The last couple of years have seen a huge rise in browser-based puzzle games, tasking players with working out a certain kind of answer using limited guesses. Framed is one of the newest, following in the footsteps of Wordle, but offering a slightly different twist. You’ll still need to work out the answer using limited information and only six tries, but it’ll be movies that you’ll be guessing.
You see, Framed focuses on individual frames, or stills, of an ever-changing roster of movies. Some show a fair amount of action at the start, while others will take careful analysis and decent trivia knowledge to crack. With each wrong guess, a new still is revealed, hopefully adding enough extra information and context for you to guess the correct movie title.
With only six guesses at your disposal, you may need a little help guessing today’s Framed answer. To supply you a hint, we’ve included some clues that will tease the title of the movie picked as today’s puzzle. If you’ve already failed today’s puzzle, or would just like to know the answer, we’ve detailed that as well.
Today’s puzzle is an American biographical drama film.
The answer for Framed today is Dallas Buyers Club. This is the answer for August 24 with a brand new puzzle tomorrow. Check back in if you need any help!
To play Framed you just need to follow these steps, in your browser of choice. Note that any Framed versions you find elsewhere on app stores or other storefronts are likely to be fakes.
Sometimes, when trying to solve the Framed puzzle of the day, it can be extremely advantageous to know previous answers. Here are the answers from the last few days.
That’s all you need to know about Framed, and the answer for today. For more puzzle-game goodness, check out our hints for today’s Heardle.
Consumer protection laws are made to protect consumers from fraudulent business practices, defective products, and dangerous goods and services. They play an important role in a reliable market economy, helping to keep sellers honest, with no threat of unpleasant surprises.
Consumer protection laws in the U.S. comprise various federal and state laws, each of which governs a particular area of the economy. The government oversees consumer protection through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), while states use a variety of agencies and statutes to enforce consumer protection and sometimes expand on these laws. Not all jurisdictions protect consumers in the same way, with some being more pro-consumer than others.
Whenever you buy merchandise, it comes with a warranty. This is a guarantee that it will serve the purpose it was purchased for—in other words: It will function.
The two basic types of warranty are express and implied. An express warranty is a promise from the seller, either written, oral, or expressed in an ad, promising that the item will perform its function for a specified period. Whether the item purchased is new or used, an express warranty is a guarantee that the item will work. However, not all items come with an express warranty.
The law automatically provides the second type of warranty, the implied warranty. Implied warranties are a part of all retail sales of new and used consumer goods. The retailer of an item implies that the item will work properly and be of average grade and quality, as long as it is used for the purpose it was sold. For example, a refrigerator will keep things cool as long as you are not trying to cool the entire room, and a blender will blend as long as you are not blending rocks.
Whenever you buy something, it's important to get warranty specifics in writing. Find out what the warranty covers. Does it include service fees if the item needs to be repaired? How long is the warranty? According to the FTC, an implied warranty can last as long as four years, but the genuine time period can vary according to the state.
If a warranty is breached, get the item replaced or repaired by the seller. If that doesn't work, try resolving the dispute through mediation. If that fails, you have the right to sue the manufacturer or seller.
Service contracts cannot be canceled after you've signed them, but according to the FTC, there is a cooling-off period in which, under certain circumstances, you might be able to void a contract. Contact the agency at FTC.gov for information on the right way to approach your particular situation.
To file a complaint about a seller or manufacturer, you can contact the FTC, Consumer Product Safety Commission, or call up your local prosecutor and ask for the consumer fraud division. If you were defrauded by a telephone solicitor or fell into a TV advertiser's trap, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the place to turn for help.
Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. Financial institutions use the information contained in this report to determine the risk in lending to you. Consumers usually find out about this report only after there has been negative information reported (mishandled accounts, erroneous data, and so on). You can get your free credit report at annualcreditreport.com.
One of the most important consumer protections in finance is the Securities Act of 1933, which was enacted during the Great Depression. The act strictly limits the sale of investment contracts (referred to as "securities") and requires issuers to disclose the details of their financing and business plans. The act also established the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which enforces securities laws and punishes violations.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act was passed in 1970 to regulate the collection of credit information, which is frequently used to determine mortgage and lending rates. The law limits who can access a consumer's credit history, and prohibits lenders from providing outdated or inaccurate information. The law also allows consumers to read their own credit reports, and to contest any inaccurate information.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, usually shortened to the "Dodd-Frank Act," was a sweeping reform of U.S. financial regulations in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
The act stepped up oversight of banks and financial institutions, particularly those deemed to have been responsible for the Great Recession. It created the Financial Stability Oversight Council, with the ability to break up banks that were "too big to fail" or to increase their reserve requirements. It also established the CFPB, which regulates subprime mortgages and other predatory lending practices.
The Fair Housing Act protects buyers and renters of housing from being discriminated against by sellers, landlords, or financial institutions.
This law limits the actions of third-party debt collectors when attempting to collect debts on behalf of another person or entity. It outlines when and how often a third-party debt collector can contact a debtor, with noncompliance by debt collectors resulting in lawsuits.
Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, sometimes just referred to as “Section 5,” demands that consumers be treated fairly and not deceived or put at risk by businesses. That includes:
This act ensures that consumers are not deceived and harassed by telemarketers. Thanks to the TCPA, a national do-not-call list was created.
The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003 is a law that governs email communication. It establishes requirements for commercial messages, including not using false or misleading headers and subject lines, identifying messages as ads, and providing a postal address and information on how to opt out of being contacted in the future. Recipients have the right to stop being contacted, and penalties will be dished out to those who violate the act’s rules.
The GBLA, among other things, requires all U.S. financial institutions to reveal in writing how they handle, share, and protect consumers’ information.
This act governs what information websites directed to children under 13 years of age can collect from their visitors.
There are many other acts worth learning about that apply in certain situations, including the Home Owner Protection Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, and the Fair Credit Billing Act.
Scam artists generally take advantage of whatever is happening at a particular point in time. In the wake of the housing bust of 2008, for example, there were a lot of phony foreclosure rescues that caused people to lose the equity in their houses to so-called rescuers.
There also has been an increase in scam attempts through automated phone calls. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the FTC began receiving reports of scammers posing as government officials, using the promise of unemployment benefits to extract Social Security numbers, private bank accounts, or other sensitive information.
Consumer protection laws exist to protect consumers and make us feel more confident about buying things; however, having this protection doesn't mean we shouldn't care about getting scammed. It's better for everyone if a complaint is not necessary.
Tips include using credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping and closely reviewing every item on your monthly bills. Customers should also use a separate email account for their online shopping. This method helps avoid spam. Also, never respond to emails asking you to "confirm" accurate transactions after you shop because they can be phishing scams.
There are many such laws in the U.S. to shield consumers from fraud, faulty products, or data privacy invasion. One example is the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act, or ROSCA, which prohibits the sale of user data by third-party payment processors. It also regulates "negative option" contracts, in which a consumer's inaction is interpreted as an intention to pay for a service. Although ROSCA does not prohibit negative options, it does enact certain requirements to ensure that the buyer has informed consent.
Consumer protection laws safeguard borrowers against discrimination and predatory lending practices. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, and several other categories. This prohibition applies at every stage of the mortgage application process.
In addition, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act prohibits several aspects of predatory lending, such as undisclosed mortgage terms and steering clients to those mortgage products that carry a higher commission.
The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act has several provisions to limit abuse of the bankruptcy system, including an income threshold for Chapter 7 bankruptcy for individuals. It also protects IRAs from bankruptcy liquidations, so a person who declares bankruptcy will not have to lose their retirement savings.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act limits the use of consumers' credit history, such as bill payments and borrowing history. Also, the Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (also known as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) establishes protections for personal financial information and requires banks to disclose clearly how private information will be used.
The modern economy is dependent on consumer protection laws. These rules help eliminate bad businesses as well as supply consumers peace of mind and encourage them to spend more. Over the past few decades, the number of laws has continued to grow and evolve to reflect new technologies and business practices. And thanks to the Internet and other technologies, consumers are better informed of their rights than ever before.
ConsumerAffairs is not a government agency. Companies displayed may pay us to be Authorized or when you click a link, call a number or fill a form on our site. Our content is intended to be used for general information purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment based on your own personal circumstances and consult with your own investment, financial, tax and legal advisers.
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Antivirus software has become a necessary tool in today’s online world. Even the most tech-savvy and cautious among us can drop their guard at times or be tricked into exposing themselves to a malware vulnerability. Antivirus protection is an essential backup against such threats.
We’re not suggesting that PC security software is fool-proof, but it does a great job of protecting your computer against harmful malware and ransomware. Most systems come with security software baked into the OS, but this is often the bare minimum you need. Choosing to purchase more robust antivirus software will provide you with features such as an advanced firewall, sandbox environments for suspicious programs, and multi-device protection, among other things. Choosing to pay for these additional features will benefit anyone who actively uses email, clicks on links, and downloads programs.
When testing antivirus suites, we look for software that strikes a balance between excellent protection, a worthwhile selection of features, and minimal performance impact on your PC. For more information, you can read about how we test antivirus suites below our picks.
Using a Mac? Our colleagues at Macworld have tested the best Mac antivirus.
Pros
Cons
Price When Reviewed: $49.99 for the first year
Norton Security Premium is no more, but our pick for best AV has stayed in the family, with Norton 360 Deluxe. There aren’t a lot of fundamental changes to the suite compared to previous iterations, which also means its just as solid. The pricing now covers fewer devices, a total of five, but you get a good number of extra features such as Dark Web Monitoring and VPN access, making for an overall excellent value.
Pros
Cons
Price When Reviewed: $29.99 / 5 devices I $48.99 / 30 devices
Avast really upped its game with this top-tier product. The Avast One suite offers an improved design, excellent performance, and even more features to help offset its premium price. The individual plan covers five devices.
Pros
Cons
Price When Reviewed: $59.99
AVG Internet Security does an excellent job of protecting your PC, even if its interface could stand a polish. Nevertheless, with unlimited installs for $70 per year, it’s hard to beat this popular security solution when it comes to value.
Pros
Cons
Price When Reviewed: 5 devices: $49.95/yr
Many antivirus suites create an interface that’s as simple as possible for users to understand—but sometimes the software becomes too stripped down. That’s why our recommendation for novices is Trend Micro Maximum Security.
This antivirus suite, which provides highly rated protection, strikes a nice balance between complexity and simplicity: Four category icons at the top let you dive deeper into the suite, but if all you need to do is a scan, that option is right there in the center of interface. You can’t miss it.
Overall, no matter what you need to get done in Maximum Security, the interface doesn’t leave you with any guesswork.
Pros
Cons
Price When Reviewed: 5 devices: $89.99/yr
With its latest version, McAfee puts an emphasis on identity and privacy. While still offering its trademark malware protection, features like Identity Protection Service and a VPN for obscuring your online tracks, as well as app update checker address today’s added concerns.
Pros
Cons
Price When Reviewed: 1 device: $64.49 I 3 devices: $71.99 I 5 devices: $78.74 I 10 devices: $121.49
All of the deluxe antivirus suites offer extra tools as part of their package, but if we had to pick one that stands out in this respect, it’d be Panda Dome Complete. It has the usual PC maintenance utilities such as a disk defragmenter for hard drives and a startup apps manager. But it also has a VPN, Wi-Fi network scanning, a process monitor, a virtual keyboard, an application control feature, and more.
It also makes it very easy to find everything since it uses a tiled interface on a single screen, and the protection is good too. Granted, you’ll pay more for Panda Dome Complete than some other worthwhile AV programs, but it offers lots of value for power users.
Pros
Cons
Price When Reviewed: Included with Windows 10 and 11
If Windows is already working, why add anything else? If its built-in security suite, Windows Security, performs on par with the best of the free AV options—as we discovered in our roundup of the best free antivirus—why add the extra baggage of a third-party program? Sure other AV programs might offer marginally better protection, but not enough to outweigh the convenience of rolling with Microsoft’s home-grown offering. Windows Security also has ransomware protection, which many free options don’t. Plus, you avoid the nuisance of a third-party suite’s regular upgrade notifications. To learn more, see our video on How to use Windows Security.
However, if you’re looking for more features, such as online privacy tools, a VPN, or encrypted cloud backup, you may want to use a third-party program instead as these are not currently available in Windows Security. Nonetheless, it’s a free program that already comes pre-installed in most Windows machines and it does a good job of keeping you protected from most threats.
There are three basic requirements that an antivirus suite needs:
That’s not all to consider, however. These days, many security suites come with extras such as a backup service for your most essential files, Android apps for mobile security, a more advanced firewall, family protection (read: child restriction) features, and the right to use the program on multiple PCs. Whether you need those extras depends on your personal situation.
First, we take a look at the interface to determine how easy or complicated it is. Does the interface make it easy to get at essential tools like PC scans and password managers, for example, or is everything buried under multiple clicks? Are there elements that look like they should be clickable but aren’t? Are alerts interactive or purely informational, and does that make sense in context?
We also examine the features on offer. Every good antivirus suite should have the basics like scanning and real-time protection, but many vendors offer elements that go beyond basic security like password managers or firewalls. We try to discern whether any of these extra features are particularly useful, or just frills that look nice but don’t serve a practical purpose.
To test the suite’s demand on system resources, we run two benchmarks. The first is PCMark 8’s Work Conventional test, which simulates a variety of workloads including editing spreadsheets, browsing the web, and running video chat.
We run the benchmark before the security suite is installed. Then we install the software, have it run a full scan on our Windows 10 test machine, and start a second run of the benchmark at the same time. Then we compare the overall scores to see if the decline between the two benchmarks is significant.
As a harsher stress test, we also use Handbrake to transcode a video before and after installing the A/V. On most home PCs, this encoding task utilizes 100 percent of the CPU. We then compare transcoding times to see if there’s any significant decline.
Our test machine is an Acer Aspire E15 with an Intel Core i3-7100U, 4GB RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. Each security suite is tested on a clean install of Windows 10 Home.
As for the antivirus suite’s detection capabilities, we’ll rely on the opinions of security researchers dedicated to this task. We’ll take into consideration reports from outlets such as A-V Comparatives, A-V Test and SE Labs.
We’ll also take pricing into account and what you get for it.
Whenever possible we’ll review security suites using a free trial to get a sense of what consumers see when they first try out a new product.
The short answer is maybe, but probably not. Antivirus software scans files and programs to ensure there is no malware or other harmful threat present. The longer the time frame between each scan, the more files the program will need to check. These intensive scans may have some noticeable effect on your computer speed. It’s therefore recommended that you schedule your scans to run more frequently or even at night so as to not impact your computer usage.
While antivirus software can affect the speed of your computer, it is most likely not the only factor—or even the most prominent. Other factors such as unnecessary startup and background programs, insufficient RAM, or even undiagnosed malware can have more drastic effects on your computer speed than a simple antivirus scan.
It really comes down to what features are most important to you in an antivirus software. Do you just need a program that will scan, detect, and remove malware? Then go with a free version. But if you are looking for more advanced features such as the ability to block webcam hacking, run suspicious apps in a sandbox environment, and permanently delete sensitive files, then you should seriously consider upgrading to a paid premium antivirus service.
Overall, premium antivirus software is better suited to more complete coverage against threats—especially for inexperienced users. Children and seniors are particularly vulnerable to modern threats and therefore paid antivirus apps, which allow for multiple-device protection, may be a better option for families.
In a perfect world, your antivirus software will halt and clean the infected files for you. However, this largely depends on which antivirus program you are using.
In general, the antivirus will send a warning to you and try to quarantine the infected file in order to keep it from spreading. Once isolated, the software will supply you the option to try to remove the infection or delete the file altogether.
A full scan performs a comprehensive and thorough check of your whole system. It usually checks your system memory, startup programs, system backup, email databases, hard drives, and any removable storage drives.
A quick scan only checks a few areas including startup programs, system memory, and boot sectors. It may not detect all malware, but it can usually supply you an idea if your computer has a virus.
As to when you should do either, we recommend a full scan once per week, during computer usage downtime (such as late at night). A quick scan can be done anytime you like; however, it is usually only necessary if you notice suspicious activity on your PC.
Absolutely! Keeping your antivirus software up-to-date is crucial in helping you to avoid the most accurate threats.
That being said, most antivirus software today—whether free or paid—will default to automatic updates. This way you don’t need to worry about manually updating your software. It may still be worth checking to confirm that your antivirus is running the most up-to-date version from time to time.
Identity thieves have become increasingly sophisticated in how they target and take advantage of their victims, and consumers can use all the help they can get to protect against fraud and resolve it quickly when it happens. The best identity theft protection services offer comprehensive protection that includes credit monitoring, insurance protection, strong security and more. However, to get service you can trust, you typically need to pay for it.
We analyzed the top identity theft protection services in this category, from a variety of issuers, to curate a list of the very best.
Aura offers all-in-one protection that includes three-bureau credit monitoring without an upsell, $1 million in identity theft insurance coverage and quick fraud alerts — according to the company, it’s up to 250 times faster than the competition in notifying you of potential identity theft although we weren’t able to verify that. Other notable features include antivirus protection, a virtual private network (VPN), a password manager, identity monitoring and financial account monitoring.
Price: $12/mo or $108 if billed annually.
ID theft insurance: $1 million.
Credit bureau monitoring: All three.
If you want maximum insurance coverage, the Ultimate Plus Individual plan from LifeLock is a strong choice. You’ll get separate $1 million limits for stolen funds reimbursement, personal expense compensation and coverage for lawyers and experts. The plan also includes three-bureau credit monitoring, financial account alerts that include investment accounts, home title monitoring and more.
Costs: $29.99 monthly for the first year, then $34.99 after that; $299.88 annually for the first year, then $349.99 after that.
ID theft insurance: Up to $3 million, including $1 million each for stolen funds. reimbursement, personal expense compensation and coverage for lawyers and experts.
Credit bureau monitoring: All three.
Most identity theft protection services offer family plans, but Aura is the only one on our list that doesn’t limit how many children you can include. You can also add up to five adults to your plan, and each will get $1 million in identity theft insurance coverage. In addition to all of the features of the individual plan, Aura Family also includes parental controls for mobile devices.
Price: $30/mo or $300 if billed annually.
ID theft insurance: Up to $3 million, including $1 million each for stolen funds. reimbursement, personal expense compensation and coverage for lawyers and experts.
Credit bureau monitoring: All three.
Many of the best identity theft protection services offer only individual and family plans. With Aura, there’s a middle option designed for just two adults. With Aura Couple, each adult will get $1 million in identity theft insurance, along with all of the features of the Aura Individual plan at a slightly lower cost than what you’d pay for two individual plans.
Costs: $20/mo or $204 if billed annually.
ID theft insurance: Up to $2 million ($1 million per adult).
Credit bureau monitoring: All three.
If you become a victim of identity theft, Allstate manages the entire recovery process from start to finish. In addition to up to $1 million in expense coverage, the plan also provides stolen funds reimbursement, including up to $50,000 for your health savings account and 401(k) account. You’ll also get monitoring of all of your financial accounts to help you detect any potential fraud, your digital footprint and the dark web for potential threats.
Price: $17.99 per month.
ID theft insurance: $1 million plus stolen funds reimbursement.
Credit bureau monitoring: All three.
If you want coverage for your family, but you can’t afford the Aura and LifeLock family plans, McAfee+ Advanced Family may be a good fit. It’s a more basic option with credit monitoring for just one credit bureau, but you’ll get $1 million in identity theft insurance coverage for each adult, and you can add up to four children to the plan. Other features include financial account monitoring, lost wallet protection, VPN access, parental controls on mobile devices and more.
Price: $109.99 for the first year, then $269.99 after that.
ID theft insurance: Up to $2 million ($1 million per adult).
Family plan: Yes.
The Ultimate Plus Family plan from LifeLock offers all of the same features as the individual plan, but for two adults instead of one. It also includes up to $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement for each child — you can add up to five to the plan — as well as credit file detection for the children. Identity and Social Security number alerts are available for all family members.
Plan : $48.99 monthly for the first year, then $81.99 after that; or choose $491.88 annually for the first year, then $819.99 after that.
ID theft insurance: Up to $3 million per adult, including $1 million each for including stolen funds reimbursement, personal expense compensation and coverage for lawyers and experts.
Family plan: Yes.
Identity theft protection services monitor a variety of websites and databases for any indication that your personal information has been stolen or used. In particular, you may receive a notification if your information has been shows up on one of the following:
The best identity theft protection services may also offer credit monitoring services. If your personal information is stolen and used without your authorization, you’ll typically get ID theft insurance, which can cover legal and related fees associated with restoring your identity, as well as recovery services to guide you along the way.
There are three different types of identity theft, and it’s important to know how each one works, so you can spot the signs early on.
The most common form of identity theft, this type may involve any aspect of your financial situation, including:
In some cases, you may not be aware that you’ve been a victim of financial identity theft until you receive a notice about a new account you didn’t open, a statement for a financial account you don’t recognize, unauthorized charges on a bank account or credit card or a notice of a duplicate tax return.
Here are some steps you can take to prevent financial identity theft:
This type of identity theft occurs when a fraudster uses your personal information to access medical services, such as a visit to the doctor, prescription drugs or even an insurance claim.
You may become aware of medical identity theft if you receive a bill or an insurance claim for medical services you never received and don’t recognize. If this occurs, contact your insurance company and the medical provider immediately to report the fraud and learn about the steps you can take to avoid having to deal with the costs.
You can prevent medical identity theft by safeguarding your Social Security number and medical records, and watching out for phishing emails and scam phone calls asking for your medical information.
Social media platforms are a mainstay in American society, but if you’re not careful, cybercriminals can use the information you share to steal personal information or to perpetuate fraud in your name.
To prevent online identity theft, take these steps:
You may consider paying for identity theft protection if you’ve been a victim of identity theft, or you believe you’re at a high risk of becoming a victim due to a accurate data breach or other event. It can also be worth it if you don’t have the time to keep track of everything on your own and need some help.
Before you opt for identity theft protection, however, make sure you can fit the cost into your budget.
While identity theft and credit monitoring share the game goal — to protect you from identity thieves — identity theft goes above and beyond what you’ll get with a basic credit monitoring service. In fact, many of the best identity theft protection services include credit monitoring in one form of another in their plans.
But while credit monitoring only includes information related to your credit scores and credit reports, identity theft protection provides more comprehensive monitoring, which may include all of your financial accounts, dark web scans and more.
Additionally, identity theft protection services may also provide resources and insurance in the event that someone manages to steal and use your personal information.
There’s no single best identity theft protection service for everyone, so it’s important for you to understand your situation and needs to determine the best fit for you. Here are some factors to consider as you shop around and compare your options:
Our team has spent hours analyzing identity theft protection companies and their plans. We took a deep dive into the details of each product and that analysis, combined with our years of experience covering this syllabu informed us as we developed these rankings. We considered the following attributes when ranking company plans:
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
There are many different ways you can determine that your identity has been stolen, but the signs can depend on the type of identity theft. Here are some of the most common indicators that someone has managed to steal and use your personal information without your knowledge or permission:
There’s no surefire way to prevent identity theft in all of its forms, but there are some steps you can take to make it more difficult for scammers to access your personal information for nefarious purposes. Here are some things you can do to get started:
The cost of identity theft protection can vary depending on which company and plan you choose. In general, though, you can expect to pay anywhere from about $10 to $80 per month, depending on the company and tier.
In many cases, identity theft protection services also include credit monitoring. However, depending on which plan you choose, you may not have full access to your credit reports and scores. Your can request your credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com — the official site for requesting your free annual credit report. Be aware that since onset of the pandemic, the credit bureaus are offer free credit reports weekly (rather than annually) through 2023.
Another free option is to visit each of the bureaus’ websites (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) to request copies of your credit report.
Depending on how thorough you want your credit monitoring to be with an id theft protection company, shop around and compare the top options to find the best fit for you.
¹$1,000,000 Identity Theft Insurance for Eligible Losses: Identity Theft Insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group‚ Inc.. The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the genuine policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.
²Free Trial Offer: Offer valid for new customers only and free trial offer can only be redeemed once per customer. Full access to plan features depends on identity verification and credit eligibility. You will be billed the relevant fees for your selected services after expiration of your free trial on an auto-renewal basis, unless you cancel your free trial at least 24 hours prior to the expiration.
³60-day Money-Back Guarantee: 60-day money back guarantee is only available for our annual plans purchased through our websites or via our Customer Support team. You may cancel your membership online and request a refund within 60 days of your initial purchase date of an eligible Aura membership purchase either through your Aura Account Membership portal or by calling us at 1-855-712-0021. If you signed up for Aura through a free trial, then your membership purchase date will be the date you signed up for your free trial, and you will have 60 days from the date you signed up for your free trial to cancel and request a refund. If you switched to a new annual plan within 60 days of your initial Aura annual subscription, you may still qualify for the Money Back guarantee (based upon your initial annual plan purchase date).
⁴Child members on the family plan will only have access to online account monitoring and social security number monitoring features. All adult members get all the listed benefits.
No one can prevent all identity theft or monitor all transactions effectively.
Today Macworld is launching Smart Answers, a chatbot tool that helps you get more from our content. It’s built using Generative AI and content written by our human editors.
The way we interact with content is changing. It wasn’t so long ago you would have sifted through a printed magazine for advice on the latest consumer technology, yet it felt like a revolution when those old mags switched over to digital- and online editions. These days, everything you could ever want to read is on the internet – or more likely watch on YouTube or TikTok.
The difficulty comes in finding trustworthy, up-to-date information that precisely and immediately answers your question, and most of us tend to rely on search engines and algorithms to figure that out for us, with varying degrees of success. But faced with a page full of links to visually similar content, you’re still a step away from the information you need – two, in fact, if you need to further refine your query.
Smart Answers is our new reader service that turns content discovery on its head. You control the questions, the answers, and the delivery. It’s like having a Macworld editor at your beck and call, allowing you to request and receive specific content on demand. So why wait for the content to find you?
We’ve worked in partnership with Miso.ai to develop Smart Answers, a GenAI tool (see What is GenAI?) that draws only on Foundry‘s complete catalog of English-language content (written by humans) to answer your natural-language questions. You’ll not only benefit from the expert knowledge of Macworld editors, but those of PCWorld, Tech Advisor and TechHive too, collectively covering the entire consumer technology sphere.
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Kobus Louw
The equity markets have rallied incessantly this year, with most averages now recording double-digit returns:
With the CNN Fear & Greed index at 'Extreme Greed' levels, many market participants are hesitant to add further equity exposure at these levels, and rightfully so.
The Innovator U.S. Equity Defined Protection ETF (BATS:TJUL) is a newly issued exchange traded fund that employs an options collar strategy to eliminate any downside from the fund outside the annual fees charged by the sponsor:
Payoff Profile (Fund Fact Sheet)
The fund has a defined outcome period, with the options all expiring on 6/30/2025, when the collar will be renewed. The fund has concurrently purchased a 450 strike put option while selling any upside above 525 via a sold call option. This structure gives the ETF a return profile as in the above graph, with a zero loss downside and a capped 16% upside (before fees). In a numeric format, the risk/reward figures look as follows:
Payoff Profile Numeric Format (Fund Prospectus)
In the above table the 'Underlying ETF Performance' references the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), while the 'Fund Performance' is the TJUL performance.
This type of full downside buffer is achieved due to the current option skew and the utilized option structure, the underlying options here being European style.
A retail investor interested in this fund needs to understand however that in order for the buffer to be valid, the structure has to be held for the full two years (you are committing to holding TJUL for two years). Also, a mathematical loss prevention upon maturity date does not prevent mark to market volatility in the meantime - TJUL can record mark to market losses until 6/30/2025.
We like TJUL for adding protected equity exposure at current market levels. With a 100% downside protection and a capped upside of 16% the fund can achieve a nice 8% annual return for the next two years with little downside.
The fund holds three option positions:
Holdings (Fund Fact Sheet)
The first option is a long position in a SPY call with a June 30, 2025, expiration and a $8.12 strike. This type of call has a delta very close to 100, meaning it acts as a synthetic proxy for an outright position in the S&P 500:
Delta is the theoretical estimate of how much an option's value may change given a $1 move UP or DOWN in the underlying security. The Delta values range from -1 to +1, with 0 representing an option where the premium barely moves relative to price changes in the underlying stock.
For a long call position, the closer the delta of an option to 100% (or +1), the more the trade acts like just owning the S&P 500 outright.
The second option position the fund has a purchased put option with a $450 strike and the same expiration date of June 30, 2025. The strike for the purchased put position is very close to the current spot level for the index, and was equal to the spot level on the fund's inception date. Basically, this leg of the option trade ensures the fund will never lose money upon the maturity of the trade. If the S&P 500 ends up being at a level below $450, the fund will exercise the put.
The third holding is a sold call option position with a $525 strike and the same maturity date. Selling a call option generates a premium, but at the same time caps the upside potential. This leg was utilized to fund the bought Put Option. Nothing is free in life, and in order for the fund to have a zero cost structure, it needed to sell a call option with a premium large enough to fund the put leg. Basically, if the index ends up at a level above $525 upon maturity, the fund will not participate in any of the upside.
There are three distinct scenarios upon the 2-year maturity date of the options structure:
Market Scenario - Maturity Date (Fund Fact Sheet)
Scenario 1: The S&P 500 Index ends below 450 ('Negative Scenario') on 6/30/2025
Scenario 2: The S&P 500 Index ends up at 495 ('Positive Scenario') on 6/30/2025
Scenario 3: The S&P 500 Index ends up at 562 ('Very Positive Scenario') on 6/30/2025
1 - Modelled Return profile is only valid as long as the fund is purchased around the IPO price of $25/share
The fund contains three option legs that change their values daily. While upon fund maturity the initial modelled mathematical outcome holds, a holder who purchased the fund at $24/share versus a holder who purchased the vehicle at $26/share will not have the same outcome.
2 - A zero loss upon maturity on 6/30/2025 does not equate to no volatility during the life of the trade
The fund will be marked to market daily, and each of the option legs will change their values. Depending on what the market ends up doing the fund can trade at higher or lower levels than its IPO price during the initial two year period. Do not expect a flat mark to market performance or a linear one where you only see positive numbers when the SPY goes up.
3 - The utilized options are European style options
As per the fund prospectus:
Since the FLEX Options are exercisable only on the final day of the Outcome Period, a shareholder that sells Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period may also experience investment outcomes very different from those sought by the Fund. To achieve the Outcomes sought by the Fund for the Outcome Period, an investor must hold Shares at the time that the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and on the day those FLEX Options expire.
The options utilized here are European, meaning they are not continuously exercisable, unlike their American counterparts. If an investor decides to purchase TJUL, they should do it with the full 2-year term in mind.
4 - The fund's annual expense ratio of 0.79% is not included in the market scenarios above
An investor needs to be aware the fund charges an annual expense ratio which is not included in the above market scenarios.
TJUL is a newly issued exchange traded fund. The vehicle employs a collar strategy with an at-the-money put to protect the fund from any losses in the S&P 500 below 450. In exchange, the vehicle sold all its upside above 525, capping its maximum gain at 16%. The fund needs to be held for two years in order to achieve the desired result, with an investor needing to be careful to purchase the name around the fund IPO level of $25/share. The 0.79% annual expense ratio is not factored in the modeled return profile which only looks at the held options. After a significant run-up in the market this year, risk-adverse investors would do well to consider a fund like TJUL which, if held for two years, caps the downside at the annual fund expense ratio, while leaving an 16% upside to be had if the market keeps rallying. This is a compelling proposal with a fully protected downside for investors suffering from the fear of missing out ('FOMO').