Apparatus, methods and/or computer program products are provided that facilitate the creation and management of secure passwords. Upon receiving a proposed password from a user for use in a computer system, apparatus or other communication system, the proposed password is evaluated for compliance with security guidelines. If the password complies at least with a minimum level of security, the password is evaluated and a relative level of the password is determined and assigned to the password. A lifespan for the password is selected based on the assigned relative security level of security. The user is notified of the assigned lifespan. Operations for evaluating the password, assigning the lifespan, and notifying the user of the lifespan may be performed in substantially real-time.