thanks tosku!

Faucet is closed - any idea when it will be back??

Once upon a time-you stored your money in a bank. However the money physically sat in the bank and was subject to hold ups. The only thing that made a bank more secure than your mattress was the fact the bank was across the road from the sheriff's office. Transfering money meant stage coach and train hold ups. So money wasn't that secure.

Now if you store your money (which may never physically exist) if the bank is held up it is their issue not yous. So that is a step up in security. However if you have you card stolen or skimmed the crooks can still spend out your account. So protect your card. If you loose it you can cancel it and get a new one, your money will still be accessible.

With your bit coin wallet- the only person who can secure your wallet is you, just like carrying around a wad of cash. If you get mugged poof money gone. House burns down poof money gone.

However unlike a wad of cash you can keep copies of your wallet like have legal photo copies of your cash that can only be spent once. So if your physical bit wallet gets stolen you can still access the coins and transfer them to a new non compromised wallet (assuming you get to them first). House burns down- activate the wallet.dat stored else where.

Big risk I picked up form this thread is securing your computer when dealing with your savings wallet.

How about having a tablet that you never use- unless you were transferring coins in or out of your saving wallet. Less time to get infected, and of course you have virus protection. Android and Apple tablets/phones are probably now more common than pcs- what are the virus issues like on them these days?