In this day and age, we are surrounded by technology and with that comes the need to protect our personal identifiable information. The amount of passwords we keep can be overwhelming—from email, to bill payment sites, to online banking—and we often feel like we just changed our password or maybe we have never changed our password. In either of these cases, we wanted to provide you with some reasons why you should consider changing to a more robust and complex password. With Daylight Saving Time approaching, it is the perfect time to change your passwords along with your clocks.

• Changing passwords too frequently can cause our passwords to become obsolete and not as strong. When we change our passwords frequently, we have a tendency to change or transform only a letter, number or something minimal to satisfy the password requirements—which is easier for hackers to figure out. Consider using a pass phrase using letters, numbers, and special characters. 

• Changing passwords during Daylight Savings means you change your password (at minimum) twice a year. If you only change your password twice a year, consider changing the passphrase to something long and complex. You should choose a new password or passphrase unrelated to the old one and don’t reuse a password or passphrase from another account. 
• Always change your password if someone has seen your password or if you have given your password out. Make sure you change all accounts that use this password or a similar password. 
• Choose a password or passphrase that is easy to commit to memory. A well thought out password is easier to commit to memory when it has a personal meaning to you. 

If you suspect your online account to be compromised for any reason, notify your bank immediately.