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The Transformative Insights Newsletter – February 2026

Welcome to this month’s edition of The Transformative Insights Newsletter by AMG Wealth Management. We’ll be covering a topic that every person in the world should take seriously: cyber threats and how to avoid them.

This article is for personal cybersecurity hygiene- if you own a business, please be aware that there are many more threats (and these threats tend to be more sophisticated) to enterprises which are beyond the scope of this article

Personal Cybersecurity Hygiene for 2026

As long as the internet exists, there will be cybercriminals trying to harm you through various methods. It’s imperative to understand what you, as a digital citizen in the 2020s, should be doing to mitigate the risk of fraud, thievery and identity theft. The following are eight actionable steps to reduce the risk of falling victim to malicious cybercriminals.

1. Use unique passwords- especially for important accounts:

This one seems obvious, but many people use the same password for their Netflix, Facebook, Instagram and Bank/Financial accounts. If a cybercriminal happens to get access to your Facebook password, you don’t want them to also have the password to your Bank accounts. For extremely important Apps/websites, you should update your password every three months for extra security.

You may also want to consider a password manager. Password managers use encrypted digital vaults to store and generate your unique passwords for your accounts, making it nearly impossible for somebody to steal your passwords. You just need to use one strong master password each time (if you write this password down, you may want to use a code only you can decipher).

2. Use Multi-Factor Authentication on every account:

This requires an SMS test message or authentication via an App (i.e. Google Authenticator) in addition to a password. This ensures that even if a cybercriminal gets their hands on your password, they will also need access to your phone (highly unlikely) to carry out the attack.

There are cyber-attacks called ‘sim-swaps’ where a criminal will get access to your phone’s sim card. With this they can receive your calls and texts. Because of this, it is generally better to use an authenticator app or biometric (Face ID/fingerprint) as a second form of authentication as opposed to SMS text message verification. Incidentally, you can avoid being victim of a Sim-swap by calling your cell provider (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile etc.) and telling them you only want the ability to change sim-cards in person with a valid ID.

3. Update your devices regularly:

Don’t ignore the ‘your device needs to update’ alert on your phone and laptop. Out-of-date software is much easier to hack.

4. Avoid Phishing scams:

This is the most common cyber-attack, and it occurs when we click a link from a malicious source. These often ask you to input your credentials to take advantage of an award or avoid some sort of consequence. The scariest part about these Phishing scams is that they can look legit. When you receive an email or text asking you to click a link (even if it looks legit), you should assume it is fraudulent. You can always verify the legitimacy of the request for information/credentials by going to the website of the company asking for your credentials and verifying for yourself whether they truly are asking for your credentials. Sometimes cybercriminals do their due diligence and find out personal information about you such as your boss’ name, or your spouse’s name. They then send an email to you posing as these people- this is called spear-phishing and can be very hard to avoid falling victim. If you don’t recognize the sender’s address or if anything seems off, it’s always best to stop what you’re doing and call the person directly to determine if they are actually sending you this email.

5. Limit what information you share publicly:

The aforementioned spear-phishing scams are enabled by public information about you on social media or business websites. Some of this sharing is unavoidable, just be very careful not to over-post sensitive personal information.

6. Use a family safe-word:

The next time you’re with your family, come up with a safe-word that only you and your family would know. Some good examples are your childhood dog’s name or any reference to Lord of the Rings (if you’re a fan like me). If your favorite grandson has been kidnapped in Tijuana and the criminal is asking for a million dollars for his safe release, you’ll want to have this system implemented. Scams such as these are on the rise with AI-enabled voice recognition becoming more prevalent (it only takes a few seconds of talking for an AI to then be able to replicate your voice with stunning accuracy). So, if the criminals don’t actually have your grandson but just his voice, you want to know that before wiring $1,000,000 only to find out he’s really been on vacation in Bali (oh, that’s why I couldn’t reach him). With a family safe-word set up, this scenario can be avoided because while the criminals might have your grandson’s voice, they probably don’t know your family dog’s name was Spock 30 years ago- scam avoided.

7. Freeze your credit with the 3 major agencies (Transunion, Equifax, Experian):

Unless you are planning to take out a mortgage, obtain a car loan or are otherwise needed your credit score, it is good practice to keep your credit frozen indefinity. It only takes about15 minutes to freeze and unfreeze (when you do need to apply for a mortgage) your credit. The advantage to this is that even if somebody does manage to steal your identity, they can’t use your Social Security and ID to take out loans in your name because your credit is frozen! This will also alert the bank official that the person they are currently talking to is most likely a fraud and can alert police.

7. Other time-tested approaches you probably already know:

avoid public wifi where possible (especially without a VPN), use a VPN on all devices, protect your home Wi-Fi (especially if you don’t have a firewall)- don’t share this password. Lastly, download antivirus software on all devices.

The most common pitfall for individuals with regard to Cybersecurity is phishing scams. Always verify the sender by going to the company website to see if the request for information is legit. If the sender is saying ‘time is running out’ or is otherwise creating a sense of urgency, your Spidey senses should be tingling!

Adam Gruber CFP®

The Truth about 529s and Financial Aid – The College Financial Lady

529 plans are a great way to fund college savings goals. This article discusses some nuanced advantages these plans have over taxable accounts and even Roth IRAs. One of which is that withdrawals from 529 plans don’t count towards income for the Student Aid Index (SAI). This means you can take money out of a 529 to help your student pay for college without it negatively affecting your ability to qualify for federal student aid.

The article doesn’t discuss this, but 529 plans can now be used to fund up to $35,000 of Roth IRA contributions for the 529 beneficiary over the beneficiary’s lifetime. If the beneficiary graduates college with money still in the 529 account or if they decide not to go to college at all, this is a great way to use the leftover funds for the beneficiary’s benefit. There are many rules attached to this benefit so please reach out with questions if this is something you’re interested in learning more about.

Article Link

Creating a Realistic Budget

But what kind of expedient is the greater distinction that he seeks with pleasure. The times are more severe than the pains themselves, but the pleasure is free. It’s a pain in the times of truth to do who seeks or

Review your discretionary spending and look for areas where you can cut back. Small changes, like reducing dining out or canceling unused subscriptions, can add up over time.

An emergency fund is your safety net. Aim to save at least three to six months’ worth of living expenses in case of unexpected events like medical bills or job loss.
Whether you work in marketing, sales, or product design, you understand the importance of a quality landing page. Landing pages are standalone websites used to generate leads or sales—in other words they help you increase your revenue. Unlike typical web pages, landing pages only have one call to action, or CTA, and they are usually tied to a specific marketing or advertising campaign. The hyper-focused nature of landing pages means they come with a pretty standard set of best practices.
What makes an easy-to-use landing page? Overall it’s clear, concise, and doesn’t give users any options except for the main CTA.In terms of copy, your landing page should have one clear message. The header of your page should promote the desired action you want visitors to take. And additionally it should explain the benefits of performing this action.
The visual design of your page should be very simple. Unlike your front page, this is not the place to go crazy with brand personality—so no wild animations or complex design elements. You wouldn’t want to distract visitors from performing the main action of your page.
Landing page CTA’s are typically buttons, sometimes accompanied by an input field if you need to collect user information. To ensure your buttons are clicked, make sure they stand out visually. This can be done with contrasting the button color with your page background and clear copy on the button itself. For example, if you are asking visitors to book a demo, write“Book a demo” clearly on the CTA button.