Equifax... Uber... Target... Under Armour.... The list of data hacks keeps growing and growing, increasing the odds that someone will steal your identity. Last year, this digital epidemic affected 14.4 million Americans. But the more you know, the better you can protect yourself.

We conducted an exclusive MoneyTips Google survey in 2018 to see how much people knew about identity theft and the credit bureaus. Do you know all the answers?

We asked people if they knew which data hack was the largest.

A whopping 9 out of 10 didn't know or chose incorrectly. Reader, care to guess, before we reveal the answer?

Using weighted averages, more than half of us (50.9%) admitted that they had no idea which hack was the worst of the century. More than 1 in 3 (34.4%) guessed the

With summer ending, the end of the year will be around before you have time to figure out whether it is better to finally take down the Christmas lights or, at this point, just leave them up. That makes it a good time to look ahead on your taxes, as well as a few other financial chores.

The first step is to check your taxes, to make sure that you are not giving Uncle Sam a tax-free loan until next April 15. On the other hand, if you use your tax refund as a kind of payroll savings plan to pay off holiday bills or finance your next vacation, make sure that your refund amount is on track.

Go to the withholding calculator on the IRS website. You will need your latest paycheck stub (as well as your spouse's, if filing jointly) and a copy of last year's return. Use that as a guide for estimating your

By Roshni Chowdhry, head of customer experience at SafetyNet

Of the roughly 17 million Americans currently enrolled in college, 74 percent qualify as what we used to call "nontraditional" students:

• One in five is 30 years or older.
• About half don't rely on their parents for money.
• One quarter are caring for a child.
• 47 percent attend college part time at some point.
• 25 percent took a year off between high school and college.
• 44 percent have parents without a bachelor's degree.

In other words, if you're a college student today, there's a good chance you're not the Hollywood stereotype of an 18-year-old on your own for the first time. Still, whether it's your first year o...

With the school season starting again, education is job number one for students and parents alike. A proper education includes an education in personal finance, and one of the best ways to start is to learn how to protect yourself against scams.

You can and should learn fast, too, because scams can become more common during the back-to-school buying season. Here are some practical suggestions on how to avoid credit and debit card fraudsters:

• Only patronize known retailers.
  
  
• Avoid jackpot online deals that offer items like $3,000 laptops for $400. These are often scams.


• "Good PC hygiene" cannot be overstated for every handheld device, laptop, and phone. Anti-virus and anti-malware programs are key to staying safer online.


• Avoid pooling or sharing credit card information in a dorm setting. There is no reason for students to share...

Whether you are sending your kids off to kindergarten or to college, back-to-school time means a serious dent in your wallet. With some planning, however, you can limit the size of that dent. Here are some helpful hints:

• Set A Budget – As with any shopping run, if you do not make a list and do not have a budget, you are very likely to spend more than you intended. Research prices online or in stores before you start.
  
  Use the budget as an opportunity to discuss priorities with your kids – if they want a particularly expensive or trendy backpack or shoes, they can help decide where the money can be saved in other supplies to pay for their indulgence.


• Track Sales Early – Back-To-School sales certainly help, but if you keep an eye out for extraordinary deals on basic supplies during off-seasons and clearances you can save significant...

By Andrea Woroch

Have you spent too much on vacations, dining out, or entertainment this summer? Follow these seven simple steps to get your finances back on track and pay down your debt faster.

If you're scared to look at your credit card bill and bank statements, there's a good chance you went overboard over the summer. However, the "out of sight, out of mind" way of thinking has serious financial implications. If you're only making minimum payments on any debt you've accrued during this time, the faster you face reality, the faster you can make a plan to get back on track.

Set a goal based on how much debt you need to pay off or how much cash you need to add back to your savings fund, and use a debt repayment app like Debt Free or a finance tracking app like Mint to help you stay motivated.

A thirty-day, no-spend challenge is a great way to de...