What Documents Should You Shred or Keep?

If you notice that piles of documents, letters, and other stuff has been piling up, it may be time to think about going through it to put together a pile of stuff to keep and a pile of stuff to shred. Having a shredder for this kind of work is extremely important to help prevent identity theft. To help you better understand what documents you need, here's what you need to know about what to keep and what to shred:

Documents to Keep Forever

Anything that is state or federal related you will need to keep forever. This includes documents such as your birth certificate, social security number, deeds to property, and more. Of course, these documents can easily be replaced. However, it is important that you keep them in a safe place since they can be difficult to replace. You will have to send a request form to a government agency, and wait for a long period of time before they are finally sent in the mail for you.

Documents You are Unsure Of

During this time of organizing paperwork, there may be some documents that you are unsure of whether or not you need to keep them. You likely want to keep them in an emergency folder just in case you ever do need them. Another solution is to scan these documents onto your computer to save for later and you can shred the physical copy. 

Documents to Keep for a Short Time

There are some documents that you must keep for a short amount of time, which include tax papers, medical records, pay stubs, and more. Once you have saved these documents for the amount of time that you need them for, then you can go ahead and shred them. 

Documents with Sensitive Information

When it comes to paper shredding, remember you don't have to go through the trouble of shredding every paper in your home that you are going to throw away. It is only important that you shred papers that have your personal information on it. Anything else can simply be thrown into the recycle bin. 

Do You Have a Good Shredder?

Not only do you need a shredder for paper documents, but you also may find that you have to shred more heavy duty things, such as old passports, IDs, credit cards, and more. This is why you need a good shredder that is equipped to handle more than just paper.

By shredding and organizing the papers that you need to keep in your home, you can be sure that you are no longer overwhelmed by a large pile of papers.

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