I don't use File Vault myself. If I was worried about physical access to my Mac I might be tempted, but it can complicate things under some circumstances. If I was in a work environment and didn't log out of my account when I was not at my workstation, it would be a consideration. If I kept state secrets on my Mac, I guess I'd use it. At any rate, you can always turn it off. Also, performance impact with FV should be low, so not to worry.
Other tips? A question that is usually asked is about security on Mac OS and what apps are needed. The answer I always give is, none. Macs own built-in security should be enough.
There are no viruses that can attack Mac.OS X. So, anti-virus programs are selling a cure for a disease that doesn't exist. And they are renowned for borking Mac systems.
A Mac can pick up malware but not if you just use common sense. You really have to actively invite some malware in for it to happen.
Also, do not get fooled by products that claim to clean, virus check or optimize your Mac. If you do happen to download malware you can use MalwareBytes to get rid of it. Malwarebytes was developed by one of our own colleagues here in ASC. It gets rave reviews and is about the most proven anti-malware software for Mac.
Other tips? Always keep a good backup. Use Time Machine, a clone or both.
However I keep both a Time MAchine backup and clones. You can use a cloning software like SuperDuper! or CarbonCopy Cloner.
The advantage of the clone is that it is bootable. So, if your hard drive fails you can just boot from the backup and keep on working until you have the time to repair or replace the internal drive. You can also drag and drop files with the clone because it is the identical file structure on your primary drive.
The advantage of TM is that it creates recursive backups, so you can restore a file or the entire drive from a certain point in time.
That covers the major stuff, at least IMO. Hope I didn't overcomplicate.
