One of the keys to a healthy body is a healthy diet. Most Americans are familiar with the food pyramid. This chart breaks down the different food groups as well as the suggested daily consumption levels in a concise graphic. At the bottom of the food pyramid you have grains, then a layer of vegetables and fruits, then meat and dairy products and at the very top fats, oils, and sweets. It seems the tastier the food the higher its position on the pyramid. By each level of the food pyramid there is a “suggested” serving amount that decreases as you reach the top. Each food group by itself is not a healthy diet. Only by skillfully combining each group with the proper consumption suggested levels do you obtain a healthy balanced diet.

A healthy investments portfolio can also be viewed in much that same principle as the food pyramid. The key to a healthy investment portfolio is a healthy balanced asset allocation. Similar to the food pyramid, it is important to have a balanced mix of investments that is tailored to meet your individual objectives. Your blend of asset classes should be judged on your own personal goals, time horizons and risk tolerance. ‘One size does not fit all.’

The same is true with your investments. It is important to base your allocation on your own situation and personal goals and not on what you hear in the news, from friends, or from colleagues. Foods that we love aren’t always good for us and maintaining a healthy diet often takes work, but the pay off may lead to a longer healthier life. In times of volatility, investment portfolios can become skewed from the original allocation. To help maintain a healthy portfolio, it is important to work with your Financial Advisor to help ensure your allocation and financial strategies continue to keep you on the path of financial health.

There’s a big myth among college students that they don’t need to be aware of their credit history until after they graduate. Even if a student has never taken out cash advances, a credit card, or even a loan, it’s still an important practice to get a credit report drawn each year. The reason for that is simple. The very reason they think they don’t need it is why their identities are coveted by identity thieves. They basically have a clean credit report and thieves know they aren’t paying much attention to what’s going on in their credit history.

It Can Happen Close to Home

The other reason is that college students are very vulnerable to identity theft from relatives and people in their immediate family. Anyone who has access to their personal information can take out a credit card in their name and use it fraudulently for personal purchases. It might even be a credit card that lands on their credit history, it can be the phone or utility bill that somehow is now in their name. If these bills go unpaid, their credit score drops like a rock. Without monitoring their credit, it may not be noticeable until years later when they try to buy a car or a home and the incident pops up.

Protect Your Credit Score

The best way to protect yourself from identity theft is to by identity theft protection. These services are very inexpensive and can help you maintain a good credit profile without much supervision. In addition, you can also get free credit reports from the three major credit bureaus annually. That will help a student to keep them focused on their studies, while the service keeps track of their credit history. Should something suspicious happen, the student is alerted right away and this can help them save their credit history for when they really need it later.