Financial Safety Checklist

Simple steps for securing money, accounts, banking devices, and emergency cash.

Financial Safety Checklist

Quiet Savings Options

These options focus on reducing visibility and minimizing paper or digital traces that another person might notice.

• Consider separate banking:
  • Open an individual account (not joint) in your name only, if this feels safe.
  • Choose paperless statements to reduce mail going to your home.
  • Use a secure email address that the other person cannot access for account notices.
• Review how money can be moved quietly:
  • Check if your workplace allows changing the bank account for direct deposit without mailed notices.
  • Consider directing a small portion of income into a separate account, if available.
  • Note any transfer limits or fees that might draw attention on shared statements.
• Limit visible activity:
  • Avoid using new or separate accounts for purchases that might create questions.
  • Turn off transaction alerts that go to any shared email or phone numbers.
  • Check whether your banking app login remains visible in device history or “recent apps.”
• Review statement access:
  • Confirm how statements are delivered (mail, email, online only).
  • See whether recent activity appears on any shared online banking dashboard.
  • Check if your financial institution can suppress paper mail for certain accounts.

Password-Free Banking Safety

This section focuses on risks that do not rely on knowing your password.

• Check contact details on file:
  • Review which phone numbers and emails are listed with your bank.
  • Note if the other person has access to any of those contacts.
  • Ask about options to add a separate contact method for sensitive alerts only.
• Review identity verification methods:
  • Ask your bank how identity is verified by phone (security questions, card numbers, SSN, etc.).
  • Update security questions to information that is not easily guessed from your life or social media.
  • Check if a verbal passcode or PIN can be added for phone banking.
• Look at device-based access:
  • Check if your banking app is installed on any shared devices.
  • Confirm if Face ID, fingerprint, or device PIN could let someone open your banking app.
  • Review whether accounts auto-log in without requiring a password.
• Consider physical cards:
  • Note where your debit and credit cards are stored and who can reach them.
  • Check if anyone else knows or has seen your card PIN numbers.
  • Ask your bank what happens if someone reports a card “lost” or requests a replacement on your behalf.

Banking Alerts

Alerts can either increase safety (by giving you information) or increase risk (by drawing attention). This checklist helps you review both.

• Map current alerts:
  • Sign in (when safe) and review active alerts for:
    • Transactions
    • Low balances
    • Logins from new devices
    • Profile changes
  • Note which alerts go to shared contact details.
  • Check if alerts appear as previews on a shared lock screen.
• Adjust alert destinations:
  • Consider routing sensitive alerts to:
    • A secure email only you can access
    • A phone number that is not shared or monitored
  • Turn off alerts that could raise questions on a shared phone.
  • Check whether your bank allows in-app-only notifications instead of SMS or email.
• Choose helpful alerts:
  • Consider keeping alerts that support safety planning, such as:
    • Large withdrawals
    • New payees added
    • Profile or address changes
  • Decide whether balance alerts are helpful or likely to create conflict if seen.
  • Review whether joint-account alerts reveal activity related to any private planning.
• Test changes:
  • After updating alert settings, do a small test transaction to see:
    • Where the alert appears
    • How much detail it shows
    • Whether it leaves a visible record on a shared device
  • Adjust again if anything seems too visible.

Shared Account Strategies

This section focuses on options for handling joint accounts or finances that are already linked.

• Inventory shared financial items:
  • List joint accounts (checking, savings, credit cards, loans).
  • Note whose names are on:
    • Lease or mortgage
    • Utilities
    • Insurance policies
  • Identify any accounts where you are an “authorized user” but not the primary holder.
• Review visibility:
  • Check which accounts appear on shared online banking dashboards.
  • See whether your individual accounts are listed under the same login as joint accounts.
  • Ask your bank how activity on joint accounts is reported to each person.
• Consider communication patterns:
  • Note whether changes to joint accounts trigger letters, emails, or texts to both parties.
  • Ask if adding or removing features (like overdraft protection) alerts the other account holder.
  • Clarify how address or phone number changes affect both people on the account.
• Plan for documentation:
  • Save copies (digital or physical) of:
    • Recent joint statements
    • Account opening documents, if available
    • Any notices of account changes
  • Store documentation somewhere that feels safer, such as with a trusted person or secure cloud storage.
  • Keep a simple list of account numbers and institution contact details for future reference.
• Explore professional input options:
  • Consider speaking with a financial counselor, legal aid office, or an advocate about joint-account options in your area.
  • Review neutral, third-party information about financial abuse and shared accounts, such as resources that may be listed at https://www.dv.support.

Preparing Emergency Funds

This section focuses on small, practical steps that can make money more accessible during a disruption or transition.

• Estimate a basic emergency amount:
  • List likely short-term costs, such as:
    • Transport (fuel, rideshare, public transit)
    • One or more nights of accommodation
    • Food and essential items
    • Medication or health needs
  • Set a simple target (for example, enough for 1–3 days of basic expenses).
  • Remember that any amount, even small, can still increase options.
• Choose where to keep emergency money:
  • Consider a mix of:
    • Cash stored in a safe but discreet location
    • A separate account that is not easily visible to the other person
    • A prepaid card, if available and practical in your area
  • Think through who might discover each option and how often it might be checked.
  • Review expiration dates on prepaid cards and any fees that reduce the balance.
• Plan small, regular contributions:
  • Identify small, sustainable ways to add to the emergency fund (for example, rounding up, small cash-back amounts, or occasional cash deposits).
  • Consider using occasional one-time funds (refunds, gifts, rebates) if this does not raise questions.
  • Track contributions in a simple, private way, such as a secure note or basic ledger.
• Protect access to emergency funds:
  • Confirm that you know how to access the funds without relying on shared devices or shared transportation.
  • Keep any necessary PINs or access codes stored in a secure location, not in a shared phone or visible notebook.
  • Check that your identification documents are accessible so you can use or move funds when needed.
• Review and update periodically:
  • Revisit this checklist every so often to see if:
    • Your income or expenses have changed
    • New accounts have been opened
    • Any previous safety steps need adjusting
  • Update where and how emergency funds are stored if the household situation changes.

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