You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
Like it or not, we live in a digital world. A computer crash or a lost cell phone can wipe out your family's photos and financial and medical records or your entire address book. But backup programs can prevent such catastrophes from becoming irrevocable.
Computer Backup.
Many people forgo online services and back up their PCs with an external hard drive or a stack of DVDs because they worry hackers will gain access to sensitive records. But an external drive or backup discs won't protect you from fire or theft unless they're stored off-site (say, at your office or Grandma's house).
Among the online backup services that safeguard customer data on secure servers are Microsoft's SkyDrive, ADrive and Apple's MobileMe.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Windows Live SkyDrive is free. All you need to do is sign up for a Windows Live account. (If you have a Microsoft Hotmail, Messenger or Xbox Live account, you can use that, too.) You get 25 gigabytes of space. Then, using the optional upload tool, you simply drag files from the Windows desk-top to your online folders. SkyDrive doesn't support Macs, nor does it offer additional storage. But it's an easy way to back up thousands of files, and you can't beat the price.
ADrive offers 50GB of free storage. Upgrade to its Signature service ($7 a month, or $70 a year) and you'll get advanced features, such as file encryption.
Apple's MobileMe is accessible via any Web browser and is a good option for Apple fans. (It works with Windows PCs, too.) The service costs $99 a year for 20GB of storage. Although that may seem pricey compared with SkyDrive and ADrive, MobileMe offers a lot more services, including the ability to sync all your contacts, whether they're stored on a Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch or Windows PC.
Cell-phone backup.
If your provider offers wireless-backup protection for your phone (you'll have to check to see if your model is covered), that's usually the best choice. If your phone is lost or stolen, you can easily reload your contact information. And when you upgrade to a new phone, it's usually easy to transfer data to the new handset.
Sprint's backup service saves your contact list to a secure server. You may edit the information at Sprint's Web site, and the data is automatically forwarded to your phone. The service costs $2 a month. Good news for T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless customers: Both provide enhanced backup services free. T-Mobile servers safeguard your contacts, photos and videos (go to www.t-mobile.com/shop/addons, select "Included Services," "My T-Mobile" and then click on "MobileLife"). Verizon Wireless Backup Assistant (https://backup-assistant.vzw.com) offers a similar set of tools, but only to customers who open a free online account.
AT&T Wireless's mobile-backup service isn't accepting new customers, although it continues to support existing subscribers. But if you have a smart phone, you can back up contacts to Microsoft Outlook or a similar program. Among the online options, iPhone users should consider Apple's smartly designed Mobile-Me. And don't overlook third-party mobile-backup providers, including Microsoft MyPhone, which is free and works with some Windows Mobile phones. The more sophisticated Skydeck is also free and backs up contacts, text messages, call records and voice mail.
If you switch wireless carriers, you'll likely have to take your old phone into your new carrier's retail store to transfer information. Data stored on your old carrier's backup probably won't transfer.
-
How Much It Costs to Host a Super Bowl Party in 2026Hosting a Super Bowl party in 2026 could cost you. Here's a breakdown of food, drink and entertainment costs — plus ways to save.
-
3 Reasons to Use a 5-Year CD As You Approach RetirementA five-year CD can help you reach other milestones as you approach retirement.
-
Your Adult Kids Are Doing Fine. Is It Time To Spend Some of Their Inheritance?If your kids are successful, do they need an inheritance? Ask yourself these four questions before passing down another dollar.
-
9 Types of Insurance You Probably Don't NeedFinancial Planning If you're paying for these types of insurance, you may be wasting your money. Here's what you need to know.
-
When Tech is Too MuchOur Kiplinger Retirement Report editor, David Crook, sounds off on the everyday annoyances of technology.
-
I Let AI Read Privacy Policies for Me. Here's What I LearnedA reporter uses AI to review privacy policies, in an effort to better protect herself from fraud and scams.
-
Amazon Resale: Where Amazon Prime Returns Become Your Online BargainsFeature Amazon Resale products may have some imperfections, but that often leads to wildly discounted prices.
-
What Is AI? Artificial Intelligence 101Artificial intelligence has sparked huge excitement among investors and businesses, but what exactly does the term mean?
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2026Roth IRAs Roth IRAs allow you to save for retirement with after-tax dollars while you're working, and then withdraw those contributions and earnings tax-free when you retire. Here's a look at 2026 limits and income-based phaseouts.
-
Four Tips for Renting Out Your Home on Airbnbreal estate Here's what you should know before listing your home on Airbnb.
-
Five Ways to a Cheap Last-Minute VacationTravel It is possible to pull off a cheap last-minute vacation. Here are some tips to make it happen.
