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See Insider's list of the best identity theft protection services »Get the latest tips you need to manage your money — delivered to you biweekly. Information including linked bank account numbers, social security numbers, and even dates of birth were leaked, leaving many vulnerable to identity theft. Most commonly, identity theft involves the use and compromise of accounts you already have, as Business Insider's Lauren Lyons Cole previously reported. If you think that identity theft has happened to you, act quickly — once your information has been stolen, thieves can go after everything from your bank account to your health insurance. For more information on recovering after identity theft, read the FTC's recovery guide.

Setting yourself up for financial success means answering the easy money questions, as well as dealing with the harder ones. There are five essential financial questions you need to be able to answer to make sure you're on the right track. Everybody has money questions — but finding good financial advice is tough. Especially when you don't have anyone to answer your money questions. Most money questions tend to be very personal and specific.

Persons: Sarah Jacobs, —, I've, you've, weren't, it's, you'll, Lauren Lyons Cole Organizations: Service, CFP, Business Locations: New York City, that's

Lauren Lyons Cole is a financial planner in New York CityWhen she first meets a client, she asks them two questions seemingly unrelated to money: "What is your favorite Starbucks drink order?" But before we get into the financial minutiae, I ask two questions that have nothing to do with money, yet tell me more than a pile of bank statements ever could. What is your favorite Starbucks drink order? I ask many more questions during the meeting to get an accurate perspective on a client's approach to spending. But more often than not, the Starbucks question holds true.

Our experts answer readers' investing questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess investing products). Everyone knows retirement is expensive, but how much money do you really need to save? The calculation to figure out how much money you need to retire is [Your desired retirement income] ÷ 4%. That's your magic retirement number, and you can call it quits as soon as your account balances hit it. Take a look at the chart below to see how much you need to save to fund retirement income ranging from $40,000 a year to $250,000 a year.

Persons: Andy Kiersz Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Wall, Silicon

She tracks her own net worth through a simple spreadsheet that she updates with information gathered by money-tracking website Mint. One of the easiest ways to keep track of your financial progress is to monitor your net worth: everything you own minus everything you owe. No matter where you start, your net worth is likely to get better over time. It probably comes as no surprise that I love tracking money. I started tracking my expenses in college, using a small blue notebook the New York Times once wrote about.

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