Avoid the nightmare of the loss of a domain name. Keep your account information up-to-date. Keep a list of the names you own, which registrar they are registered with, and most importantly, what the renewal date is. Renew them at least a couple of months in advance, and consider renewing them for a period of at least two years.

I hear from clients all the time who have lost their account information. They have no idea who their domain name registrar is. They can't access their account, or even worse, their domain name has been purchased by someone else.

It helps to think of your domain name as something just as important as your drivers license. Since fees are so low for purchasing names we often think that purchasing a name is no big deal. This just isn't true.
Good domain names are hard to come by. There are speculators who purchase domain names for their resell value. Others purchase expired names for the built-in traffic that comes to the site.

If you have let your domain name expire, it could be close to impossible to get it back. Prepare to spend long hours or loads of $$$ to purchase a name that has been sold to someone else. 

One of the most common oversights is that owners neglect to inform their domain name registrar that they have a new email address. For most registrars this is the only way they have to contact you. If you don't get their message regarding a domain name that is about to expire, chances are that the name will be sold to someone else.

Protect your property! Keep your accounts safe and up-to-date!