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The five crucial ways you can keep your family safe

Published on December 3rd, 2020
  Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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Install cyber security software

As mentioned earlier, you should install cyber security software on all your devices. That means anti-virus and anti-malware on your computers and phones (especially on Android.) Most anti-virus packages give you more than one licence, which means you can install it across multiple devices. Make sure you find a package that provides anti-ransomware protection, a robust firewall and a device locker to ensure top security. This can prevent identity fraud, too.

Purchase life insurance

Did you know the cost of sending two children to Government schools through to year 12 and a three-year uni degree costs, on average, $537,000? The dire fact about this is that according to the Financial Services Council of Australia, 1 in 3 Australians don’t understand the importance of life insurance. Life or disability insurance will protect your family if you or a loved one dies or becomes ill or incapacitated and cannot work. It will keep paying your bills, mortgage and other expenses until you can get back on your feet.

Do a house-wide security audit & upgrade where necessary

10% of Australian households have experienced theft or break-in according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/4530.0] You can prevent this with simple measures. The modern home has many hazards and entry points that can be detrimental to adults and kids alike. Do a security audit of your entire home and make changes where necessary. Are your hazardous chemicals on a high shelf or out of reach of your children? Do you have cables running across the floor, which people could trip over? Are your smoke detectors working? Do you have tough screen doors that can resist entry? If the answer is no, make changes and install new equipment as necessary.

Install an alarm system

One of the best ways to keep your family safe is to install a burglar alarm system. This keeps your belongings safe when you’re away, alerting the authorities in the event of a break in. “Back to base” alarm systems can also notify the police in the event of a home invasion. You can also install CCTV to add even more protection, especially if you want to check on smaller children under the care of others.

Be disaster ready

Australia experiences almost every natural disaster Mother Nature can throw at us. Bushfires, floods, cyclones – there isn’t one place in Australia that isn’t immune. You should have a disaster plan in place. Set an evacuation rally point that everyone can understand in the event of a fire or flood. Have an emergency kit such as a first aid kit, torches, water and other essentials so you can leave at a moment’s notice.

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