Developing a budget may seem a near perfect manifestation of drudgery, which in turn may help explain why so few people expend their time and energy creating one. While budgeting is not an especially creative endeavor (after all, who wants a creative budget?), the effort can pay dividends by placing you more firmly in control of how your money is being allocated.

While certainly not a new problem, identity theft is a growing concern and consistently ranks as one of the top categories of complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission. As our lives become increasingly busy and complex, and more information than ever is stored and transmitted online, it is more important than ever to protect our personal information. Here are some simple and effective ways to do that.