Wallet 101: 4 Tips to Guide Men in Choosing the Right Wallet

Most men don’t think about their wallet purchases. As long as it carries what’s important - money - then it’s all good. However, besides function, a wallet has to be presentable. Like shoes, your wallet reflects your personality. So with these two important things at the front of our minds, here are four other tips when in the market for the right wallet.

1. Determine what goes inside your wallet before getting one. Aside from money, what other things can you put inside it? Below are four things that go inside:

- ID

- Business Cards

- Credit Cards

- Photographs

On one hand, don’t keep these things inside your wallet!

- Library Cards

- Discount Cards (Unless they’re from a store you frequent and are still redeemable; if they’re from eons ago, then throw them away.)

- Other Bits of Paper (Throw that receipt of last week’s dinner from some posh restaurant, mate!)

Avoid bulking up your wallet. A bulky wallet in your back pocket is an inconvenience, hot to the eyes of pickpockets, and unsightly to look at. Remember, the smaller the wallet you get, the fewer things you can put inside it.

2. What is the wallet for? There are different types of men’s wallets. There’s the basic billfold - the usual wallet men use - which come in bi-folds or tri-folds. There’s the super slim wallet, a wallet just small enough to carry the basic necessities --- a credit card, an ID, and a money clip for some bills. Then we have the travel wallet, big enough to house the owner’s passport and a few cards along with the other important things.

Aside from the type, you can also consider your wallet’s choice of material. Of course, if you’re often within a formal setting particularly for work, then you should get one that complements that, something formal-looking like a leather bifold. If you’re the outdoorsy type, often up and about, then get a wallet that fits your lifestyle. There are sports wallets, made water-resistant or waterproof and fitted with zippers for extra protection.

It’s okay to have more than just one wallet. you can get a travel wallet you can use for traveling, have a regular trifold for your daily use, then a handy-dandy coin purse to go along with it.

3. Always go for the simple yet neat one. Get one that you can use casually yet you don’t have to change come formal events. You can’t just keep on transferring your wallet’s content from one to the other because the wallet you use daily doesn’t fit any formal setting.

Go for a minimalist-looking wallet in plain, basic color, something that suits well with most of the clothes in your wardrobe.

4. Always consider your wallet as an investment. Don’t be afraid to splurge a bit on your wallet choice. After all, it’s going to be your constant companion. Get one that’s made of a reputable brand using materials that you know are exceptionally sturdy like cowhide leather.

You can also consider getting RFID-blocking wallets like the Pierre Cardin RFID-Protected Bifold Leather Wallet. These protect your bank cards from being RFID-skimmed, a type of electronic pick-pocketing that doesn’t just endanger your money but your identity as well.

These protective wallets are available at Chisel and Charm. Check them out! Who knows, your ideal money-carrying companion might just be in one of the collections that we carry.