Last year there were a stunning number of downsizings, buyouts, and layoffs. According to the editors of Consumer Reports Money Adviser, in November alone 533,000 workers lost their jobs, bringing the year’s total to 1.9 million and driving the unemployment rate up to 6.7 percent, a 15-year high.

And it looks like things might get worse before they get better. Some economic forecasts say that unemployment may reach 9 percent this year.

For those who have joined the ranks of the unemployed or are afraid they might soon, it’s a good time to take some precautionary steps. Consumer Reports Money Adviser offers advice on how to keep your finances on track after losing a job.

• Collect your severance. While companies aren’t required to offer severance packages, many employers do it so that they can maintain at least some employee morale while paring the work force. Total severance might be anywhere from the equivalent of two weeks’ to six months’ pay or possibly more.

Companies typically let employees choose to receive their severance in either a lump sum or a series of payments. If the company still seems financially sound, Consumer Reports Money Adviser says to consider taking the payments, which provide a paycheck for as long as the severance lasts. If an employer is on shaky ground, a lump sum is a safer bet.

• File for unemployment. If you’ve lost your job, the first item on your to-do list should be to call your state’s unemployment office to apply for benefits. Most states begin the benefit period from the day the claim is filed, not the day the employee was let go.

Unemployment benefits used to be available for a maximum of 26 weeks, but since the Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008 was signed into law last November, laid-off workers can collect benefits for an additional 20 weeks. People who live in states with high unemployment rates — such as California, Rhode Island, and Michigan — can get another 13 weeks of benefits.

• Obtain health coverage. Once a source of income is lined up, turn to health insurance. If you’re married and your spouse’s employer offers health insurance, you might be eligible to join his or her plan.

If that isn’t an option, you may be eligible for coverage under COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), which allows terminated employees to temporarily continue insurance under their former employer’s health plan. COBRA benefits generally last for 18 months.

• Decide if you need life insurance. An employer might allow you to continue your company’s group life insurance if you pay your own premiums. But life insurance might not be worth the expense if you have no dependents or children who are self-sufficient.

Those who have dependents to support may want to keep their coverage, however. If that’s the case, you may be able to find less-expensive term plans on your own. Go to findmyinsurance.com and lifeinsure.com for quotes. Consumer Reports Money Adviser suggests checking insurance company financial ratings with A.M. Best, Fitch Ratings, and Standard & Poor’s before signing up for a plan.

• Preserve retirement plans. Some employers will allow former employees to leave their 401(k) funds in the plan as long as they have more than $5,000 invested. Check with your human resources department first to see if additional fees will be charged for the privilege.

Those who have to (or want to) move their money can roll it into an individual retirement account or, if they’ve been lucky enough to land a new job, transfer the assets directly to their new employer’s 401(k) plan. Those who decide to roll it into an IRA usually have 60 days to do so.