5 reasons to use a password manager

A password manager is software that runs on a phone, tablet or PC and assists in generating, retrieving and storing passwords in an encrypted database. I'm a longtime password manager user and it's the first piece of software I install on a new device. The following are my top 5 reasons to use a password manager:

1. Using the same password for multiple account is insecure. A password manager creates unique complex passwords for each account automatically.

2. Automatically sync data across all your devices (phone, tablet, PC) so you always have access to your accounts.

3. Automatically retrieves and enters your username and password when you visit a site.

4. Many password managers will alert you to a data breach and can even change multiple passwords for you automatically.

5. Migration to a password manager is easy. Simply enter your username and password like you usually do when you visit a site and click when prompted to store the username and password in your password manager.

Top password manager picks include Dashlane, LastPass and 1Password