3 Ways to Avoid Holiday Stress

While the holidays are ideally a time of family, friends and fun, all too often they represent a time of frenzy and stress. If the holiday season brings to mind heavy traffic on the roads, endless shopping that you may feel ill-prepared to afford and unwelcome guests at the table, it may be easy to give in to the blues. Sweet temptations will try to lure you away from your diet. Big meals where over-indulgence is too easy and a disruption of your regular exercise routine can both increase holiday stress.

Some holiday stress may be unavoidable, but it shouldn't be allowed to develop into extreme stress, anxiety or depression. We want to share some ways to help you lower your stress meter and, hopefully, bring more happiness to this season of joy. Consider these tips on avoiding holiday stress.

1. During a time that's meant to be filled with the spirit of peace, gratitude and goodwill, it's easy to get caught up in endless to-do lists designed to somehow produce the perfect picture-postcard holiday. Unrealistic expectations of what the holiday season “should be” will likely create stress and resentment. Let go of the expectation that things should be a certain way (because that's the way “we've always done it”) and let go of old traditions you've held on to since the kids were small. Create new traditions and let some of the old ones go.
2. Gift-giving is a major part of the holidays for many, especially where children are involved and Santa Claus is still a cherished belief. Start your shopping early in an effort to avoid the crowds and the “Christmas rush.” Spending more money than you can realistically afford on gifts could potentially stress you out for months (or years) to come if expensive gifts are bought with credit cards. The best gifts aren't necessarily the most expensive but, rather, the most thoughtful. A simple voucher for something like a full body massage or dinner and a movie may be a perfect alternative to store-bought objects. It's not generosity to spend money on gifts for others if it breaks your budget. This just creates more stress.
3. Take it easy and have some fun. Don't feel pressured to accept every party or dinner invitation and make sure to take some time out for yourself. Express gratitude for what's given and try not to dwell on what may be missing. Happy holidays!

Preventing Identity Theft During the Holiday Season

Identity theft has become a problem for people all year around, but is especially rampant during the holiday season. While you're out busily on the lookout for the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones, identity thieves are also on the lookout to take advantage of you during this busiest of shopping seasons. In 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported receiving nearly half a million identity theft complaints – nearly double the number received the year before. And each year, there's a definite spike in complaints during the holiday season, so we'd like to pass on some advice that can help protect you from falling prey to this particular crime. These apply not only during the holidays but all year around.

Online shopping has become so popular these days that identity thieves have also made the Internet a favorite means for their illegal activities. While a stolen wallet or lost credit card are still the most common causes of identity theft, phishing and other online scams are becoming more prevalent every year. Here are some simple guidelines to follow to help protect yourself when shopping online:

• Use only trusted, verifiable sites. Look for HTTPS and the little lock icon in your URL browser, which identifies a safe site. Don't enter sensitive information into any site you don't trust as being safe.
• Don't respond to any sites asking for personal information. Even if they look genuine they may be fake phishing sites looking to grab your personal information. Don't click on any suspect email links.
• Make sure you have an active anti-virus program and always download updates to the program.
• Never enter any sensitive personal information on a computer using a public Wi-Fi system. These are easy for hackers to access and they hang out at public Wi-Fi areas for this express purpose.

You should monitor your bank and credit card accounts regularly for any suspicious activity. Log in regularly to keep a strict accounting of your transactions. Also check your credit report on a regular basis. If an identity thief opens an account under your name this affects your credit score and will serve as a red flag.

Safeguard your personal information and keep a record of your account numbers and pertinent information in case you need to contact the company holding one of your accounts. Guard all of your devices and use strong passwords for all your accounts.

Do College Students Need Renter's Insurance

If you're going off to college or are sending someone off to college, you'll likely find that there are countless details that need to be considered. Although it may not be obvious, you should definitely consider the importance of covering your possessions with some type of insurance policy.

Dormitory Living

If you'll be living in an on-campus dormitory, you may find your personal possessions are actually covered to some extent by your parents' homeowner's insurance policy. You'll need to check the policy or consult with your insurance agent to find out what kind of coverage there is and, if coverage exists, to what extent it will pay for losses to your possessions while you're away at college.

Coverage for college students living away from home will usually have a cap on claim amounts allowed – typically 10% of what's covered for the main policyholder living at home. Policies that cover students living in dorms also usually have an age cutoff, typically age 26, after which students no longer qualify to be on their parents' policy. It's also common for coverage to exclude liability and loss of use coverage.

Students Not Living in the Dorm

For students not living in a dorm on campus or for those who aren't covered for loss of their personal possessions under their parents' homeowner's policy, the best alternative is to obtain renter's insurance coverage. While insurers won't write a renter's insurance policy to cover a dorm room, some have policies available for specific coverage of personal possessions in a dorm room, absent of the added liability and loss of use coverage.

Students living off campus, in an apartment or house, can buy a renter's insurance policy at an affordable price and cover not only loss of their personal possessions but also liability protection in case someone gets injured on the property they're renting. They will also have coverage for loss of use of their dwelling, in the event that something occurs that makes their home no longer habitable for a period of time.

While it may be easy for a college student to rationalize foregoing the purchase of renter's insurance because they have few valuable possessions, it's also easy to miscalculate the value of what they own. But even more importantly, the value of having financial protection against a liability lawsuit cannot be overstated. Loss of use is also a valuable protection to have.