Question

What should a password policy contain to reduce a hackers ability to crack the passwords?

Answer 1

Creating a strong password is an important part of protecting your account.  The following character sets should all be included in every password:

uppercase letters such as A, B, C;                                                                    lowercase letters such as a, b,c;                                                                        numerals such as 1, 2, 3;                                                                              special characters such as $, ?, &;                                                                    alt characters such as µ, £, Æ. (Cliff) 

Misspell words or create acronyms;
Use punctuation characters to separate words or acronyms;
Change passwords every 6 to 12 months;
Use variable-length passwords; 
Don’t rely completely on similar-looking characters, such as 3 instead of E, 5 instead of S,or ! instead of 1.