Knock out these 5 money tasks while in quarantine.

As someone in a dual-income household with young children, I can't help but chuckle whenever I see lists of things we can be doing while in social isolation. Personally, my husband and I are taking it one day at a time - trying to balance our jobs, home schooling, and life's continual uncertainties. If, however, you find that you do have time on your hands and enjoy checklists, here are the 5 money tasks that are most often overlooked.

Freeze your credit.

This is the only way to prevent someone from opening a line of credit in your name. While credit monitoring notifies you if there has been a potential breach, credit freezing stops it from happening in the first place. Cleaning up after an identity theft is time consuming and costly. Congress made credit freezes free in 2018 in response to the Equifax hack the year prior. Here are the links to freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian, and Transunion.

Be sure to save the credentials for each site in your password manager (see next task). You will need this to unfreeze your credit if you apply for a new loan. For example, if you apply for a new car loan, ask them where they will be checking your credit. It will only be one of the bureaus above. Go to that bureau's site and unfreeze your credit for 24 hours. It will re-freeze automatically, keeping your personal information safe.

Set up a password manager.

I use 1Password, but DashLane and LastPass are also industry leaders. A password manager ensures that all of your passwords are encrypted and difficult to hack. You can also create separate vaults, allowing you to organize work, personal, and shared passwords with a partner or spouse.

Scan and shred everything possible.

You need very few original documents. Go through your papers and scan and shred anything that does not require a hard copy. Store the documents in an online, encrypted platform (I use Box.com). This is safer than having hard copies lying around your house and it makes it easier to share documents with trusted professionals and family members as needed.

Grab the latest copy of your balance sheet.

For each retirement account and life insurance policy listed, confirm that you have copies of all beneficiary designations.

I know it sounds crazy, but it is not unheard of for insurance and investment companies to lose beneficiary designation forms. Having your own electronic copy in an encrypted, cloud-based platform is good practice.

Confirm 2-step verification is set up for every account possible.

In addition to a strong password, 2-step verification makes it more difficult for hackers to access your sensitive information. It is exactly how it sounds - a second verification besides entering the correct password. It typically requires you enter a code that is sent to you via text message or email.

Have a zoom meeting with your executor.

I am the executor for my parent's estate and they appreciate having a conversation every few years to review their documents and make sure I am clear on their intent. Offer the same to the executor of your estate. Ensure they have a copy of your estate planning documents, an updated balance sheet (they don't need to see the account values), and ask if they have any questions.

Use this time of social isolation to get these important tasks off of your to-do list. Sign up for timely personal finance tips and let us know how we can help.

Linda Rogers, CFP®, EA, MSBA is the owner and founder of Planning Within Reach, LLC (PWR). Originally from New Jersey, Linda services clients throughout San Diego county and nationwide. She leads the design of PWR's investment portfolios which utilize broad, low-cost investments that integrate environmentally, socially, and governance (ESG) factors.

Planning Within Reach, LLC (PWR) is a fee-only and fiduciary wealth management firm offering one-time comprehensive financial planning, ongoing impact-focused investment management and tax preparation services in San Diego and nationwide. PWR is a woman-owned firm that specializes in busy professionals and impact investors. Planning Within Reach, LLC and their advisors do not receive commissions and do not hold any insurance licenses or brokerage relationships.