In a historic move, Rhonda Lewis has been appointed to represent District 2 on the King County Council, marking her as the first Black woman to serve in this capacity. Her appointment signifies a pivotal shift, as women now constitute the majority of the nine-member council for the first time in the county’s history. Lewis’s presence on the council is expected to introduce fresh perspectives and priorities, underscoring the evolving dynamics of local governance.
Interview by Chris B. Bennett.
The Seattle King County NAACP’s readiness to progress is under scrutiny as Dr. Carl Mack, its former president, returns to the Seattle Medium’s Rhythm & News Podcast. Last week’s discussion raised questions about the branch’s future trajectory, suggesting potential challenges. This morning’s dialogue seeks to explore these concerns further, providing clarity on the branch’s capacity to advance.
Interview by Chris B. Bennett.
A medical device manufacturer is warning that certain models of its glucose monitors may be giving users erroneous readings, a malfunction that it says is responsible for seven deaths and more than 700 injuries worldwide.
The diabetes care division of the manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories, issued an announcement stating that faulty readings from its FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors could lead people with diabetes to mismanage their disease due to incorrect information.
Customers who confirm their device is affected “should immediately discontinue use and dispose of it,” according to a company press release. The mishap, it said, has led to an estimated 736 serious injuries and 7 deaths worldwide as of its November 24 announcement.
More than 38 million children and adults, or 11.6% of the total U.S. population, had been diagnosed with diabetes as of 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 15% of all adults, and just over 12% of all Black Americans, are diabetic.
Last week, FDA officials warned that falsely low glucose readings could lead people with diabetes to make decisions about diet or insulin that trigger bad outcomes. These could range from eating too many carbohydrates or skipping or delaying insulin doses. Mismanaging blood glucose can result in serious illness or hospitalization.
Almost 9 million U.S. adults who tested as having the disease were unaware or did not report having it. People with diabetes are advised to use a fingerstick test if their symptoms don’t match what their glucose monitor indicates. Individuals should adjust the treatment decisions accordingly and quickly contact a healthcare professional if needed.
Abbott Diabetes Care has warned that roughly 3 million of the sensors in question could give users false low glucose readings.
Approximately half of those devices are estimated to have expired or been used, Abbott said. The company will replace any potentially affected sensors free of charge.
Consumers wearing a FreeStyle Libre 3 or FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensor can find the serial number in the app or reader. The serial number could also be on the label on the bottom of the sensor applicator or carton.
The affected model numbers are the FreeStyle Libre 3 sensors with model numbers 72080-01. The FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors have model numbers 78768-01 and 78769-01 and unique device identifiers 00357599844011 and 00357599843014.
For sensors connected to an insulin delivery device, check the connected insulin delivery device user manual on how to locate the sensor serial number.
Consumers can also confirm if current or unused sensors are affected by visiting Abbott’s website and selecting “Confirm Your Sensor Serial Number.” Be sure to select “United States,” or the country where you purchased the device, from the dropdown menu that’s at the very top right of the site.
The company’s customer service is also available at 1-833-815-4273, available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT.
A Baltimore native, Shauna K. Henson was recently in her hometown, the city she loves, renewing and spending time with her family following her grandmother’s death. But her heart was 2,000 miles away, on the island that has enriched her life and helped her stage her second act: Barbados.
Don’t get her wrong: Henson was born and always will be an American citizen. Yet the Caribbean nation, southeast of Puerto Rico and just north of South America, is where she has built a new life. Henson landed there after taking a leap of faith — literally.
”I feel so compelled to show people: that thing you feel about moving out of the country, being somewhere else? That’s not a call to vacation, baby,” Henson says, who quit her job and set up her own business on the island. “That’s God trying to ignite your mission.”
She answered that call and began creating a new path for herself and for clients of Uncultured, her Barbados-based life coaching and consulting business. Mirroring her personal life, Uncultured centers on Henson’s strong Christian faith and on helping others live the expat life.
“What God is calling me to say to my clients is to be ‘uncultured,’” Henson says. “God’s trying to reorient your identity to what He created you for.”
That thing you feel about moving out of the country, being somewhere else? That’s not a call to vacation, baby. That’s God trying to ignite your mission.”
Shauna K. henson
That’s what Henson felt when the idea first hit her in 2014. She’d traveled from the U.S. to Barbados for around 5 years, rarely staying longer than a few weeks. But she found herself gradually extending her stay; the notion that she must relocate there wouldn’t go away.
Her decision to follow divine guidance and stay for good was a challenge to explain, even though her family is also devout Christians.
”They were, like, ‘God wouldn’t tell you to do that without family. God wouldn’t tell you to do that without a plan,’” she tells Word in Black in a recent interview. “And then that same week — I’ll never forget it — the pastor of our church started a preaching series on Abraham, who God told to head out, and that God would show him where to land, so to speak.”
Like the decision to adopt Barbados as her home, Henson’s calling is clear: help others find their true path in life, especially if it leads them out of the U.S. Her services include assisting people in finding what they need to know to establish a new life overseas.
“What He has been revealing to me in this process is that He is showing people their true identity by changing their location,” she says. “The Lord made it very clear to me that my going to Barbados would have nothing to do with me. It’s about showing people freedom now.”
Henson’s interview with Word In Black has been edited for length and clarity.
Word in Black: When you were a little girl playing with dolls, were you thinking you’d rather live someplace other than Baltimore?
Shauna K. Henson: Wish my story were cuter. I’m grateful for my mother and grandmother and her matriarchal influence that decided my vacation needed to be in Mexico when I was eight. I had done Montessori school and all those things. I knew a little Spanish. So when we were ordering breakfast, I would be ordering my breakfast and helping them order theirs. Mexico has always had a place in my heart because of that.
WIB: So what precipitated your first move?
Henson: In January 2014, the bottom fell out of my life. I had just gotten divorced and my business had a catastrophic failure and all these things were going on and swirling around in my life and in my world. So I decided to leave.
I went on a scouting trip that spring to Spain because again, Spanish, right? I’m so in love with Latina culture and like all the things. I love the Spanish language. I’ve been very committed to becoming bilingual before I die. So it had to be Spain.
WIB: Tell me about Spain.
Henson: Spain rejected me. I have a heart condition called Raynaud’s Phenomenon. It’s not like gonna murder me or anything, but it does make cold very, very, very uncomfortable for me. When I went to Spain in the spring, I don’t know where I thought I was going. I had bathing suits in my bag. I had, like, one little short jacket. I thought, I’m gonna go to Spain and have a good time. My best friend came with me.
I was in Spain for two weeks, and I have not been back since.
WIB: How did you finally choose Barbados?
Henson: I had been home, working on my business, working on the election and all my consulting work was firing off. I was making more money and was more successful than I’d ever been. And my cousin brought up the subject of Barbados — how they were managing the pandemic. They were doing a fantastic job of keeping the case count low. They were being very protective of their citizens because their population is only 300,000 and the prime minister, Mia Motley, didn’t play any games. She set curfews to keep everyone protected, so we felt safe.
WIB: How long did you stay?
Henson: When I got there, I wasn’t thinking about relocating. I was thinking about a three-week vacation. But my cousin and I both extended a week, but then she works as a social worker in a hospital, a couple of days a week, and had to go home. Since my business was fully transportable, I could and did stay. And three weeks turned to three months. I came home because my grandfather passed in the midst of COVID, but I went back. I made many trips, none of them fewer than 30 days. So the move to a more permanent location is not as big a jump as maybe it seems.
WIB: Describe a typical workday.
SKH: Well, not every day, but I can spend 150 U.S. dollars, in the same way people pay for co-working spaces, and work all day on a shared cruise. You get on with 12 other people that you don’t know. I take my iPad and write and journal my thoughts. There’s a private chef on board who’s preparing your lunch. You can take a break and get out into the ocean. I’m doing all the work things. It’s my very favorite version of life honestly.
WIB: What do we need to know before we go to Barbados?
SKH: First and foremost, be prepared to speak to everybody. I miss that in the U.S. and the food culture there is amazing. I really miss all of it since I’ve been here since July.
By Lauren Chadwick, Michael Williams, CNN
(CNN) — Some visitors to the United States may soon have to provide their social media history from the prior five years to enter the country, according to a new Trump administration proposal.
The proposal, posted on the Federal Register by US Customs and Border Protection, suggests travelers coming from countries that are part of a visa waiver program would need to give additional personal information as part of an electronic application.
The requirement would be for travelers using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, as part of a visa waiver program for citizens from 42 countries, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Israel and Qatar, as well as many other European countries.
ESTA is an online application visitors from these countries use to travel to the US for under 90 days without a visa. Visitors using the online system are currently asked for information such as their passport and birth date, as well as any past criminal record.
The proposed changes to the visa waiver application include making provision of social media history mandatory and adding “high value data elements,” including the person’s phone numbers and email addresses over the prior five years, plus close family members’ names and birth dates, along with their birthplaces, residences and phone numbers over the prior five years.
A question about entering social media information was initially added to the application in 2016, with the section marked as “optional.”
“If an applicant does not answer the question or simply does not hold a social media account, the ESTA application can still be submitted without a negative interpretation or inference,” the CBP website now states.
The new proposal – open for public comment through February 9 – would make that information mandatory, though it’s unclear how it would impact those wishing to come to the United States. CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, for comment.
The changes would align with a broader push from President Donald Trump’s administration to overhaul the country’s legal immigration system, in addition to carrying out his long promised program of mass deportation for people in the country illegally.
The Trump administration over the past 11 months has made sweeping changes to nearly every facet of the immigration process, severely tightening every legal and illegal form of entry into the United States.
The administration also has placed heavy emphasis and scrutiny on the social media accounts of people in the US on student visas.
In June, the State Department told embassies and consulates they may vet applicants for student visas for “hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.”
According to those guidelines, applicants are asked to set their profiles to public, and lack of an online social media presence could be seen as a negative that may be held against them in the application process.
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by Kimi Waite
Children are the future, and that means solutions to global climate change must start in public schools. More specifically, as a longtime public school educator, a professor, and an author of two books on teaching climate change and environmental justice, I believe we need to instill a passion for, and a sense of urgency about, environmental justice.
As the Trump Administration continues its anti-DEI agenda, environmental rollbacks, and attacks on science, teaching environmental justice will equip students with the necessary tools to resist and push back against the root causes of the climate crisis. Teaching environmental justice is needed so students can reclaim erased narratives, collect their own counterdata, and take action in their communities.
New York’s Board of Regents, which oversees the New York State Education Department, recently moved to adopt instructional requirements in climate change for all K-12 public school students. The new requirements will mandate instruction on the causes and impacts of climate change, as well as solutions.
School districts will have flexibility in how this is done, and climate change instruction can be woven into existing subject areas, such as art, social studies, math, science, or physical education, or taught as a standalone class. This instruction should also emphasize environmental justice.
Climate change disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, which means you can’t teach about the climate crisis without also teaching about justice and equity. This means that climate change instruction needs to be taught across all subject areas so students can understand the root causes of the climate crisis, such as systemic racism. Teaching students to be data detectives can help them understand these root causes.
For students to become data detectives, the first step is to introduce the purpose of data and help them develop data literacy. Cultivating data literacy involves teaching students to critically examine the story behind the data and analyze the patterns and trends it reveals about larger social and environmental injustices. This starts with asking questions. When I taught kindergarten in South Los Angeles, I told my students that data detectives do three things: They notice something and ask a lot of questions, they find out information in different ways, and they do something about it.
Environmental data can be used to bring real people and communities in our country to life, and the injustices they experience, in a way that students can fully appreciate and learn from. Publicly accessible environmental justice datasets are vital because they show the relationships between environmental hazards, such as waste and pollution, and socioeconomic vulnerabilities, such as race and class. When examined and paired, these datasets enable the identification of communities disproportionately affected by environmental hazards.
For example, Wilmington, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, is home to the third-largest oil field in the United States. According to a 2022 survey, one in three households in Wilmington reports cancer, and more than half report someone with asthma. In addition, the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery was the largest and oldest refinery on the East Coast. Although it closed in 2019, it was the city’s most significant contributor to air pollution.
This data is essential because it makes the stories and experiences of underrepresented communities visible. However, the Trump Administration’s campaign of disappearing data and removing essential environmental justice screening tools threatens environmental protection and environmental justice.
The Administration’s anti-DEI and anti-science agenda has included the rollback of EPA rules that protect frontline communities and the dismantling of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. For instance, data collection tools, like EJScreen, the federal environmental justice mapping and screening tool, were removed from the EPA website in February 2025. This leaves teachers without actionable classroom tools to help students visualize, analyze, and understand the patterns between race, socioeconomic status, and inequitable environmental protection.
When I taught kindergarten, my 5- and 6-year-old students and I used this tool to research air pollution in their South Los Angeles community. My students engaged in this learning through various subjects. In math, they created bar charts of their findings and compared the data with that from more affluent areas of Los Angeles County, such as Beverly Hills. In language arts and social studies, they wrote their conclusions in their scientific notebooks and shared findings with their local representatives.
However, the power of data lies in its double-edged nature: While it has been used as a weapon by those in power to consolidate control and rewrite history, data can also be mobilized to push back and engage in resistance against existing power structures. Students need to learn about both — and learn skills to become data researchers in their own communities.
If the Trump Administration erases the data, students can take on the role of data scientists and collect counterdata on environmental injustices in their own communities. Students can do this by engaging in Youth Participatory Action Research, conducting local community health surveys in their area, photographing environmental concerns in their neighborhoods, examining U.S. Census data, and using community science apps to collect new data. Students can also speak to the school board, the school PTA, community members, or local media about their concerns.
Teaching the true history of the United States includes teaching about climate change and environmental justice. This education should be nationwide and occur across all subject areas. While ongoing anti-DEI legislation continues, teachers and activists have been mobilizing and pushing back. The resistance must continue because this is a battle that we can’t afford to lose.
Kimi Waite is the author of the forthcoming book, “Teaching Environmental Justice in the Elementary Classroom: Entry Points for Equity Across the K-5 Curriculum,” and co-author of the book “What Teachers Want to Know About Teaching Climate Change: An Educator’s Guide to Nurturing Hope and Resilience (K-12). She is a 2021 Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
By ReShonda Tate, The Houston Defender
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett has entered the 2026 U.S. Senate race with the kind of firepower that has made her a nationally recognized figure — and a lightning rod. Her announcement immediately triggered one question across Texas political circles: Can she win?
Crockett thinks she can. And she says anyone doubting her simply misunderstands the electorate.
“A lot of people think this is about policy,” Crockett said in an interview with CNN. “But they can’t explain how you have Mondamí Trump voters, or Obama–Trump voters, or AOC–Trump voters. The reality is, people vote for who they believe is fighting for them.”
A fighter is exactly how she is presenting herself.
“I didn’t come to Congress to play it safe. I came to raise hell for working families, protect our freedoms, and call out extremism wherever it rears its head,” she said during her launch speech. “Now, with the stakes higher than ever, I’m stepping up again — this time to flip a Senate seat Republicans have held for far too long.”
To win statewide, Democrats must reach millions of voters who have historically not turned out. Crockett says that is her path.
“We don’t need to convert all of Trump’s supporters. That’s not our goal,” she said. “Our goal is to engage people that historically have not been talked to, because there are so many people that get ignored — specifically in Texas.”
Crockett points to demographics as her greatest opportunity.
“Texas is 61% people of color,” she said. “We have a lot of good folk that we can talk to.”
She argues Democrats lose statewide not because the electorate is too conservative, but because millions of Democratic-leaning voters, disproportionately Black, Latino, young, and urban, don’t believe politics is speaking to them. She insists that she can.
“When I sign up to go to D.C., it’s always me taking the people with me,” she said. “It’s not ignoring their voices. That’s what moves people.”
Crockett is not moderating her message for Texas.
“The crossover doesn’t come because you decide to sound like a Republican,” she said. “The crossover comes because you make people believe that you will fight for them.”
Her launch video — featuring Donald Trump’s insults before she stares into the camera and smiles — signals she will not avoid confrontation with the former president.
“We are going to walk that fine line,” she said. “We’re going to be able to get people who potentially have voted for Trump, even though I’m one of his loudest opponents.”
Crockett enters the race as former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred exits, clearing her path in the Democratic primary. But the general election remains daunting.
Sen. John Cornyn, a four-term incumbent, faces a fractured Republican primary with contenders including Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt. Trump has not endorsed any of the Republican candidates, adding uncertainty to the GOP landscape.
Some Democrats privately worry Crockett’s high-profile clashes with Republicans — especially Trump — could energize the GOP base. Others say she is precisely the kind of candidate needed to shake Texas politics from decades of stalemate.
Crockett repeated the message that has already become the slogan of her campaign:
“Turning Texas blue is what I want to talk to y’all about today,” she said. “Now, some say, ‘Ain’t no way, we done tried this 50 kinds of ways.’ Let me be clear: Y’all ain’t never tried it the JC way.”
The political math is complicated. No Democrat has won statewide in 30 years. But Crockett’s campaign is built on a theory of change that breaks from traditional Texas playbooks:
• Mobilize millions of Black and Latino voters who rarely vote in midterms
• Activate young voters energized by cultural and political fights
• Turn her national profile into grassroots momentum
• Capitalize on GOP infighting and demographic shifts
Crockett believes fiercely in her odds.
“I think I’ve got a track record of moving people,” she said. “And the people of Texas know I will fight for them.”
Whether that will be enough to flip a deeply conservative state remains to be seen — but Crockett has already made one thing clear: She’s betting big that Texas voters are ready for something, and someone, entirely different.
By Katherine Dillinger, CNN
(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration is looking into whether deaths “across multiple age groups” have been related to Covid-19 vaccines, a spokesperson said Tuesday, weeks after a senior agency official claimed — without offering evidence – that Covid-19 vaccinations resulted in the deaths of 10 children.
Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, said the FDA is conducting “a thorough investigation” but declined to offer details on what data sources are being used and what potential changes, if any, are being considered to Covid vaccine approval or marketing.
Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer and director of its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, claimed in a memo late last month that “Healthy young children who faced tremendously low risk of death were coerced, at the behest of the Biden administration, via school and work mandates, to receive a vaccine that could result in death.”
Prasad did not provide details about the 10 deaths or how the FDA came to that conclusion but pointed to “an initial analysis” that examined 96 deaths and linked 10 to the Covid-19 vaccination. He also claimed that Covid “was never highly lethal for children” and that the effects of it “are comparable” to respiratory viruses for which there aren’t annual vaccines.
More than 700 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the US since they became available in late 2020, according to the World Health Organization. The shots have been extensively tested and continually monitored for safety, and serious side effects such as anaphylaxis or myocarditis have been generally rare.
FDA regulations require health care providers to report deaths after vaccination to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), even if it’s not clear that vaccination was the cause of death. Members of the general public can also submit events to the database, which federal agencies use to generate further study on vaccine safety.
Prasad said that as a result of the FDA analysis, the agency will adopt a new approval process for vaccines that will require more evidence of their safety and value before they can be marketed. Among the changes would be stricter requirements for authorization of vaccines used for pregnant women and trials for pneumonia vaccines that will need to prove the shots reduce disease, instead of showing that the vaccine produces enough antibodies to fight the illness.
The agency will also “revise the annual flu vaccine framework,” Prasad said, and “will re-appraise safety and be honest in vaccine labels.”
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly raised doubts about the effectiveness of vaccines and previously founded the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense.
As secretary, Kennedy has slashed funding for mRNA vaccine development, replaced the members of the vaccine advisory committee at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and directed the CDC to change its website to include false claims that link autism and vaccines.
CNN’s Kaanita Iyer, Adam Cancryn and Amanda Sealy contributed to this report.
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Parenting Today
There are many benefits of family game nights, a fun, shared activity that increases bonding and teaches essential skills.
Making them a part of your busy week can be a challenge. This guide dives into why it is worth making the effort and includes tips on how to make them successful.
It’s easy to fill our schedules with activities and spend all of our free time in front of screens. Playing interactive games is an opportunity to engage in a social activity together that many families are missing.
The games we played as kids may have been the ones our parents played when they were kids, and this passing down creates a connection to our childhood. They can also be shared across generations and are a fun way to spend time with grandparents, cousins, and other family members.
Playing games together strengthens communication and creates positive memories. 5 Research-Based Reasons Why Family Game Nights Are Important says that kids who play games with their parents have “a more positive perception of the parent-child relationship.”
Starting at an early age, kids learn important skills by playing games that can be built on as they age. These include social skills such as following directions, communication, being a good sport, and cooperation. Kids will also gain an expanded vocabulary, math skills, increased knowledge, and problem-solving ability.
According to Bringing Back Family Game Night, games can lead to better grades, higher reading scores, and more motivation in school.
Selecting age-appropriate games is a top priority for setting up your game night. You can do this by searching online for topics like Board Games for Preschoolers or Best Board Games for Elementary-Aged Kids. Ask friends or your Facebook parent groups for recommendations. Or, play the classics you loved as a kid.
Some games will be a hit with your family, and some will flop, so it’s helpful to have several available. Select different types of games to find out which ones work best for your family. Board games can be pricey, so yard and consignment sales are an excellent way to find them inexpensively. You can also borrow from friends to make sure your family enjoys a game before investing $40 to $60.
Many games can take an hour or even longer to play, especially when you include the time spent teaching everyone the rules. Start with games that are quick to learn and play, so your kids don’t get bored and lose interest. Five Fast Family Games You Can Play in Fifteen Minutes provides some fun and quick ideas.
As kids get older, they may enjoy longer strategy games. Play these games on a card table or somewhere the game can stay for a while. There is no rule against splitting up the gameplay into two nights or more.
Preschool-age kids are usually up for anything that involves spending time with you. Plus, there are many skills to learn when new to gaming. Playing shorter games often with younger kids will help make game nights more successful.
For older kids with busier schedules, game night doesn’t have to happen weekly for it to become a family tradition. Once or twice a month still has positive impacts. And, if more often works for you, all the better! Whatever you decide to do, letting your pre-teen and teenage kids know ahead of time might reduce some of the eye rolls. Even if there are some, they are bound to enjoy themselves once the games begin.
As mentioned above, introducing games frequently for younger children can help them learn the basics of game playing. It’s important to remember they are starting from scratch and need to learn everything from taking turns, moving their pieces, what it takes to win the game.
For more complicated games, it can be helpful to read the rules ahead of time. Even better, watch a video on how to play as a family. Gather Together Games has videos on dozens of popular board and card games.
In addition to the rules of the game, it is helpful to have family rules. These include following the game rules (no cheating!), good sportsmanship, and whether devices are allowed. 6 Rules For Family Night also includes rules like “there will be dessert” and “there will be fun”, to keep the evening lighthearted and enjoyable.
Now you know the benefits and have some essential tips for creating a successful game night. What are you waiting for? Time to pull out Chutes and Ladders or pop online to order that game your best friend’s family loves. Let the fun times and memory building begin!
Finances FYI Presented by JPMorgan Chase
As the new year gets closer, it’s crucial to think about how you want your life to look going forward.
Now is a great time to reset your goals, declutter your home, and, maybe most importantly, give your finances a security tune-up. Think of it as spring cleaning for your digital wallet.
If you dedicate one day to really look at your finances, you may be able to catch issues early, prevent identity theft, and start the year with peace of mind.
Grab a notebook or open a spreadsheet and list every financial account you have — checking, savings, credit cards, investment accounts, retirement plans, and even payment apps like Venmo or PayPal. Don’t forget store cards, insurance policies, and any subscriptions tied to your bank info.
Once it’s all in front of you, note which ones you use often and which might be dormant. Old or inactive accounts are prime targets for fraud because you’re less likely to notice suspicious activity right away. If you spot any you no longer need, make a plan to close them.
Yes, it’s tedious, but it’s worth it. Reusing passwords is one of the biggest security risks out there. Spend part of your day creating unique, complex passwords for every financial account.
Use a password manager if you can; they keep everything encrypted and easy to update later. For each account, turn on two-factor authentication while you’re at it. That extra code sent to your phone or email adds a second layer of defense, and it’s one of the simplest ways to protect your money.
Only when you are confident that your accounts are entirely secure can you proceed to review your bank statements. Go back through the last couple of months and check for transactions you might not recognize, especially small recurring ones, as those could be tests by fraudsters.
If you find something unfamiliar, report it immediately. Most institutions have zero-liability fraud protection if you act fast. Even if everything looks fine, this exercise builds awareness of your spending and helps you spot patterns you might want to change.
You might already get text or email notifications for large transactions—but are they set up for every account? Take this opportunity to check your fraud alerts, login notifications, and spending limits.
Some apps and banks allow you to set the alerts for particular types of activities — for example, transactions over $100 or purchases outside your city. Tailor them to your comfort level. That way, you’ll know instantly if someone’s trying to use your card halfway across the country.
If you head over to AnnualCreditReport.com, you can get your free credit reports from the three main credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Look for any unfamiliar accounts or inquiries.
You can also freeze your credit as a precautionary measure — it’s completely free and won’t impact your score. By doing so, you will block the opening of new credit accounts under your name unless you temporarily remove the freeze, which effectively stops most kinds of identity theft.
Digital security is key, but don’t forget about the paper trail. Look through your old bank statements, tax returns, and pre-approved credit offers and shred any that you don’t need. Passports, Social Security cards, and financial documents should be kept in a fireproof lockbox or safe.
If you have sensitive documents on your computer, either encrypt the files or transfer them to a secure cloud storage system. As an extra security measure, you can make sure they’re password-protected.
Financial security means not only the prevention of theft but also the safety of your near and dear ones. Spend an hour to make sure your life insurance, retirement accounts, and will all list the correct beneficiaries.
After significant life events such as marriage, divorce, or childbirth, it’s easy to forget to update your beneficiary details. At the same time, having correct information now can save you lots of confusion and frustration later on.
Because if you don’t do it all at once, it’s easy to push it off indefinitely. Dedicating a whole day, like a Sunday morning with your favorite coffee, allows you to really focus. You will end up with clean digital accounts, updated passwords, and the confidence that you’re financially secure heading into the year ahead.
Think of it as a personal finance reset button. In just a few hours, you can protect what you’ve worked so hard to earn — and set yourself up for a safer, calmer year.
Finances FYI is presented by JPMorgan Chase. JPMorgan Chase is making a $30 billion commitment over the next five years to address some of the largest drivers of the racial wealth divide.
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