I just keep everything on the desktop, my family already knows all the kinks I have.

Cybersecurity researcher here.

Use VeraCrypt. It's a completely open source encryption solution which even allows you to create a file or partition with a hidden one inside with a different password. You can also choose which types of encryption and hashing to use.

Most users will be fine with AES encryption and SHA-512 as the hash. If you want more security at the expense of convenience, use a double or triple layer encryption choice with Whirlpool hashing.