September 27, 2025

Your streaming bill is robbing you blind

On my national radio show, I mentioned that the average American spends $110 a month on streaming subscriptions. Add in $80+ for decent internet, and suddenly cable doesn’t look so evil. My inbox exploded: “Kim, how do I lower my streaming bill?” The short answer: You’re paying for stuff you’re not even watching. Let’s fix […]

September 26, 2025

The tech myths we can’t stop repeating

Tech myths have a way of sticking around like those 99 browser tabs you keep open, harmless at first, but over time, they slow everything down. They spread in group texts, get repeated by well-meaning relatives and pop up like spammy ads from 2003.  Let’s bust five of the most common myths I hear all […]

September 25, 2025

Meet your financial evil twin

A man named William Woods spent years trying to prove he was … himself. Why? Because another man, Matthew David Keirans, stole his Social Security number and birth certificate, built a whole new life with them and lived under Woods’ identity for decades.  The guy really committed to the bit. Keirans got caught only after […]

September 23, 2025

Meet the scammers driving your neighborhood

Ever get one of those weird texts that says something like, “Your package is waiting” or “Click here to unlock your cash reward”? We all have. Most people figure it’s just a scammy mass text from some sketchy website. You can’t be so sure anymore. What if I told you those shady texts didn’t come […]

September 21, 2025

Saving passwords in your browser? Stop that.

“Hi, Kim, I save all my passwords in my browser. So why do I need a password manager? Thanks for your newsletter. I can tell it’s a lot of work. The quality every single day is incredible.” — Robby in South Carolina Thanks for your question and kind words, Robby. Now, l get this question […]

September 19, 2025

The airlines sold you out

Let’s talk about something no one thinks about when booking a flight: where your travel info really goes. An investigative bombshell from 404 Media just uncovered that the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), a company owned by the biggest U.S. airlines, has been giving federal agencies access to passenger records.  No, I’m not talking about flagged […]

September 18, 2025

About 99% of the internet flows through undersea cables

I bet you imagine the internet as a magical cloud floating wirelessly between satellites and Wi-Fi routers. Nope. It’s mostly underwater.  Nearly all of your “in the cloud” traffic actually travels through fiber-optic cables laid along the ocean floor. These thin strands of glass are buried in some places and simply resting on the seafloor […]

September 17, 2025

Your new router might be a waste of money

You’ve probably seen the sales pitches. “Get blazing-fast Wi-Fi 7 with internet speeds like you’ve never seen before. Just $600 for a new state-of-the-art router!” Let me save you money. 🤑 The reality check Yes, Wi-Fi 7 is fast. Theoretical speeds reach up to 46 Gbps. That’s 46,000 Mbps, compared to Wi-Fi 6, which tops […]

September 15, 2025

Identity thieves are coming for your insurance

I was shocked by this stat the other day. The National Insurance Crime Bureau says identity theft–driven insurance fraud is projected to spike 49% by the end of 2025.  Really, insurance fraud?  You see, identity theft isn’t just about someone opening a store credit card or taking a car loan out in your name anymore. […]

September 12, 2025

Tractors, TVs and tyranny

Picture this. A farmer is out in the fields when his $300,000 John Deere tractor shuts off with an error code. He knows what’s wrong. But he can’t touch it. An authorized (pricey) technician must come to his farm, unlock the tractor’s operating system and fix it.  You see, the farmer doesn’t own the right […]

September 11, 2025

Health data, now with ad targeting

Your smartwatch is great for counting steps and buzzing you when you’ve been sitting on your butt too long. But have you ever stopped to think where all that personal data is going? From sleep patterns to how stressed you are on a Tuesday afternoon, it’s all being logged in a digital diary. And guess […]

September 10, 2025

The catfisher in the minivan

Alert: This article is a spoiler for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish on Netflix.  Imagine you’re a high school girl. Your phone won’t stop buzzing. It’s not friendly DMs, texts or social media notifications. Instead, hundreds of cruel, anonymous messages flood in, calling you names, threatening you, turning your friends against you and even […]

September 9, 2025

VPNs that spy on you

Using a VPN? Better make sure it’s not on this list. VPNs are supposed to keep you safe. They encrypt your internet traffic and hide your location from hackers, ISPs and creepy ad trackers.  But what if the app was secretly collecting browsing data, location, everything you type, anything you do, then selling it all […]

September 6, 2025

Vacuums gone rogue

Remember when robot vacuums were basically remote-control bumper cars with anxiety? They’d bounce around, get stuck under the couch and scare the cat. These days, they claim to do it all – vacuum, mop, empty themselves and learn your floor plan better than your dog has. Here’s the thing no one wants you to know: […]

September 5, 2025

Hidden setting lets apps spy on you through Bluetooth

Think Bluetooth is just for headphones and car calls? Think again. It’s one of the sneakiest ways apps track you, and most people have no clue it’s happening.  Even when GPS is off, your phone is constantly “sniffing” for nearby devices like AirTags, smartwatches and fitness trackers. That’s normal.  Here’s where it gets shady: Some […]

September 4, 2025

Smart glasses are spyware

That’s me, virtually trying on Meta’s glasses on their website, doing my best Tom Cruise Risky Business impersonation. Spoiler, I didn’t buy them. These remind me of Google Glass. Those awkward $1,500 face computers from 2013 that made you look like a cyborg at brunch. They launched with a ton of hype and died just […]

September 2, 2025

The great digital purge is upon us

When was the last time you logged into that old Gmail account or your photo storage app? If it’s been a while, don’t be shocked if all your stuff is gone for good. Most tech companies have policies that let them totally wipe out your account and everything in it if you haven’t signed in […]

August 31, 2025

Scams are an underground industry

You already know the usual scams. Romance, crypto, tech support, job offers, fake investments, and the list goes on. But what you might not realize is that a growing number of people behind these scams aren’t evil masterminds.  They’re victims, too. Across Southeast Asia, scam compounds have become a massive underground industry. These operations run […]

August 30, 2025

Your phone’s more intimate than your diary

Our phones hold everything: photos, texts, money apps, health info, even our bad selfies. Handing over access to your partner? That’s not just convenient. That’s trust on a whole new level.  Some people think it’s the 2025 version of giving someone a house key. Others worry it’s a recipe for drama, or even the prequel […]

August 29, 2025

Don’t just freeze, fight back

Ashley in Washington asks: “Kim, do I really need identity theft protection? I used to have LifeLock years ago and dumped it because they constantly were selling me other things. I heard you say on your radio show that you use NordProtect now. Why? How is any of this different than freezing your credit? Love […]