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Here are four features every car enthusiast will appreciate in their garage.Cooling & HeatingKeep yourself comfortable when doing work and never wait for the car to heat up or cool down before heading out.Wash and Wax AreaIf you love hand washing and waxing your cars, then youll want to have a designated station for doing so in your garage.Hydraulic LiftIf youre going to be doing work on your vehicles undercarriage, you may want to consider installing a professional-grade hydraulic lift.Kitchenette & BathroomGarage work can get messy and you probably dont want to run back into the house to use the bathroom or grab a snack.Published with permission from RISMedia.
Children are often victims of identity theft for two reasons: They have a clean identity that probably hasn’t been used much and can be exploited in many ways, and there’s often a large gap between the theft and when it’s discovered.Fraudsters will usually wait years before applying for a mortgage or credit card with a child’s personal information, used to create a shadow identity. They’ll build credit with a cell phone service account, for example, and build to financing a car. Stealing a child’s name, Social Security number (SSN) and date of birth can be enough to get thieves started.Parents need to be the first line of defense against child identity theft. It’s a crime they may not realize has been happening for years. Most victims are 12 when their identity is stolen, but discovery doesn’t happen until they are 17, according to a survey by Experian on child identity theft.To protect young children, parents should store their child’s Social Security card in a home safe or at a bank. Parents should be wary of anyone asking for the number"they should only give the SSN to an organization that absolutely needs it, such as to the IRS when filing a tax return to list children as dependents. Doctors, schools and extracurricular activities may ask for a child’s SSN, but it isn’t always necessary. It can be requested to verify age, so it’s worth asking if showing another document will work. Don’t give the group a copy.For tweens who are regularly using social media, parents should educate them about data that shouldn’t be made public, including their address, birth dates or photos of the front of their house. Parents should also monitor their child’s social media posts.Just as adults should check their credit reports each year, parents should also get a free credit report for their teen each year, as allowed by federal law. Experian, one of the major credit reporting agencies, offers a free, one-time child Social Security scan that searches for an Experian credit file, which could mean fraud if a file is found.After that one-time scan, it’s worthwhile to do a free annual check on a child’s credit to see if their personal information has been compromised. A tipoff can be getting a credit card bill in the child’s name, although chances of that happening are slim as the thief typically inputs a different mailing address.If not caught quickly, child identity theft can lead to credit problems later in life. They may not be able to get a credit card, may be denied a loan or may have difficulty signing up for something as simple as cell phone service.Published with permission from RISMedia.
If you’re revamping your interior design scheme, you may be considering a new color palette. Should you go with earthy hues? Vibrant jewel tones? Cool blues and grays? Below are five ways to pick a color scheme that will work for you.Choose from what you have. If you’re not revamping with an entirely new furniture set, then you may want to pick a color from what you already have. A boldly patterned sofa or floor rug can serve as a jumping off point.Start with three. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with options, choose three colors you love and keep it to there, with one as your main color, another as your secondary and a third for accents. (Four if you count white, which is more of a neutral).Base with black. If you can tie black into your color scheme, you’ll always have something easy (and versatile) to return to. No need to get macabre"think black appliances in the kitchen, black end and coffee tables in the living room, and black cabinetry in the bathroom.Decorate with 60-30-10. This rule, used by many interior designers, gives you a mathematical breakdown of how much of each color you should use to give your space balance. Go with 60 percent of your main color (like, your walls), 30 percent your secondary (hello, furniture) and 10 percent that pop of accent"light sconces, art, throw pillows, blankets, etc.Move from dark to light. So, you have your chosen colors"now what? A top designer tip when adding color to your home is to place the darkest colors low, like the carpet, floor or furniture, and then move to medium shades for the walls and art, and the lightest hue on the ceiling.Published with permission from RISMedia.
The term Japandi is a portmanteau combining two design styles: Japanese and Scandinavian.Heres everything you should know about what might just be the next big design movement.A Hybrid of Minimalist StylesJapanese and Scandinavian design both share a sense of minimalism that promotes simple living.Dark TonesJapandi emphasizes tones of gray, brown and even black. However, a natural color palette is essential.Curated ObjectsGet creative with the objects on display in spaces that you might typically overlook, like your kitchen island, nightstand or coffee table.Natural TexturesWood and stone create a sense of natural balance. Taking that a step further, a water feature or fireplace can deepen that connection to nature.Published with permission from RISMedia.
Unless youre living in a custom designed home, you probably wish your bathroom"or your guest bath"was bigger.Short of pushing out the walls or totally remodeling, home editors at TheSpruce.com offer eight good tips for making the most of your bathroom space:Pick the right colors. Save the bright hues for accessories if you like, but paint the walls and choose the flooring to create an illusion of space and serenity. Pale, soft pastel shades are best.Up the lighting. Adding recessed lighting in the ceiling or opera lights above the vanity are good ways to increase the brightness and create a more spacious feeling.Try a pedestal sink. A vanity cabinet provides storage under the sink, but it takes up lots of floor space. If you can find storage space in a nearby linen closet, trade the vanity for a low-profile pedestal sink. (Note, however, that if you remove the vanity, you will likely have to repair or change the flooring.)Cut back what sticks out. Anything that sticks out into the room can make your room seem to shrink. Remove as many hanging shelves, racks, or decorative accessories as you can because they cut into the room and make it look smaller.Use mirror reflection. Use the largest mirror you can over the bathroom sink. It will reflect all the light in the room, including the pale colors youve chosen.Get rid of visual obstructions. Trade a frosted-glass bath or shower door for a clear glass one. Or, better yet, eliminate the door and install a shower curtain that can be pushed back to one side when not in use. You’ll be able to see all the way to the back wall to maximize the illusion of spaciousness.Expand the ceiling. You can create the illusion of a raisedceilingif you install crown molding and paint it the same color as the ceiling.Ditch the clutter. Keep only essentials on the bathroom counter. The less clutter, the more spacious the look and feel.Published with permission from RISMedia.
Published with permission from RISMedia.
Your online identity is probably worth a lot to you. To thieves, not so much.For $1,170, a thief can illegally buy the entirety of the average person’s stolen personal information on the dark web, according to a review of fraud-related listings by the VPN review site TOP10VPN. That’s relatively cheap, considering that it includes hundreds of logins, passwords, credit card numbers and other identifying information.In what it calls the Dark Web Market Price Index, the site details how would-be scammers could spend more on going out to lunch than on getting hacked account information such as from Grubhub ($15), Walmart ($12) or Netflix ($8).The VPN site’s security experts reviewed tens of thousands of listings on three of the most popular dark web markets. These are encrypted websites that can only be reached using the Tor browser. Once there, criminals can anonymously sell stolen personal information and other illegal things such as illicit drugs and weapons.Credit Cards Wanted MostStolen credit card numbers can be used immediately to buy something online, making them some of the most valuable hacked items on the list.Credit cards sell for an average of $500, the same price as bank logins. Some hacked logins come with a credit card added, such as a Costco login with a credit card for only $5. A Pizza Hut login for ordering pizzas online is only $6 and includes a credit card that can then be used to buy much more than pizza.Selling prices for credit cards tend to be 10 percent of the available credit balance, researchers found. PayPal accounts have much higher demand, asking double that of credit cards. Verified PayPal accounts with high balances of $10,000 that come with an email address and password cost $2,000.Bundles of “full” identifying information, called “Fullz,” cost as much as $515 for guaranteed access to a Wells Fargo online account. They can include an individual’s name, billing address, mother’s maiden name, Social Security Number, date of birth and other personal data.Setting up lines of credit in someone else’s name is the main tactic of cybercriminals. Along with credit card and personal information, they’ll buy digital proof of identity such as passport scans ($16) or a real passport ($2), selfies and utility bills. For $52, a driver’s license scan, Social Security Number and utility bill are included as a package.Online ShoppingFor less than $10, hacked online shopping accounts are sold, providing many fraud opportunities. If you store payment details on Amazon, Best Buy and other online stores, hackers can order items online and sell them for cash. A hacked Amazon account is $6 and a Best Buy account is $15. For a Best Buy login with instant delivery, it’s only $9.Hacked eBay accounts for $15 allow criminals to dupe buyers into sending them money for fake listings or to buy expensive goods with the account owner’s funds to intercept and sell later.Published with permission from RISMedia.
Natural stone is prized for its appealing look and impressive durability. Is it right for your home?Slate, marble, travertine, limestone or granite – chances are theres an option thats right for your home no matter what your preferred style is.There are a variety of grades and ratings assigned to natural stone that will help you to determine the most practical option.Depending on the quality of the stone, these grades can vary, though the most common weakness for different types of natural stone is absorption rating.If youre planning to use natural stone for your new terrace or patio, keep the absorption rating in mind, because absorbed water can turn to ice and crack the stone.Published with permission from RISMedia.
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