In today’s digital world, cybersecurity is essential to protecting your financial future. At CD Wealth Management, we take this responsibility very seriously.

Sadly, most of us know someone who has fallen prey to a financial scam — whether through stolen Social Security numbers, fraudulent credit card use, identity theft or unauthorized access to bank accounts. These incidents can create chaos and lasting financial harm, which is why safeguarding your information is one of our top priorities.

Many people are surprised to learn that brokerage accounts often come with stronger protections than typical bank accounts. While both banks and brokerages focus on security, accounts held with custodians like National Financial Services benefit from:

• Stricter access controls
• More advanced transaction monitoring
• Regular testing and staff training
• Higher compliance and regulatory standards

Your brokerage account may be your most valuable asset, but it’s not just a place to invest. It’s also a place where your assets are safeguarded with multiple layers of cutting-edge security.

1. Security is built into everything.

National Financial Services, your custodian of investment assets, integrates cybersecurity into every part of its operations. Security is not treated as a one-time project; it’s part of the everyday process. Their approach is based on industry standards, like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which ensures every system is secure from the ground up.

2. People are the first line of defense.

Human error, such as clicking a bad link or opening a scam email, is the most common cause of cyber breaches. NFS actively trains its entire team with:

• Regular security awareness programs
• Phishing simulations
• Real-world attack scenario exercises

This creates a culture of awareness and sharpens the response to threats before they can cause harm.

3. Multiple layers of protection are in place.

NFS uses a layered security model, meaning your assets are protected at several levels:

• Device protection: Monitoring systems detect and block suspicious behavior in real time.
• Email filtering: Harmful links and attachments are filtered out automatically.
• Network monitoring: Activity is constantly watched to catch anything out of the ordinary.

These systems work together to prevent, detect and respond to threats quickly.

4. Adaptive security adds layers of verification.

Cyber threats change quickly. NFS uses adaptive security, which means the system adjusts to unusual activity. If something seems off, like a login from a new device or a high-value transaction, it adds extra layers of verification automatically.

For outgoing fund transfers, especially through platforms like Kestra, the security checks scale with the size and uniqueness of the request. Kestra reviews all outgoing money requests every day for trends and for requests that seem out of character. This helps ensure that larger, more sensitive transactions are even more tightly protected.

For CD Wealth, no money movement in or out, is done without our team first talking with the client for verbal confirmation. If someone sends an email requesting that money be sent to a different bank than the one on file or wired to a third party, we immediately call you to confirm the request — and to make sure you weren’t hacked. This also means you cannot transfer money entirely on your own, like you can with your bank account.

5. NFS stays ahead of the threats.

Cyber threats evolve daily, and NFS doesn’t wait to react. Instead they actively:

• Apply regular system updates and security patches
• Monitor for new risks and vulnerabilities
• Collaborate with cybersecurity experts, regulators, and peers

This proactive approach helps keep your assets ahead of potential threats.

6. Response plans prepare for anything.

Even with the strongest defenses, incidents can happen. That’s why NFS maintains a well-tested incident response plan, designed to act fast, minimize damage and keep communication clear. Their teams regularly run drills and simulations to stay prepared, so they can respond efficiently if anything goes wrong.

The bottom line: Your safety is our priority.

We take every step to ensure that your assets and personal information are safe. By working with custodians like NFS, we provide not only strong investment management but also the peace of mind that your account is protected by some of the most advanced cybersecurity tools in the financial industry. If you have questions or want to learn more about how your account is protected, we’re here to help.

The CD Wealth Formula

We help our clients reach and maintain financial stability by following a specific plan, catered to each client. 

Our focus remains on long-term investing with a strategic allocation while maintaining a tactical approach. Our decisions to make changes are calculated and well thought out, looking at where we see the economy is heading. We are not guessing or market timing. We are anticipating and moving to those areas of strength in the economy — and in the stock market. 

We will continue to focus on the fact that what really matters right now is time in the market, not out of the market. That means staying the course and continuing to invest, even when the markets dip, to take advantage of potential market upturns. We continue to adhere to the tried-and-true disciplines of diversification, periodic rebalancing and looking forward, while not making investment decisions based on where we have been.

It is important to focus on the long-term goal, not on one specific data point or indicator. Long-term fundamentals are what matter. In markets and moments like these, it is essential to stick to the financial plan. Investing is about following a disciplined process over time.