In today’s Internet age, kids have a wide range of opportunities for learning, interacting, and even playing. Unfortunately, this environment also means parents must take an active part in their children’s activities. BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act Lifetime TV show has featured special guest Marie Hattar, who is vice president of Cisco’s Network Systems and Security Solutions division. Cisco, an Internet security and networking industry leader, visited BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act Lifetime TV show to discuss simple ways parents keep children safe on the Internet.

“Perhaps the most important concept for young people to grasp is the fact that there is no such thing as privacy on the Internet,” said Hattar while at BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act Lifetime studio. “They should never share personal information online. It’s important that parents monitor their child’s Internet usage closely.”

While at BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act Lifetime, Hattar suggested parents look over the privacy settings on their children’s social networking accounts, including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. But Hattar emphasized on The Balancing Act Lifetime that parents should also check the privacy settings of any apps their children use, including smart phone apps, as well as settings on children’s e-mail accounts and gaming systems.

“Internet safety is a growing concern that we hear about from our viewers,” says Doug Campbell, Executive Vice President for BrandStar Entertainment, which produces The Balancing Act for Lifetime. “We are so glad that Cisco agreed to be on The Balancing Act and educate the parents that need this information.”

Another option, Hattar explained to The Balancing Act’s Lifetime viewers, is to use software such as Home Network Defender to block a child’s access to any inappropriate websites. Home Network Defender, which is available from software producer TrendMicro, allows parents to set individualized access limitations, including blocking access at certain times of the day, Hattar told The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television.

Hattar’s visit to The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television will help increase parents’ comfort with their children’s web surfing habits, says Campbell. It is also the type of programming BrandStar Entertainment takes pride in producing through The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television. For more security tips like those offered on The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television, visit www.linksysbycisco.com/keepkidssafe.

A morning show by women, about women, trusted by women, The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television entertains and inspires viewers with stories that impact women’s daily lives. The Balancing Act Lifetime TV focuses on such themes as life, family, empowerment, and home. BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act airs on Lifetime daily at 7 a.m. Eastern/Pacific. For more information on The Balancing Act on Lifetime, visit http://www.thebalancingact.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin Follow The Balancing Act Lifetime on Twitter Subscribe to our article feed on Twitter, and be the first to get our freshest content. Follow The Balancing Act Lifetime on Linkedin Subscribe to our article feed on Linkedin, and be the first to get our freshest content. Follow [...]

The following segment aired on The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television. Joining the show was the Senior V.P. of Marketing and C.O.O. of New York Life Insurance Company, Chris Blunt.

The Balancing Act Lifetime: These days, most of us are trying to find new ways to be thriftier as we attempt to lower our monthly expenses and budgets. But not matter how tight our daily lives get, experts are constantly warning us that we still need to stay on top of our financial future. Chris Blunt from New York Life Insurance Company joins us on The Balancing Act and has some very useful information for us. According to his research, women particularly are just not doing enough to plan, or should we say protect themselves and their families with life insurance.

Blunt: One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family is with Life Insurance. Unfortunately, many Americans and especially women either do not have life insurance or they don’t have enough life insurance coverage for their families. One-third of all women in the United States are without any life insurance at all. Independent research shows that most people with life insurance have roughly have the coverage they need.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime: That is very frightening. We actually sent one of our producers that work here at The Balancing Act to find out some reasons why folks just don’t have life insurance. Here is some of the answers that they gave The Balancing Act:

“I don’t feel that anybody would benefit from it, being that I am single.”

“I’ve not really thought of it to be a terribly important issue at this point in my life.”

“My husband and I have never really been concerned because we don’t have children.”

The Balancing Act on Lifetime: Chris, after hearing that and also the statistics that your research provided, what signal does this send your industry?

Blunt: To the Life Insurance industry, this means that consumers need to be educated about all that Life Insurance can do for them right now, as well as after your death. It’s really an educational challenge that we at New York Life Insurance take very seriously. No family should be confronted with decisions like postponing college educations or selling the family home because they failed to have life insurance in place.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime: This really is a challenging time for individual investors and I suspect your hearing a cry for help from them as well.

Blunt: Absolutely. Now more than ever, people want guarantees and that obviously plays to New York Life’s Strengths. Permanent Life Insurance is one of those rare products that is flexible enough to be a source of living benefits as well as protections against the loss of the breadwinners income. And by living benefits, what I mean by that is that permanent Life Insurance, good-ol’ ‘Whole Life’ for example, can be a good source of emergency cash for tuition payments, mortgage payments and any immediate needs that you might find yourself needing.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime: Please explain to me and The Balancing Act viewers how Permanent Life Insurance works.

Blunt: There are two basic types of Life Insurance and the best analogy I’ve found is actually, housing. Term Insurance is analogous to renting your insurance Whereas Permanent Insurance allows one to own their coverage outright. But there is a cost to Permanent Life Insurance. In that they premiums are higher than they would be for Term, because you are actually locking in your premium for life. Term Insurance premiums are lower because the payment is only for a set period of time. Permanent Insurance however builds cash value, whereas term insurance does not.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime: You’re asking people to invest their money at a time when consumers are really nervous, and with good reason. What peace of mind do they have that their hard-earned money is safe and secure?

Blunt: New York Life has earned the triple-A rating from all four major rating agencies. That gives consumers comfort that their money is safe. In fact, not many banks out there can claim to have the high ratings like we do. New Your Life has billions more in capital than is required to maintain out triple-A rating.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime: What other advice would you give women who are considering buying Life Insurance for themselves or their families?

Blunt: Whether they’re the primary breadwinner or a stay-at-home mom, a professional agent from New York Life can assist you with your Life Insurance needs. We believe our agents are the best trained in the industry at customizing Life Insurance products depending on the need of the consumer and their budget.

The Balancing Act Lifetime: when times are tough, you have a product that you can turn to for cash, even though that will, of course, reduce your death benefit. And I think we really sorted some fact from fiction here when it comes to Life Insurance protection, and I know the advice will definitely help The Balancing Act viewers find some peace of mind in these tough economic times.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television is the only morning show in America produced by women specifically for women. Every morning, The Balancing Act on Lifetime hosts Danielle Knox and Kristy Villa tackle the issues that face today’s woman. Popular show segments include Live weather updates with Mark Mancuso, surprise celebrity visitors, and news about the latest trends affecting your life, home, career and family. The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television airs daily on Lifetime at 7 a.m. ET/PT. For more information, visit The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television’s website at www.thebalancingact.com.