Many people use their wallets as the storage place for all of their personal information. How many times have you seen an individual remove a wallet from their handbag or back pocket that is so crammed with “stuff” they are as thick as a brick. Talk about lower back and shoulder problems!
The fact is the vast majority of contents in these wallets should not be in there in the first place. This is why people panic when they lose their wallets because they usually contain so much private and personal information about the individual. A lot of financial disruption can occur when someone loses their wallet. In essence, your wallet is a window to your personal financial and medical life.
So what should a person NEVER keep in their wallets? Here are some suggestions:
-Social Security Card
-Medicare Card
-Birth Certificate
-List of PINS and passwords
-Blank or cancelled checks
-Receipts with redacted credit/debit card numbers
-Expired or infrequently used credit cards
-Spare house of office keys
-Gift cards
One may think they need to have all of these things at their fingertips in one convenient place. BIG MISTAKE! Once you lose your wallet your anxiety goes into warp speed because you know you have a major problem and will have to spend many hours trying to protect and re-create your personal, financial and medical information. The best protection is to never have any of the above items in your wallet at any time. Keep them separate in a secure place and only have them with you when you need them. You do not want to make it easy for a thief to steal your identity, your money and your medical information.