Secure your business, secure yourself

Believe it or not, the most common password in the world is "password". Surprised? Probably not. More than 56 percent of professionals use a default password or a simple password than can be easily used by hackers to steal your information without you even knowing. An untrustworthy person can log into your e-mail account or website and have all of your messages sent to another account without you even knowing. Sure, you may still get some or all of your messages, but do you really know who is reading your e-mail or going through your online records?

If you use "password", "1234" or the same login as your e-mail account for your password, you could be in for some real trouble. These days, real estate agents and other professionals are doing whatever it takes to get business. And sure, we'd like to trust everyone - but you can't, and you shouldn't.

Here are some simple tips you should follow:

Create a strong password

Change your password to something not easily stolen. I know, your dog is so cute you name all of your passwords after your dog - WRONG. If one person knows you and your dog, they've already stolen your identity. Get creative. How do you make your password so you can remember it, but no on else will know it? Follow this simple step:

• Your dog's name: Sparky
• Your office phone number: 239-437-3777
• Password: - Spa3777rky (note: This is just a sample, the combination can be in many formats with letters and numbers)

Change your password frequently

Many online security professionals recommend changing your password every two weeks, but that can get to be a problem even if you make your passwords easy for you to remember. At the very least, however, you should change your password monthly. If you don't, then make it even more difficult for someone to guess what it is: sp239ar437ky. In some cases you can use special characters and symbols: -, &, $, +, etc.).

Secure ALL your passwords

Yes, it's a good rule to have strong passwords for your business e-mail and website login, but it can be even more important to have strong passwords for your online banking account, credit card accounts and other vital personal information.

Identity theft is a growing problem around the world. Take steps to secure your business and personal information. It's not that difficult, and you can save your finances, investments and reputation.

Use a different password for each of your accounts. Why? Because if someone gets your password, they can gain access to all of your information. If you need to, write them down in a safe place and keep your list with your important papers.