In the past couple of weeks you may have received an e-mail encouraging you to change your passwords if you use one password for multiple accounts. On December 12, Gawker Media announced that their servers had been compromised, resulting in a security breach at Lifehacker, Gizmodo, Gawker, Jezebel, io9, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Deadspin, and Fleshbot. Any user who registered an account on any Gawker Media website (and didn’t log in using Facebook Connect) was advised to assume that their username and password were included in the leaked information. In addition, users who use the same login information for Gawker Media as they do for any other website were urged to change their passwords.

Have you ever worried about how safe it is to manage your finances online? Turns out, it can actually help prevent identity fraud, or at least catch fraudulent activity earlier. According to the 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report by Javelin Strategy and Research, more than 11 million consumers were victims of identity fraud last year, an increase of 1 million over 2008. This is the second year in a row that the number of victims has risen. The good news is that identity fraud is costing its victims less money out‐of‐pocket, with most paying nothing and those who were out some cash paying less than $400 on average. Unfortunately, it can still cost you time. On average, victims had to spend a whopping 21 hours to sort out the mess. It’s scary to think how much of that time was spent on hold, listening to blaring elevator music while they waited to explain the situation to yet another representative.

What if you could have a live video chat with a financial planner instead of costlier in-person meetings? The Wall Street Journal reports that Philadelphia-based start-up Veritat Advisors has a new online financial planning model that does just that. Using a secure website, you enter your financial details and an adviser uses software to help create a financial plan and outline of recommended investments. Clients then meet with their adviser though live video chats.

The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 is meeting its goal to create a fairer playing ground for consumers who buy with plastic. In case you need a recap, the CARD Act created the following three sets of new rules for credit card issuers:

Ever experienced bill shock? Cell phone service providers charge some hefty prices when you exceed your cell phone minutes. Most companies charge up to $.45 per minute in overage charges, which quickly add up. What’s worse, you might not even be aware that you’ve exceeded your limit, especially if more than one person is on your plan. So why is it that a carrier can’t send a simple text message to warn you that you are dangerously close to a sky-high cell phone bill? It seems there isn’t a good reason why they can’t.

You already use your smartphone to check your bank balances, your e-mail, and to update your Facebook status, but what about using it to cash a check? Turns out, if you’re a customer of USAA or JPMorgan Chase, you have one less reason to have to stop by the bank.