I've always wondered why people put all kinds of personal business on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.

It's one thing to keep up with your friends, colleagues and others, and to let them know what you're doing. That's fine.

But it's another matter entirely to tell the world about your every waking move or EXACTLY where you'll be and even when you WON'T be at home.

As it turns out, such public professions are not only risky, they're financially costly too.

Insurance companies are now warning their customers against advertising their vacation and holiday plans on social networking sites.

The reason is simple: telling the world that you'll be on vacation in the Bahamas for two weeks makes you an easy target for crooks who might rob your home while you're away. If your home or apartment is burglarized, and you file a claim, most insurers won't hesitate to raise your insurance premiums or perhaps even drop your coverage.

Needless to say, there's another way that your Facebook, Twitter and other social network posts could also cost you money: in the job market. Employers are increasingly scrutinizing the online profiles and posts of employees as well as job applicants. If an employer doesn't like something about you that they see online, especially something you personally said or did (think profane language or those risque photos from Spring Break), you could risk missing out on a job or getting a promotion.

So take some smart advice and just keep certain personal business to yourself. It's just not worth it.

We're all guilty of "over-sharing" from time to time. What about you? Have you ever posted some online information about yourself that you later regretted, or that, in hindsight, could have made you a target of a criminal?

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Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, an award-winning financial news journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, has also been featured in top newspapers including the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times, as well as magazines ranging from Essence and Redbook to Black Enterprise and Smart Money. Check out her New York Times bestseller, 'Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.'