Shared Reading: Five Things to Do Before Losing Your Wallet

Most of us don't think about the contents of our wallets on a daily basis. But what happens if you lose your wallet? The Consumerist has created a list of things that everyone should do in case their wallet goes missing.

The article is split into two sections. The first section discusses how to protect yourself in advance and the second section helps you protect yourself in the aftermath of losing your wallet.

Copy Everything: Take everything out of your wallet and make a copy of the fronts and backs of everything. This way you'll know exactly what to cancel when your wallet disappears. Put the copies somewhere safe—maybe where you keep your social security card?

All of my credit cards have the 800-number printed directly on the back for you to call if the card is lost and stolen. But if the card is missing, how will I know the phone number?

Besides copying your cards, I recommend saving the phone numbers in your phone's contact list. You might not know your account number when you call, but that's fine. Credit card companies will look it up through your SS# and other personal information they have on file.

The full article, Five Things to Do Before Losing Your Wallet, has many more suggestions so I recommend reading it to learn how to protect yourself.