Go here to test your password: http://www.speedypassword.com/articles/how-secure-is-my-password-test-your-password/
Best alternative is a long phrase. By long, I mean 16 to 64 characters. Something like ilovemycatnamedjofus. It turns out that length of passwords is a much larger factor in making passwords hard to break. They are also much easier for mere humans to remember.
Alternatively, good passwords have an assortment of:
- lower case letters
- upper case letters (not the first character)
- numbers (not sequences)
- special characters: $_&% – .
- the longer the better – 8 characters minimum — 12 preferred
- do not use any word in any dictionary, names, dates or phone numbers
- do not use the same password for lots of different things
- Keep a piece of paper on which you store all your passwords and keep it up to date. Store it in a safe place that people you trust know about.
FYI, passwords are just about the only things on the web which are case sensitive.
Do yourself and your executor a big favour. Create a sheet of paper with ALL of your passwords on it. Keep it in a safe place, up to date and give a copy to someone you trust.