Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

You have to deal with this annoyance all the time. Thanks, Russian hackers for making us waste so much time.

So...you log into your brokerage account online, giving your password. That's one factor. But no, it's not enough. To check your balance, you then have to have a second factor...like a texted number to your registered cell phone. You type that into the prompt that has popped up on your computer screen, and then (and only then), after you're finally allowed to access your brokerage's page, can you then bemoan how little you have in savings.

Regardless, you needed two hurdles to jump over to get there: the login password and the texted code number. Tons of hassle. But it's the world we live in, so blame Putin or somebody you don't know to help you feel better.