Power of Attorney can assign someone (family or others) as a person that can make MVP health care choices for you when you cannot.

Of course, you do not have to be a senior to appoint someone as a POA to manage your health care. If you cannot, anyone can take advantage of this tool. An attorney that specializes in estate planning can create a plan to meet your personal needs.

Do It For the Kids

Being a parent comes with a lot of responsibility, and no real end date. Whether you are a new parent or a mature parent with grown children, it is important that you take steps to protect the future of your estate. Estate planning will provide you with peace of mind knowing you have planned for the future, so you can focus on living your best life today. Learn more about estate planning and how it can help your family.

It’s important to make your home comfortable and accessible, whether for an aging parent or someone with a disability. This will make it easier for them to retain their self-reliance and an important sense of dignity. The following are five remodeling ideas that will help you do this, so have a look at them and implement the ones you need to.

Install Safe Flooring

Both an aging parent and a disabled person will be more likely than others to slip and fall, so to reduce the likelihood of such accidents, it’s a good idea to upgrade your flooring to safer options. Thick carpets and rugs are a tripping hazard for practically everyone, while floors with a polished stone or glossy tiles will be a bit hard to walk on without slipping. If installing a hardwood floor over your existing floor is an expensive option, consider temporary fixes like adhesive non-skid strips. With 35% of home remodeling projects involving the whole house, it’s safe to call a floor upgrade a whole home renovation.

Add Bedside Lighting and Nightlights

Bedside lights will make it easy for someone to immediately get light when they need it for one reason or another. Someone who has recently moved into your home, like an aging parent, may be disoriented when they wake up in the dark, and having a bedside light will help reduce this as well as the risk of tripping and falling as they walk around trying to find a light. Nightlights that illuminate the paths from the bedroom to the bathroom will also be helpful as they remove the need to turn on the bright regular lights when they need to use the bathroom at night.

Change the Doorknobs

Your doorknobs may give people trouble getting them open. For instance, arthritic people have a hard time turning round doorknobs to open doors, so change them to those with handles to make it easier to open by pushing down on them rather than having to grip and turn. This is an upgrade that will make your home more accessible to an adult with arthritis, a chronic condition that four out of five adults battle. Other conditions include osteoporosis and heart disorders, and a whopping half of adults battle at least two chronic conditions.

Renovate the Bathrooms

The bathrooms are spaces that especially need renovation to make them more accessible due to their challenging nature. The combination of water and slippery surfaces and fittings is one that calls for additional safety measures. Find flooring that retains its grip even when wet and consider installing a curbless shower to remove the necessity of stepping up and into the shower. A showerhead whose height can be adjusted easily will also be helpful, as will toilets with higher seats for people who have difficulty standing up from a seated position.

Install a Modern HVAC System

Heating and cooling are important for maintaining a comfortable temperature for everyone in the house. Besides saving energy when you install a modern HVAC system, you will also make it easier to control, as it can be regulated automatically or with a remote control. With less than 50% of the people who own homes in America getting the assistance of professional HVAC technicians to service and maintain their units, you may get a professional at this point to make sure everything is just right.

These five remodelling ideas can make your home a lot more accessible to both an aging loved one as well as someone with a disability. Making your home accessible will help all its occupants to feel extra valued and know that their presence in the house is appreciated. Spare the time to make the improvements outlined above, therefore, and give everyone in your house a reason to smile!