If you’re like me, you put a lot of thought into the meals you prepare each week for your family. Before you go to the grocery store, you make a list of the meals you want for that week. After choosing your recipes, you write down the ingredients you’ll need for each meal. Checking the cupboards, you make note of only what you need to pick up. A smart shopper, you’re sure to get your coupons together, you check your bank account ensuring you have enough for all that you need and then you head out to your favorite grocery store.

Once you’re in the store, with your list handy, you know there are certain items you’ll grab without a second thought. However, there are a few specials today. Wanting to make the most for your buck, you choose wisely. You’re interested in the taste and the price of each item. Heading to the check out with coupons are in hand, you’re feeling pretty good about the decisions you’ve made. Leaving the store, you’ve got more money in your budget because you spent wisely, bought only what was on your list and now you’re patting yourself on the back for a job well done. It feels good to make smart decisions. We put a lot of thought into a lot of things that really matter, or do we?

Did you know the most common password is “password”? Studies have shown that most people use their birthday, their children’s birth dates, their wedding anniversary or their parents birth dates. Some people use just a word that has special meaning to them. While it’s important to create a password you’ll remember, put thought into it. Be creative.

Whether you bank online, access social media regularly or just use email, it’s imperative that you choose your passwords wisely and creatively. For instance, if you’re wanting to use a name for a password try using symbols and numbers in the place of letters. An example would be the name Sheila. Using symbols and numbers and making a letter capital, you could type in $h3iLa or $43iLa. The four resembles an upside down “h”. This password would be easy to remember, but not as easy to hack, especially if you added more numbers to the front or back of the password.

There’s no guarantee that your accounts will never be hacked online. In everything there’s a risk involved; however, you can be smarter with your choices. Being creative when deciding on a password, changing the password often for each account (every 90 days or so) and using different passwords for different accounts can raise your level of security as well.