#that is the end of my yearly choices spree

[wonder-falcon]

I cant believe they literally ended immortal desires with mc and her vampire besties frolicking into the sunset 😭

[canumoveurseatup-no]

Easter Egg Hunts

Summary: who doesn’t love Easter? And Easter egg hunts?!

Pairing: DaddyDom!Pietro x Little!Black!Reader

Warnings: 18+ since it’s Cg/L despite there not being any sexual descriptions, mentionsnof church

A/N: i know i said i was gonna upload the clint and pietro hex girl au first but i’m stumped for now so i decided to make an Easter Cg/L special! Thank you all for being patient with me!

this was small and done in a rushed, don’t hate me too much for it.

———

all the Russian in this is a rough translation so if you actually speak Russian just bear with me okay, I tried.

malen’kiy- little one

Spasibo- thank you

Tetushka- auntie

gde papa?- where’s daddy?

Da- yes

Printsessa- princess

khoroshaya devushka- good girl

Nyet problem- no problem

Ya lyublyu tebya- I love you

Khoroshaya rabota- good job

——-

“Gde papa?” you asked Wanda who sat with you in the kitchen dying eggs. You were wearing your night gown, bonnet snug on your head, body and teeth tingling with cleanliness.

“He went to the store to get some last minute Easter decorations and to talk to the bunny for your basket”

You gasped and ran to your phone on the charger, immediately dialing Pietro before it was too late. Easter was tomorrow and you wanted your special candy.

“Da, printsessa?,” you heard the beeping of things being scanned through the phon

“папа, I want the edible easter grass in my basket. Tell the bunny,”.

You heard him laugh at your request. This was your first Easter together, especially with you as a little so he was learning a lot about this holiday and you.

“That’s a thing?,”

“Yes it’s a thing! And it’s really good,” you sat back down with Wanda and put him on speaker while you continued to dye eggs, “Tetushka and me are dying eggs,”

“Are you having fun? is tetushka being nice to you?,”

“Of course I’m being nice to malen’kiy. She’s a sweetheart. Well behaved too, of course she’s having fun,”

This was Wanda’s first time watching you since you’ve come out of the toy box as a little. You were an absolute good girl, not once have you caused a ruckus.

“khoroshaya devushka” he praised, “Well I’ll be back soon. I’ll talk to your well loved easter bunny about your... edible grass”

“Spasibo papa,”

“Nyet problem, malen’kiy,”

“Ya lyublyu tebya,”

“I love you too, princess,”

You hung up first and went back to painting pretty flowers on the eggs that finished drying.

“Your Russian is getting a lot better”

“Spasibo,” you thanked her and bashfully smiled. You and Pietro had been dating for six months now and every other day you’d spend a few hours learning Russian all by yourself.

“Have you found a dress for church tomorrow?,”

Tony figured it would be nice for all of you to go to church since it’s Easter and you all could use a little deliverance.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty lavender and I’m gonna wear my white cardigan,”

“Sounds beautiful malen’kiy,”

She gave you a baby water bottle while you focused on painting the dainty flowers. Easter was one of your favorite holidays. All the pastels and candy and bunnies everywhere. You were hoping you’d get a new stuffed bunny this year! You usually have to buy them yourself but you have a Daddy now and you’ve been hinting that you wanted the Easter bunny beanie boo. The big cute eyes called to you with the array of colorful fur.

“I’m back!,” half an hour later Pietro came up in the elevator with a bunch of bags and you tried not to look at all of it to ruin the surprise. But you just couldn’t wait for your basket and hopefully new stuffie.

“What are you guys up to?,” he hit Wanda upside the head and she threw a paintbrush at him which he dodged and kissed you on the tip of your nose.

“Painting now!,” you squeal

“Inside voice, malen’kiy”

You nod in slight embarrassment but continued to paint your eggs in excitement. He sat with you and picked up an egg to begin painting as well.

He began painting an intricate bunny while humming your favorite lullaby.

“What time do we have to wake up for church tomorrow?,”

“Service starts at 10:30 so I’d recommend waking up at 8 for you since you like to spend so long on your hair,” Wanda answered him.

You heard the elevator ding and the voices of others flooding down the hall speaking of Easter dinner plans. They must’ve come back from shopping as well since you heard the rustling of bags.

“Okay but I want mashed potatoes and gravy”

“I want cranberry sauce”

“That is disgusting!!,”

“It’s literally the BEST?”

“The words cranberry and sauce shouldn’t go together!”

“I want turkey...”

You giggled at Peter’s simple statement.

“The roast is already in the crock pot. Peter the turkey is being marinated and Bucky, I’ll have your cranberry sauce. Sam, mashed potatoes in gravy was already on the menu,” Wanda gave a cheeky smirk, “Thanks for picking up the extra stuff I needed,”

Of course they’d all be bickering over what to eat for a holiday dinner.

For Christmas last year Steve and Natasha had a whole screaming match about whether you all should have ham or turkey for the feast. Until you and Sam explained that most big households just cook both. Peter and Bucky went back and forth on the topic of potato salad and macaroni salad. It happens a lot, but it’s quite entertaining for you to listen in on.

“Okay but can we have red velvet cake?,” Tony walked in snacking on robin eggs.

“Printsessa has put it in the works already,” she nodded

“All done!,” you held up your egg that sported a cute chickadee hatching out of an egg with flowers all around.

“Khoroshaya rabota, malen’kiy!,” Pietro praised yet again.

You loved it when he did that. You loved the attention of being a good girl, it made your stomach flutter with butterflies.

“Spasibo, papa!,”

“You’re so cute,” Clint came over and pinched your cheek until Piet slapped his hand away.

“No pinching, unless it’s me,”

He hated for anyone to touch you, little or not. Man or woman, he wouldn’t even let Wanda touch you simply because he wanted your affection all for him and him for you.

It was nearing your bed time and you yawned. Pietro knew you were ready to go to sleep, “Say good night to everyone, baby. Time to get some sleep so the bunny can surprise you,”

He picked you up and you tiredly waved to everyone while he took you to bed. You were excited for tomorrow.

All the hymns at church, the pretty pastel colors, the food, the pretty woven baskets, the eggs with candy hidden in pretty flower beds.

You dreamt of all of that. Including a big cute Easter bunny.

———

You stood in the pews clapping your hands and singing with the choir. You stood by Tony who was wearing his infamous colored glasses and tapping his foot. You and Sam were getting into the choir’s rendition of a gospel song. Everyone else was clapping and bopping their heads along. Your favorite part of the service was the songs.

You enjoyed the sermon as well and pinched Piet and Peter who were falling asleep here and there.

The service wasn’t that bad, but you were excited for the Easter egg hunt now! Running to find the most eggs so you can rub it in the faces of others was your favorite.

Once you all got back to the compound, Pepper handed you all specially made Easter baskets made by you all and made for someone else.

Clint made one for Wanda and Natasha,

Nat made one for Peter,

Sam made one for Bucky,

Bucky made one for Tony,

Tony made one for Pepper,

Thor made one for Steve,

Steve made one for Clint,

Vision made one for Wanda

Peter made one Thor despite him not being exactly familiar with this holiday.

And you and Pietro made one for each other. While each basket was made by someone else, each one had one item from each team member. It was honestly adorable.

You squealed as you saw the bunny beanie boo in a giant clear egg, sitting atop your beloved and well awaited edible grass. You hurriedly popped the egg open and put a few strings of it in your mouth, happily chewing and swaying side to side like baby Groot sitting in his pot.

“Spasibo, papa!,” you jumped in his lap and he helped you open your other eggs that were filled with a bunch of treats and trinkets.

You all were grateful for your baskets and thanked each other.

“I love my bunny! What should her name be?,” you were playing with the ears and held her tight.

“Look on her tag. She already has a name,”

He opened the heart tag and found the name “Lollipop” along with her birthday which is November 14th. Beanie boos were your favorite. You couldn’t wait to add her to the family.

“Everyone get your running shoes on... the games are about to begin” Tony clapped his hands and rubbed them together like he was plotting something.

Every year you all had a master Easter egg hunt and whoever found the Golden got the grand prize inside. Sometimes they ranged from the keys to a new car, to two weeks uninterrupted vacation.

For the past three years, Sam has been on a winning streak and you all want to put an end to it so he can put a cork in it. Four years ago Natasha won a shopping spree in Paris, all expenses paid by Tony. The year before that Clint won a new car of his choice. It’s all fun and games and while Tony puts in a lot of money for this, he’ll lut money into a charity as well.

So it’s a fun day.

You all change and and get your yearly egg hunting baskets. Pepper and Tony take you all out to the back yard, both of them wearing cute bunny suits like parents. In the distance you can see glimpses of colored eggs. Usually those will contain candy or money and other cute small trinkets like jewelry or a new watch or a gift card somewhere to shop or eat.

But you were looking for the grand prize. You wanted that egg.

Tony and Pepper placed blindfolds on all of you and spun you all around a bunch of times.

“READYYYY?!,”

“SET!,”

“GOOOO!!,”

You all ripped off your blindfolds and began running in a frenzy. Tripping and laughing at each other. You were hysterically giggling at your dizziness as you picked up a red egg and then an orange one, throwing them in your basket.

“Malen’kiy, there’s one right there!,” you heard Piet shout from the side lines. He decided to watch you rather than become involved. He figured it was a cute tradition and to just watch you have fun.

You saw him point above your head and you saw a bigger green egg propped up on the branch of a tree. You struggled to get it until Wanda came up and snatched it before you could.

“Hey!! That was my egg!!,” you whine and stomped your foot.

“Ya snooze ya lose, printsessa,”

“But I wanted that one,” you pouted.

She shrugged and ran away and you plopped your butt on the ground and folded your arms.

“Y/N! Keep going. There’s more eggs out there, baby,”

“But I wanted that one!,” you felt yourself regressing and tears welled in your eyes. Everyone decided to play dirty this year. Sam tripped Bucky and used him as a pedestal to get a big egg. Peter web snatched an egg from Clint and Natasha tripped Steve. Everyone was getting down and dirty.

You felt a rush of air as Piet rushed over to you and kissed your cheeks, “Don’t get upset, printsessa. There’s more eggs. Plus, you can get back at her by finding that golden egg and rubbing it in her face, whaddaya say?,”

He smiled mischievously and you smiled back, “Play dirty,”

He rushed back by Tony and Pepper and continued smiling. You saw him nudge his head toward the furthest bush in the deepest depth of the compound yard which sprouted a small glimmer of the golden egg. Everyone else was still focused on getting the other eggs. You stood up and dusted yourself off and ran around collecting other eggs, knocking the others over to get more and laughing at each other.

You felt your wings push out from your back before fluttering up into the sky. Everyone stopped what they were doing at the sound of your beating wings. Once you were high enough your dove in the direction of the bush

“She found the egg!!,” you heard Clint shout.

You shot the beams from your eyes to put a big force field around them until you landed in front of the bush and dug through it, pulling the egg out. And jumping for joy

“I found it, I found it!!! I found the egg!,” you screamed and ran back to Pietro. It was a long run but you didn’t let your force field up until you were in the safe zone and hid behind Pietro.

“That wasn’t fair! You can fly!,”

“You all played dirty, you took my egg from me!,” you scowled.

“Fair enough...,” Wanda sighed.

“You broke my winning streak,” Sam whined like a baby. He hates losing, he’s an absolute sore loser.

“Go on, malen’kiy- open it,” Piet urged.

You happily squealed and popped the egg open to find a certificate.

“An all expenses paid room upgrade,” you read aloud, you frowned at the words until your jaw dropped, “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!,” you shout and look at everyone else, who just stare back at you and shake their heads.

“Papa! I can get the little room of my dreams!!,”

For the longest time you’ve been looking at stuff to put into your dream room but once it came down to it, you didn’t wanna ask for the help to make it. Money wise and effort wise. It was all a task to worry about.

“Aaaahh! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!,” jumping up for joy. And hugging the hell out of Tony and Pepper.

“I can’t wait! Thank you so much,”

You hand the certificate to Pietro and stick your tongue out at the others

“Neh neh neh neh neeeehh,” you place your thumbs on your temples and wave your fingers in a teasing manner before taking Pietro’s hand and taking him inside to clean up for dinner.

“Best Easter eevveeerr,”

———————

Okay this might not be the best but I wanted to dish something out so I’m not leaving you guys hanging for so long.

Thank you all for your patience. I love y’all so much

Please comment and reblog!!

Tags- @babybubastis @yournonlocalpoc @mbaku-babygirl @blackreaders-assemble @vozit @mokacoconut @spideys-wife @crawlingnightmares @valynsia @chonisberonica @warmchick @xye-weirdo @veryhellshdia @ilovefanfic86

[lorenefrei34-blog]

Many Dangerous As Well As Lethal Animals Worldwide.

THE greyhound sector introduced an animal welfare promise today after disclosing how greater than 1,000 auto racing pet dogs passed away last year. The fact that you can not send out notes or gifts-- a cherished function in past Animal Crossing games-- is a significant noninclusion. Most of us understand our family pets personalities whether they are pets, felines, birds, lizards, fish, or snails. High levels of water contamination lead to other reasons for contamination such as land contamination, illness spreading, and also elimination of whole animal species. The Varsovians discovered that pet dogs and also felines staying in the animal sanctuary were worth to be adopted. In Africa, the number of large pets like elephants, zebras, as well as buffalo can decline as long as 90 percent during wartime, inning accordance with brand-new study. According to the male that uncovered the pets, he claimed they never ever appeared on the coast, yet constantly stayed in the water. If you cherished this report and you would like to receive much more details concerning Full File kindly pay a visit to the webpage. As well as if we take an example of amoeba we can definitely prove that its a single cell microorganism as well as accomplishes every procedure of a human body from mobility to the procedure of eating food so it is basically possible that every cell wether a plant cell or animal or any single cell microorganisms really feel pain. Yet there are a number of various other not so literally big animals that still offer people a run for their penis cash. As PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk has claimed, When it comes to pain, love, joy, solitude, and fear, a rat is a pig is a canine is a kid. Putting their certain pets and pet cats in the kennel is a choice to consider however people often examine just what truly happens in kennels as well as just what variety of therapy their pets will certainly get. But with upsurges of excessive weight, cancer cells, osteoarthritis, diabetic issues, and various other persistent illness running widespread in pet populaces, their pets have actually actually never ever been less healthy. Little asymmetric whatsits from Australia may be the oldest fossils of full-fledged animal bodies yet found, beating the previous contenders by tens of numerous years as well as pushing the evidence for animal life into an earlier geologic time. Observing typical Pets assists Human bodied beings by providing alternatives of ways to be. She did manage to do one good idea (as well as saving her pet's life): she has elevated the profile of MOUTH-TO-MOUTH RESUSCITATION in pets. This keenness to be totally inoffensive and inclusive methods Pet Crossing: Wild Globe was the last video game we anticipated to gush racist terminology. ( For much more on this topic and also the Japanese aquatic biologist who cultivates the species-- he's referred to as Mr. Immortal Jellyfish Guy-- you must read this fantastic New york city Times item) It's a pet that's hard to manipulate because it's just so demanding-- like a kidnapped teen in a '90s comedy that outwits their captors merely by being unthinkingly spoiled. An approximated 160,000 site visitors attend the show yearly, with Crufts being formally recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the globe's biggest pet program in 1991. A pet dog leopard escaped as well as hunted sheep as it ran complimentary for a week in Cornish countryside, it arised the other day as the animal's killing spree just ended by a farmer and his fox catches. Pets as well as pigs have the exact same ability to feel pain, yet it is prejudice based on species that permits us to think about one pet as a buddy and also the various other as supper. While pets who cope with people often discover how to recognize specific words in the recommended spoken language of the human, pets are at the same time getting our thoughts and feelings, which we transmitted automatically regularly. This need to come as not a surprise to anyone as it remains in maintaining with his original strategy in Eden, which was that animals (like people) would live permanently. After that there's the expanding schedule of tools that help scientists obtain a deeper check out the personal lives of deep-sea pets. When I made the connection between the animals I loved and also those on my plate, King Zoom is transforming the very same age that I was.

[loveanywayliveanyway]

reality check.

last year, before this bar exam hearing hellscape began again, i was giving lectures to law students on the importance of dealing with one’s mental health before the issues derailed their careers, and how our state lawyer’s assistance program can help.  i haven’t done one since this whole character & fitness hearing was called, since i can’t bring myself to give this lecture to students while not having a clear answer on whether or not i’ll ever be allowed to take this exam (that will be determined somewhere around march, since my hearing is in january).  but i wanted to post the lecture here, because, well, i want it to be somewhere where it might be useful.  maybe it’ll make someone feel a little less alone.

Good afternoon.

Years ago, I sat in the same seats as you, listening to this same lecture from Mr. Caimi, rolling my eyes and thinking, “No way will I ever need this help.”  I wasn’t an alcoholic.  I’ve never touched a non-prescription drug in my life.  If you’d told me years ago that I’d be standing here as an advocate for OLAP, I’d have laughed in your face.  And yet, here I am, because I want to keep you from making the same mistakes I did.

I’m sure most of you know about bipolar disorder from the movies or television.  Maybe you actually know someone who has it.  The way it usually works is that someone with bipolar will report depression, be put on antidepressants, and then swing into a manic state as a result.    The symptoms of depression are easy to spot, but the symptoms of mania are a little more tricky: feeling overly happy, “high,” or elated for long stretches of time, feeling easily agitated or angry, talking very fast, racing thoughts, extreme restlessness or impulsivity, impaired judgment, unrealistic overconfidence in your abilities or powers, and engaging in risky behavior, such as having impulsive sex, gambling with life savings, or going on big spending sprees.  

That’s what happened to me.  When I was nineteen, I reported depression to my primary care physician.  My doctor wasn’t qualified at all to diagnose a mental health condition, but he put me on antidepressants anyway.  While I didn’t realize it at the time, those antidepressants caused my first manic episode - and my episodes were defined by paranoia, anger, and tons of energy - not a good combination.  My doctor told me I was bipolar, even confirmed it when I applied to take the bar, but he used the words “depression” and “bipolar” interchangeably, and I never bothered to see a psychiatrist to discuss any of it.  I was on and off those antidepressants for almost a decade; sometimes I would take them, sometimes I wouldn’t.  I made a lot of stupid decisions financially and personally.  But the worst decision I made was professional - or, rather, extremely unprofessional.

I worked as a paralegal in a small firm where my mother was the office manager and head paralegal.  At some point, I left that office, and then my boss fired my mother.  I wasn’t taking any medication at the time, and I remember clearly the feeling of absolute rage I had at this man for daring to fire my mother when my parents were in a precarious financial situation anyway.  I felt she had been wronged, and I felt wronged on her behalf.  So what did I do, in my unmedicated, irrational, angry state of mind?  I reported this man to Ohio disciplinary counsel for what I can only call a bullshit reason, just to get revenge.  I also made the unbelievably stupid decision to call him an array of colorful names on Facebook.  Then I completely forgot all about it.

This decision changed my life.  I received a letter back from disciplinary counsel a few months later, in which they essentially told me that I had been unprofessional in almost every aspect of my choices in this matter, and that they had evidence that I had posted inflammatory things about this man on Facebook.  So what did I do?  Without bothering to confirm their allegations, which would have reminded me of what I’d said, I chose to tell them that they had been lied to and that I never said anything about him on Facebook, that I only reported him after he fired my mother because I was afraid doing it beforehand would jeopardize her job, and that it had nothing to do with revenge.  Once again, I forgot all about it.

Over the course of the next two years, I applied for the bar exam, was provisionally approved by the CMBA, and graduated school in 2012.  Except I never received my bar exam approval and instructions.  What I got instead was a letter from the Board of Commissioners on Character and Fitness, telling me that a sua sponte investigation had been initiated as a result of my false statements that I’d never posted anything about my boss on Facebook.  At that point, I was sent a copy of everything that the NCBE had received from my references - which included copies of my Facebook posts which my boss had sent in to them with his response.  I had a hearing before the Board in January 2013.  In the hearing, the Board discussed several other indiscretions that, bar counsel admitted, wouldn’t have been much of an issue if not for their cumulative reflection on my character and fitness.  My bipolar disorder was discussed as well.  I told them I was back on my antidepressants and felt much better, but because my diagnosis date was a moving target, and because my doctor wasn’t available for testimony (and I had no other records showing bipolar disorder), the Board determined that it was a convenient excuse for what I’d done.  The ironic part is that, looking back on that hearing and the excuses I was making, I believe was in the midst of a manic episode during my testimony.  By March of that year, I was told I would have to wait three years more before I could apply to take the bar.  

And you know what?  It was the best thing that could have happened to me.

After the decision came down, I spent a couple months being angry at the world.  I didn’t think it was fair, I felt persecuted, and I continued down my path of destruction until May, when I had a moment of clarity and realized that I felt horrible and, hey, what could it hurt to see someone?  So I did.  Soon, I was diagnosed with Bipolar I - officially - and was put on a course of antidepressants COUPLED with mood stabilizers, which is the right way to treat bipolar disorder.  It wasn’t an easy road - I had manic episodes when they were adjusting my medications at first, and my lowest point was six months into treatment, when I stood in my kitchen, looking at the knife block, hearing a clear voice in my head, telling me to end it all.  But three years, several doctors, a half-dozen medications, and over a hundred therapy sessions later, I feel better than I ever have.  I feel normal, healthy, and clear-headed.  And I’ve reapplied to take the bar examination, a year later than they told me I could, because I’ve reached a point where I feel confident that I can capably, ethically, and competently practice law.  I haven’t had a true manic episode in years, and the depression, while it occurs, is at least manageable.  

Part of my treatment was OLAP.  I enrolled voluntarily rather than by court mandate, just after I was diagnosed.  I wanted to fix my life, and I wanted any help I could get.  I’m not going to say that was easy, either.  There are strict requirements for participating, including a monthly payment (which can be deferred if you’re unable to pay), weekly or daily check-ins, and - the hardest of all when you’re around lawyers - refraining from any mood-altering substances including alcohol.  My doctors all had to send twice-yearly reports disclosing my health status and whether or not I’d adhered to a treatment plan.  I had to update Paul whenever I changed medications.  And I definitely struggled with these things.  I wasn’t always perfect.  I made missteps.  But I can tell you that the accountability that OLAP required of me was the best thing for me.  It can be very difficult when you are first starting treatment to remember to take your medicine or go to therapy or to even want to.  But if you know that you have to report to someone and that you are being monitored, it gives you the push to do it.  And the more you take the medications and go to therapy, the more you'll be able to do it on your own without that push.  By the time you're out of your program, it will be easier to commit to taking care of yourself because you'll realize how much better you feel.  Plus, the Character and Fitness Committee highly values OLAP, and OLAP can report to it about your compliance with your contract - which carries much weight in its decision to allow you to take the exam.

You all know that you’re required to disclose any “psychotic disorders” on your bar exam applications.  These include, among others, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.  The bar examiners tell you that evidence of a psychotic disorder isn’t in itself disqualifying, but I know that not everyone actually believes that.  I’m sure there’s at least one person in this audience who has felt that something is “off,” and that they don’t know how to fix it, but if they get professional help, they’ll be blacklisted.  After all, whenever you see a bipolar or schizophrenic person on television, it’s always some crazy person who can’t control themselves, commits crimes, hears voices, or has delusions.  But that’s not always the case - you may just notice that you’re producing at a drastically higher level, getting unreasonably angry when the library has closed early, or being able to stay awake for three days to write a paper.  It’s also quite common for mental health issues to present themselves during law school because stress and disturbed sleep patterns can trigger them.  My illness presented early in my adulthood, but just because you didn't notice a problem beforehand doesn't mean one can't trigger later in life.  If you're not aware of yourself and your baseline for emotions, you might not even notice a problem at first.  But believe me when I say that asking for help is so, so much easier than having to explain yourself when you do something tremendously stupid because you think you’re invincible and don’t care or think about consequences.  

I want you all to understand something: my illness does not define me, but it did define the course of my life.  I don’t make any excuse for what I did.  My choices were my own, despite having a mental illness.  Bipolar disorder may EXPLAIN why I did what I did, but it doesn’t excuse it.  I didn’t treat my illness as I should have.  I didn’t obtain any help for it before facing the ultimate consequence of leaving it mistreated.  I made excuses.  I don’t make excuses anymore.  In fact, as I said, the best thing that could have happened was the Board’s decision.  They protected me from myself, and they protected others from me until I could fix the mess I’d made.  I don’t regret anything except the hurt I caused others.  But at the same time, I don’t want any of you to have to go through what I went through.  I don’t want you to have to explain poor decisions to the board, especially when they could be easily prevented.  That’s why I’m here, and that’s why Paul is here.  To be a bit nerdy and paraphrase Albus Dumbledore,  “Help will always be given to those who ask for it.”

I’m happy to answer any questions you all have.  And if anyone wants to speak to me confidentially to ask where to go from here, please feel free.  

[demikbrayus]

Best Identity Protection Services for 2017

This article first appeared on aaacreditguide.com at AAACreditGuide.

Identity theft is no laughing matter. Millions upon millions of Americans are victims of it. Though the true number is not known, it’s estimated that 15.4 million people in the United States had their identity stolen in 2016 alone.

And it’s only expected to get worse.

In early 2004, President Bush signed into law the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act to try and curb its incessant rise, but each year since, the number of people taking part in this crime has only grown and grown.

Sure, we could give a lot of reasons for why it’s happening — the economy, lack of education, lack of opportunities — but at the end of the day, regardless of why it’s happening, no one wants to be the victim of these crimes. To help protect yourself, consider enlisting the help of an identity protection company.

But how do you pick the right one?

We did a lot of research and found many junk companies out there, but of course, we did find a few gems. Here are the top three identity protection companies that are actually doing some good and deserve your business.

Which identity theft company provides the most up-to-date alerts?

LifeLock

LifeLock has some pretty comprehensive alert options. Sign up with them, and you can get identity theft alert options via SMS (aka phone texts), their mobile app, or your email. Or, if you want, you can even sign up for call alerts and a representative will discuss with you what’s happening and what can be done about it.

For service like this to be effective, it’s got to be 24 hours a day and seven days a week. LifeLock knows that and this is exactly the kind of service they give to their customers.

Even more awesome? You can have a 60-day free trial before you commit.

Though Lifelock has had some issues in the past (a court ruling had them pay a $1 million fee for not securing data well enough), they seem to have cleaned up their ways. They have nothing but glowing reviews online, and are only 0.4 points away from securing a solid 5 star rating — out of 9,000 reviews!

Lifelock has three plans available, which all vary in price. Unlike other companies that have varying plans available to consumers, LifeLock’s is actually worth some reflection.

Plan A — Standard: $9.99 per month

You get Social Security and credit alerts, plus if an identity theft occurs while you are enrolled in the plan, you get up $25,000 in reimbursements. Not too shabby at all.

Plan B — Advantage: $19.99 per month

With this plan, you get SSN, credit alerts, bank and credit card activity alerts. On top of all this, you’ll also be notified of any crimes that were committed in your name. For this plan, you can be reimbursed up to $100,000 for any stolen funds.

Starting to see why you should think about it?

Plan C — Ultimate Plus: $29.99 per month

For this plan, you get everything that comes with the Advantage plan, but you also get updates on your credit reports, and 401(k) investment activity alert. For this plan, you can be reimbursed for any stolen funds up to $1,000,000.

Bottom Line

It’s not the cheapest plan you will find out there, but it’s probably one of the most comprehensive ones. Plus, you can’t beat those reimbursement rates. If you’re looking for a solid bang for your buck, LifeLock is one of the best.

Visit LifeLock

Which identity theft company is the most cost-effective?

IdentityForce

If you’re one of the lucky ones and haven’t had your identity stolen yet, Identity Force is a solid company you should consider going to for identity protection.

It provides all of the following services if you opt for the UltraSecure+Credit plan:

Change of address monitoring

Court records monitoring

Sex offender monitoring

Payday loan monitoring

Court records monitoring

Bank and credit card activity alerts

Social Security tracker

Medical ID fraud protection

PC protection

Identity theft insurance

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit monitoring

Analyze your credit reports four times a year

Analyze your credit score four times a year

You get all of this for only $18.95 a month, but if you pay in yearly installments, it’s only $189.50 (as opposed to $227.40). If $18.95 is a bit too much for you, you can instead opt out of the credit report monitoring part and only pay $12.95.

However, it’s really not that much more money to go with the credit plan, too. When you consider that most thefts occur in the credit card realm, then it’s kind of a no-brainer which one you should go with.

Though this plan is the most cost-effective, it’s also the best plan if you have not yet been a victim of identity theft.

Visit Identity Force

Which company provides the best identity protection services for people who are already victims?

ID Watchdog

ID Watchdog is one of the rare companies out there that actually helps people recover from thefts that have already taken place. Most companies only help its customers if the theft happens while they are a member of the club.

Not ID Watchdog.

With this company, you can join even after you’ve already been hit. If you’ve ever been a victim before, then you know how big of a deal this is.

The problem is, it’s not free to get help. In fact, it’s actually kind of pricey. Here’s a breakdown of their rates:

$80 for each financial record error

$180 for each civil court record error

$280 for each criminal court record error

Their membership fees, however, are quite affordable:

$18 a month for a single adult

For two adults, it’s only $27 a month.

If you have kids, you can add up to five children for only an extra $5 a month

Visit ID Watchdog

How can you prevent identity theft without paying for an identity theft protection company?

As you might expect, there are a few things you can do to protect your identity without paying someone else. To remain off the list of victims, follow these tips as often as possible — if not every day!

#1: Freeze your credit reports.

Whether you think your financial information has already been compromised or you’re just worried about the potential for identity theft, consider freezing your credit report. It’s not a complete solution, but it can be a major barrier to someone else opening an account in your name.

Here’s how it works.

You pay the credit bureaus a small fee and they’ll essentially put your accounts on lockdown. When someone goes to apply for a loan or credit card in your name, the creditor won’t be able to run a credit check and the application should be denied.

Intrigued? Find out more about how and when to freeze your credit reports.

#2: Use intricate passwords, and never use a password more than once.

We can hear you from over here: “That’s crazy! How am I going to remember all of my passwords if I can’t reuse any of them?” Well, there’s this new software out that’s actually quite affordable. It’s called a notebook. You actually don’t even have to install it. It works just by setting it beside your computer.

All joking aside, you want an intricate password that’s at least eight characters long and contains symbols, numbers, and both uppercase and lowercase letters. A lot of people get in the habit of having one really good password and a bunch of mediocre passwords.

They use their strong password for important sites and their mediocre password for inconsequential sites. If you want to keep your identity safe, you need to vary it up a bit because all it takes is one time for someone to use keystroke software on you. They get one password from you and then they’re able to run amok to all of your highly frequented websites.

#3: Don’t click on links that take you to random websites.

This should be a no-brainer, but even the best of us fall prey to clickbait at times. Other than getting you to go to a website where you buy something, oftentimes its purpose is far more nefarious. In fact, it could be quietly collecting information off of your computer. Just don’t click unknown websites and you should be fine.

Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes fake bank emails are sent out in the hopes that you’ll re-enter personal information, such as your social security number, to verify that you are, indeed, you. Your bank will never do this.

There are far more sophisticated ways to verify someone’s identity, and even if it does need you to re-enter personal information, it will only ever do so on its main site.

#4: Learn the ins and outs of your smartphone.

You know and everyone else knows that cell phones are not simply phones anymore. They are traveling storage devices. And not just any kind of storage device, but a storage device that has nothing but your personal data on it. So… it makes sense that you should protect it, right? In addition to not clicking on crazy links on your phone, you should:

Opt for remote data wiping should you ever lose your phone. This enables you to erase all of your phone’s data from afar if and when you should ever lose it or have it stolen.

Have a pin number to login that you change regularly.

#5: Check your statements.

Yes, most of the time a new card is taken out in your name, but sometimes criminals are able to get their hands on your existing accounts. What you need to look for on a weekly, if not daily basis, are small charges. These small charges are often only a dollar or a few cents. These kinds of charges are used to see if your bank or lender’s main computer will let the charge go through.

If it works, then they know it’s time to go on a quick spending spree before you cancel the card. Call your bank immediately if and when you ever see these kinds of charges. Even if you’re unsure and think it might be something you did, call them just to be safe. The earlier you can spot these things, the better.

Should you still pay for identity theft protection? It’s ultimately a personal decision, but definitely a smart choice considering the world we live in right now.

Identity theft is a very real threat in the world.

Not only that, oftentimes trying to prove that your identity was stolen can take months on end. So having someone that is willing to fight that battle for you is very worth it. Just be careful you choose a reputable company.

A lot of times ‘identity theft protection’ companies are nothing more than a credit monitoring service. Use your best judgment, do your research, and look at the kind of services they offer. If you need a place to start, consider one of our top picks for 2017.

from Credit And Credit Repair https://aaacreditguide.com/best-identity-protection-services/