Is your wallet your personal history museum carrying around artifacts of your life that tell a story or hold some sentimental value?
If that sounds familiar, you might want to consider what would happen if your wallet gets stolen or misplaced.
Would you regret losing some pictures that can’t be replaced?
Do some items hold more sentimental value than economic value?
Worse, do some items in your wallet contain personally identifiable information that thieves could use against you?
One landmark study found that more than 60% of people have had their wallets lost or stolen. More startling, nearly 40% admitted misplacing their wallet repeatedly.1
Remember, hope is not a strategy. With your wallet, it might be better to take a proactive approach versus “hoping” it never gets stolen or misplaced.
What’s in Your Wallet?2
Here’s some simple guidelines to consider about what to always, sometimes, and never keep in your wallet.
Always | Sometimes | Never |
|---|---|---|
Driver’s license | Medical card | Social Security card |
Credit card | Dental card | Passwords |
Debit card | Gift cards | Birth certificate |
Cash | Passport card | |
House key |
“In today’s society, far too many people don’t want to accept responsibility for their financial well-being,” wrote Mick Owens in Diamond of Life: The Five P’s of Success and Significance. “Many consider themselves to be victims of their circumstances.”
Pro Tip: As soon as possible, make a photocopy of everything (front and back) that’s in your wallet. You’ll appreciate knowing exactly what’s in your wallet in the event it gets misplaced. Don’t rely on your memory.
The most important take-away is that your wallet is not a filing system.
Your wallet should have critical items, and perhaps a few other things that you find important. However, in the event something were to happen, you want to know exactly what you have to replace.
