With people using less and less cash and relying more and more on smartphones, it’s time for those of us “of a certain age” to reassess what we’re carrying around in our wallets, lest we lose said wallet or, even worse, have it stolen.
Things to take out of your wallet:
Cash – Sure, keep enough for an emergency, like you need a taxi ride and the cabbie won’t tke credit cards or if you like leaving your tip in cash at restaurants and so forth, but you certainly don’t need to be carrying around large sums of actual money any more.
Social Security Card – What was this doing in your wallet in the first place? There is no place you would ever need such a card and by now, we’re sure you have your own SSN memorized.
Excess Credit Cards – Experts say you should carry your debit card and then one or two credit cards. That’s it. Should your wallet fall into the wrong hands, the more cards there are, the greater the windfall for the crooks.
House Key – Your driver’s license will tell any thief where that key will work.
Medicare Card – This should only be in your wallet when you’re on your way to a medical appointment where you may be asked to provide it. Otherwise, like a SSN card, this can be used in lots of ways by professional fraudsters.
So, what should be in your wallet?
Driver’s License – Hope you never get pulled over by the cops, but just in case… Also, lots of places still use this as your photo ID.
One or Two Credit Cards – Along with your debit card.
Your Insurance Cards – But make sure you’ve made copies of the front and back of each card that you keep at home in case you ever lose your wallet.
One final word – those electronic wallet trackers can be very helpful if you forget where you put your wallet around the house. But their range is only about 400 yards, so they won’t be much help if your wallet is stolen or you lose it when you’re away from home.
