One way to keep your money safe is to make sure that your passwords are well protected. I know a few people who use the same password for all their accounts and this is one of the most dangerous things you can do. Many times when someone is hacking your account they will try the same password on more than one account and once it works the second time they know they have hit a home run.

Still others of us use very simple passwords such as pass1234 and other combinations because we simply have too many passwords to remember.

I recommend using a password encryption program such as LastPass or KeyPass but if you don’t here are a few things you can do to make your passwords a little more secure.

  • Use phrases
  • Don’t use the common questions
  • Don’t use sequential numbers or letters

These may seem like really simple tips but you would be surprised at how many people neglect these tips when creating passwords that are supposed to protect their finances.

Use phrases as your passwords instead of using a single word. This will make your password longer and therefore potentially more difficult to guess, rather than a single word.

Don’t use the common questions to create your password reminders. If they ask what your mother’s maiden name was, don’t simply put in ‘Skowinski’ as the reminder. Typing ‘it was russian’ or something similar will still remind you but it won’t be something that someone can guess.

Don’t use sequential numbers or letters as these are easy for hackers to get. It is better to use non sequential numbers to make it harder to crack your password.

The harder you make it for people to guess your passwords the safer your money will potentially be in the future. So make it a point to go over your passwords soon and make a few changes where needed.