I'm borrowing the line from the Capital One TV commercial:
"What's in your wallet?" Do you know? If your wallet was
lost or stolen, would you know what was lost? Of course,
you can always check your records at home, and cancel
everything just to be safe, but what if you're on vacation
or your filing system at home proves less than helpful?
Would you remember to cancel the major credit cards but
forget about the department store cards?
Some folks like a light wallet and carry only what they
need. Others are of the "take it all for convenience"
variety. No matter which category you fit into, if you
don't know exactly what's in your wallet, you could be in
big trouble if these items are lost or stolen. Here are a
few preventative steps that can save you lots of time and
anxiety, both short and long-term:
1. Determine what you need. Do you really need to bring all
your credit cards, bank cards, checkbooks, etc. at all
times, or can you just take what you need when you need it?
Give this some thought. Leaving unnecessary items behind
can not only lower the risk of having them lost or stolen,
it can prevent impulse buying as well.
2. Keep records of your wallet items. Make a record of
everything you keep in your wallet. One way to do this is
to make copies of everything - fronts and backs, making
sure to include the contact phone numbers. Friends of mine
who are professional organizers have suggested making two
copies - one for your own records to be kept in a safe
place, and the other to be kept by a trusted friend to have
in case you can't get to your records immediately. Be sure
to review and update these copies annually, and add or
delete information as accounts are opened or closed.
3. Leave your social security card at home. Your social
security number is the number one item identity thieves
need to make your life a mess, so you should never carry
your social security card with you. If your healthcare
cards use your social security number as your
identification number, here's a clever suggestion - make
copies of your medical insurance card to carry with you
with your social security number blacked out. If you need
the number for a medical visit, you can recite the number
from memory.
A little "wallet wellness" today can prevent a lot of
heartache tomorrow!
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Jill Russo Foster provides practical tips for everyday
finances. Learn more about protecting your credit and
living within your means with Jill's popular free report,
bi-monthly ezine, and credit report reminder program,
available here ==>
http://www.themortgagearrangers.com/resources.asp
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