Use a password that is a combination of letters and numbers. Use a set of letters that spells a made-up word only you would know (because you just made it up!).

Use different passwords for different sites -- especially for any financial institutions. One easy way of doing this is changing the number you use in the password.

Make it at least 8 characters.

For sites that support it, use a symbol and/or a capitalized letter in your password too.

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If you do the very minimum and at least no word that appears in the dictionary, and no one's name, you probably have a stronger password than most people.