“Kim, I’m concerned that my phone is going to give me cancer. My wife tells me I’m paranoid. What do you think? Thank you for your newsletters and shows. It helps me keep up with our two teens.” — Robert in San Antonio, Texas

I understand your concerns, Robert. The FCC says the radiation coming from your cellphone is no big deal. A cancer surgeon friend told me he begs to differ. I play it safe and keep my phone away from my body and head as much as possible. (Yes, I’m that person taking calls on my AirPods or speakerphone.)

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I’m going to Japan in March and have looked up flights on a few different sites. Roundtrip prices vary as much as $900 depending on where you look. Oof!

Here’s the twist

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What comes to mind when you think of someone getting scammed? A grandma on the phone with some jerk? If so, this will probably surprise you.

The total money lost by teens in online scams grew by nearly 2,500% between 2017 and 2022. Victims under the age of 20 lost a staggering $210 million in 2022 alone.

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If you don’t have antivirus software, you’re putting every internet-connected gadget you own at risk. Something as simple as an unchanged router password can be an entry point for an invader to shut down your phone or even taunt your children through a security camera or smart speaker.

All your devices probably tell a detailed story about your life. Our computers and phones are critically important, from work emails and important documents to family photos. Are your devices truly protected? If you don’t have antivirus software installed, the answer is no.

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The VPN game has been seriously upgraded! My sponsor, ExpressVPN, recently rolled out a slew of feature-packed updates. ExpressVPN pushes the envelope to keep your digital life locked down, from ad-blockers to a beefed-up server network.

These tools are available across ExpressVPN’s Windows, iOS and Android apps, Linux and Mac. And get this: All these perks come at no extra charge.

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Five years ago, Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu with Live TV would cost you around $56 a month. Not bad! Today, the exact services will run you over $106. How’s that for outrageous?

We’re giving away a $1,000 computer — Mac or Windows, your choice! Enter to win here. Good luck!

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I cleaned out a cabinet a few years ago and found a stack of old Super 8 videos. I’ll never forget the way my Mom’s face lit up after I digitized videos of her late brother Harold Jr.’s wedding. Tragically, he died in a car accident not long after his wedding day.

Memories like that are so precious, but when was the last time you watched family videos? If they’re on VHS, it can be a pain. Even worse, every year that goes by, those tapes degrade a little more.

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Social media is a place where we can loosen up a little. You can post jokes, silly pictures, or whatever on Instagram, X, Facebook and more. Unlike most social media sites, our sponsor, LinkedIn, is pretty buttoned-up.

You always need to put your best foot forward. After all, it’s where you connect with coworkers and find new careers. That means you should avoid being too personal since that can damage your credibility.

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What powers your business? Maybe you’re thinking of people or technology. For almost all of us, the honest answer is data.

Data is king, from customer information to the files we access daily. Financial records are no exception, and you need the right tools to manage yours correctly.

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A new car has over 1,400 microchips and runs on 100 million lines of code. Because it is connected, it can also collect a lot of data about you.

Your car is like your phone, computer or tablet now — always listening. What is your vehicle collecting? Way more than we’d all like to think.

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Think of AI as a digital Swiss Army Knife. It’s sharp, versatile and surprisingly handy. It sounds overwhelming if you’ve never tried ChatGPT, Bard or any other big options. Trust me when I say if you can use Google, you can use AI.

Ditch the “too techy” excuses, and let’s get hands-on with this game-changer. I’ve got ideas for small business owners, students, parents, those looking for love online and more.

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Whenever something new that can help protect your security pops up, you can count on me to make sure you know about it. Good news. Amazon just got on board the passkey train. Passkeys replace your (probably not that strong) password with something no one can hack: Your fingerprint or face ID.

A weak password brings all the hackers to the yard … and your Amazon cart, so this is a welcome addition to our cybersecurity arsenal. I’m not gonna lie, there are a few steps involved to get ‘er done — but follow the guide below and you’ll be up and running in no time.

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When you live with someone, you make a heck of a lot of choices together — big choices, like, “Should we sell our house and move to Thailand?” and small choices, like, “Should we buy this new recycling bin?”

Somewhere in the middle is an important, often infuriating step: “Whose email address should we use to log into Netflix?”

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Booking a rental property for your next vacation? There’s a scam for that!

Seriously, vacation rental scams are everywhere. Last year alone, Airbnb banned 59,000 fake listings — and stopped 157,000 listings from making it to the site in the first place.

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The airports? Crazy. The weather? Unpredictable. Travel is tough enough … and then your phone dies. Those charging kiosks in airports, hotels and malls can be big timesavers. Their owners promise they’re safe, but the FBI disagrees — and so do I.

Welcome to the newest phase of juice jacking. The phenomenon has been around for more than 10 years. Hackers use public phone charging stations to upload malware to your devices. Then, they ransom your phone or steal your passwords.

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The airports? Crazy. The weather? Unpredictable. Travel is tough enough. But the FBI recently threw a wrinkle in the sheets with a new warning to avoid public phone charging stations.

Those charging kiosks in airports, hotels and malls can be big timesavers, especially for a family on the move. Good news! Owners promise they’re safe. The government disagrees — and so do I. Groan, I know.

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I’m always astounded by the number of people who go to the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This year, over 130,000 attendees and 4,000 exhibitors are descending upon the city. CES used to be the least profitable week in Vegas for casinos since no one was gambling … but it was still the biggest week for prostitution. Go figure.

Here are a few items that have caught my attention at this year’s CES — for better or worse.

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In my spare time, I am a bit of a horse trader in real estate. I have purchased and sold over 20 commercial buildings and homes at all price points. I’ve used realtors and sold properties myself. I’ve bought foreclosures and short sales. I’ve remodeled homes and purchased spec homes. I just completed building a new home on a lot that I eyeballed for 10 years. It’s my hobby.

I’ve been thinking there is a looming collapse of the Airbnb and Vrbo model. Desperate owners will need to get rid of pricey investment properties they can’t afford anymore. Why? Hotels have lowered prices, and people are tired of the hidden cameras and lack of amenities in many Airbnbs.

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“Don’t touch that dial,” or at least that’s what they don’t want you to do. With the ever-expanding landscape of digital streaming services, finding excellent and affordable ones is getting harder and harder.

The game used to be dominated by our cable providers, and following that, everything became about digital streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

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New year, same you. And that’s OK! You don’t need to makeover your entire life to have a good 2024.

But I can tell you firsthand it’s totally worth it to spend a few minutes cleaning up your tech life. Keep reading for steps to banish junk mail, make your phone less annoying and improve your cybersecurity. You got this!

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