After many many years I settled on using an excel spreadsheet that requires a password to open it.
The reason is that it’s not just ‘username’ and ‘password’ you need ... there are pins, sometimes security questions which don’t fit your life, other ancillary data.
A couple years ago I moved the password encryped excel spreadsheet to a Google Docs spreadsheet (Google’s version of Excel) - that way I can grab it from a phone, ipad, computer, even someone else’s computer or phone in a pinch. (Google Docs is https - secure http)
This is the only method I know that covers all situations.
(it’s also handy for storing shopping lists, especially for measurements of things around the house for when you go to Home Depot because you can pull it up on your mobile phone at the store when you’re looking at 700 different sizes.)
Also, you can pick a base password that contains most or all of the required characters like “M0t0rBo4t” or something -> and then append 01, 02, 03 for those that you have to change every 90 days - like your windows network password at work.
The password programs like KeePass and LastPass are good sometimes, but they can be simplistic, and if you leave your computer open while you have those programs autosuggesting passwords, it’s going to suggest that password where the person goes.
With an excel file (password protected,) or Google Docs to access it anywhere, at least you have a single, flexible, place, available from any device, secure http, to get this information.
Could Google steal your file? If someone wants your passwords, they’ve got ‘em already. That’s a chance I’m willing to take, and any app that gives you your passwords on demand anywhere ... means they are stored in the cloud anyway.
That said ... if anyone knows a better solution that offers everything I listed ... I’ll change to anything that works long term. So far, I’ve been doing this for 6 years ... tried all the other solutions during those 6 years.
The key, if you have 10 - 20 passwords (and usernames) is to settle on a scheme that no one is going to guess (animal names using numbers for letters like “M0ng00s3” is popular.
Otherwise you wind up writing all your disparate passwords on stickies near where they’re used, which I’ve seen even some IT people do, or, each month, you think of a new neat scheme, and by the end of the year, you’ve got 6 schemes and you can’t remember which you used for that password.
Good luck. I only write a lot because it’s been a long journey to finding something that works. Hope some o that helps.
Sounds like a good system. With KeePass it does have a notes section for security questions, etc.
As for security questions, I read of one solution that’s easy to remember. Use the same answer for everything, regardless of the question. First dogs name: FreeRepublic. Grade school: FreeRepublic. Mother’s maiden name: FreeRepublic. Sarah Palins email was hacked by someone who accessed the account by figuring out the answers to the security questions.