@docpop I might suggest one small edit:
To disable Google's "advanced" ad tracking, go to http://firefox.com and download Firefox for your platform. When it launches, import all your stuff from Chrome, make Firefox your default browser, and then install uBlock Origin from https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/
Boom, invasive tracking gone.
(For the nerds: Firefox is now performance-competitive with Chrome, and works for 99% of things. It's nothing like it was in 2009ish when we all switched away.)