Hello, Monday (Wednesday — actually, Friday)!

As we all get ready for the new year, and then again 90 days from now, and in yet another three months, ad nauseum — the computer system will ask you to pick a new password to access the information you so desperately need right now.

Although this may seem like a burden — and by all means, maybe it is — you should take a couple of minutes to take care of the computer’s request to change your password and pick a secure code that is hard to decipher and easy for you to remember.

There are applications available that will remember passwords for you (like LastPass or KeePass) although some of us (not me) have survived for decades writing down passwords on small pieces of paper and storing them somewhere “safe.”

When considering your new password, be sure to read the system’s requirements for new passwords, choose a strong passwordbased on those specifications, and make sure your new entry key is not one of 2015’s worst passwords. Here’s the top 10:

1. 123456
2. password
3. 12345678
4. qwerty
5. 12345
6. 123456789
7. football
8. 1234
9. 1234567
10. baseball