Top 10 Steps You Can Take to Help Schwab and Your Advisor Protect Your Account

Account security isn't something that happens to you — it's something you actively build. The good news is that most of the steps that make a meaningful difference are straightforward, one-time actions that significantly raise the barrier for anyone attempting to gain unauthorized access to your accounts.

This guide, developed in partnership with Schwab, walks through ten specific steps that work together to create layered protection for your investment accounts. Each one addresses a different point of vulnerability, and together they form a comprehensive approach to account security.

Two-step verification ensures that even if someone obtains your password, they still can't access your account without a second unique code. A verbal password adds a layer specific to your Schwab accounts — a spoken code that must be provided before any account action can be taken. Schwab's Voice Identification takes this further with biometric verification. For assistance setting up either of these features, contact Schwab Alliance at 1-800-515-2157.

Strong, unique passwords — managed through a password manager — eliminate the risk of one compromised site giving bad actors access to everything. Not clicking links in emails and texts removes one of the most common entry points for fraud entirely. And setting up account alerts means you're notified immediately when anything changes in your accounts, giving you the ability to respond quickly if something looks wrong.

The guide also covers the importance of verbally verifying disbursement requests before acting on any email-based money movement instructions, monitoring account activity regularly, limiting your online presence, and staying current on the latest scam tactics through trusted sources.

These aren't complicated steps. But consistently having them in place creates a level of protection that makes your accounts a far less attractive target.