Passwords. You probably have a significant number of them. One for your Facebook. Another for email. Yet another one to log into your bank account. How does one effectively manage all of his/her passwords?

It can be a complex undertaking – especially keeping track of which password is used for each service. But there is a way to keep organized, and that does not include jotting your passwords down on a sticky note.

Why do we even have so many passwords, anyway? Well, as we’ve become more dependant on the internet, we’ve come to use more and more services offered over the web. You’ve got Netflix, Spotify, iTunes — and the list goes on.

You might ask, why can’t I use the same password for everything? This is a major no-no. The problem with this is that once your password is guessed (be it by a hacker, etc), they now have access to all of your services. The potential damage here to you is significant (and has often resulted in indentiy theft — even financial losses). This means that, yes, you should use a unique password for each and every online service you use.

Back to the question posed earlier: how does one effectively manage all of his/her passwords?

The short and straight-forward answer is password managers.

Password managers are software that securely hold all of your passwords, as you may have guessed. These software packages are available both for your computer and your mobile device.

Many folks prefer to install a password manager on their mobile phones, which is a matter of convenience, because your phone is with you virtually all the time. You can access your passwords from pretty much anywhere.

You need to be careful as to which password manager you use, however. Look for user reviews and conduct some research online to find which software package works for you. Some are free, others are subscription-based.

Examples of password managers include Dashlane, LastPass, Norton Identity Safe, and 1Password.

As an added bonus, many password managers can also generate unique and secure passwords for you to use when you sign up for a new service online.

Want to learn more about available password managers? Take a look at this comparison chart.