Ryan Boyle

Sophie at eight weeks old.

Somehow I always end up giving advice, I most likely was a philosopher in another life. Today I’m going to give you all investment advice. I’m no Morgan Stanley, but don’t skimp on education and protection. Education can be considered a college degree, books, newspapers, magazines, teachers, anything that contributes to your knowledge. Protection is intertwined with knowledge, you need it in order to figure out how to defend yourself, or your laptop left unattended somewhere in a public space.

That laptop came out of left field, correct? Well if your friends with ThreeWords.ME founder Mark Bao, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve been a good friend of Marks since high school. Bently should be proud to call him one of their own. I’m sure Babson is pissed. Anyways Mark’s Facebook status informed me his laptop had been stolen – unfortunate. Very unfortunate considering it was a new Macbook Air.

So my advice to Mark, and you – Protected It! My recommendations:

Prey Project – $5/month Pro Version & Free Open Source version

Prey lets you keep track of your phone or laptop at all times, and will help you find it if it ever gets lost or stolen. It’s lightweight, open source software, and free for anyone to use. And it just works.

Undercover for Mac – $39 Student Edition

Undercover aids in recovering a stolen Mac by transmitting its location, photos of the thief and screenshots revealing what he is up to.

Bottom line is you need to use something. I prefer the software trackers, instead of the lock and cable method, just because I am so mobile, I’d go nuts with the lock. Also keep your stuff secure, or in sight. Disclaimer: I run the student edition of Undercover, and the free version of Prey Project. I prefer Undercover for now.