Saturday, December 30, 2017

Is your financial adviser protecting your data?

By Greg Wright
MBA, CFE, CFP®, CLU, ChFC
Certified Fraud Examiner
Certified Financial Planner™

Small financial planning and investment advisory firms are cyberattack targets.  Many have been a data breach victim and do not know it.  Some know that they have been a victim and did not report it as required by law.  They did not tell you either. 

All of your financial and personal data – investments, tax returns, loved ones, business interests – may already be in the hands of a cyber-thief.  You may not find out until your assets have been compromised. 

Ask your financial planner, insurance agent and investment advisor a few basic questions;

  • How often do they conduct a cybersecurity audit?
  • Who conducts that audit?
  • The name of their cybersecurity third-party consultant.
  • Request a copy of the most recent audit.
  • Request a copy of their data breach response plan.
  • Where is your data stored?  Is the data stored in the U.S.?
  •  Is it encrypted?
  • The name of the software

Be prepared for a request for time to respond.  You may need a plan “B” 

2 comments:

  1. Nice one! I just found an amazing certified financial planner because have finally decided to start financial planning in order to secure my future. If this is what needs to be done on a safer side, then I will make sure I know everything given in this post. Thanks for sharing this.

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