Here is my list of safeguards:
1. Linux... Dump the MS spy machine. Linux by nature is much more secure.
2. FireFox with custom detailed security settings.
3. “NoScript” script blocker.
4. “Ghostery” ad blocker.
5. Use a Virtual Machine to containerize. Or run Linux from an isolated external USB stick.
6. Use VPN for important data transfers.
7. Use a remote email service and not open any locally.
8. NEVER register with any services or sites that do not actually require it if they still let you use it.
9. Prudence in use.
Sorry, no. While I am a huge Linux fan and an RHCSA, I do not prescribe Linux for home users. Why?
Linux distros are regularly one of the first three operating systems hacked at Black Hat EVERY YEAR. Macs are also in that list. Unpatched versions of Windows and versions of Windows out of support are also in that list, but you know what's not in that list? Patched versions of most modern OS (including Linux).
The problem is that the update process for Linux systems varies by distribution, and some distros have support issues for some third-party products that are either bootstrapped or put behind some sort of supplicant. If they fall out of support or are relying on a GitHub repo for updates, there have been several very public compromises of repos that infected Linux systems.
Linux also lends to a false sense of security. People who don't understand and just think, "Oh, I'm on Linux, I can't possibly be compromised," are often shocked when they get fraud alerts on their credit cards or their agency is hacked where patient zero was a Linux machine. (I've sat on IRs for where this happened on 2 different occasions.)
Linux is not natively secure, and it can be very obscure for someone who's only ever known Windows or MacOS. It's like eating the same meal for 10 years and introducing a new food to your diet: you'll probably tolerate it, but chances are high you'll be very irregular for a while as your body adjusts.