Of course, different 401(k) providers offer different tools, and generally those tools are available only to account holders.

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Facebook has accompanied the changes with new tools and has encouraged users to examine their account settings.

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The ultimate goal is to empower blind consumers to create their own low-cost and potentially life-saving tools -- particularly in developing countries, which account for an estimated 90 percent of the world's blind population.

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By contrast, WebM tools would be free to use and the software would take account of the needs of websites, browsers and smartphones.

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This theoretical threat presupposes a compromised Google account, and Google had worked hard to reduce the possibility of hijacking accounts through tools like phishing and malware detection in Chrome and Gmail, default HTTPS in Gmail, 2-step verification, and others.

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The new Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which will take effect in 2013, provides more tools for the IRS, not only to pursue non-complying U.S. taxpayers, but also to more severely penalize those taxpayers it prosecutes.

FORBES: FATCA: Giving More Tools to the IRS

Start a blog, create a Twitter account and get on Facebook, and then play with the features and get a feel for which tools you actually enjoy using.

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"Investors are getting more sophisticated, and they are looking for more sophisticated tools, " says Liz Fanlo, a Charles Schwab vice president, in explaining the private account phenomenon.

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The Ting web page for businesses previews some new tools in the control panel, such as user-level alerts, which will email or text an account administrator or even disable a device when a particular user hits specified usage levels.

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