Friday, February 25 is our next Shred Day. What does that mean for you? A perfect time to bring by any important documents you no longer need for us to shred them safely and securely for you at our Hagerstown office.
Now, how do you get yourself organized? What do you NEED to keep? What can you shred and when?
Keep for a Year or Less
Keep your ATM, bank deposit slips and credit card receipts until you have reconciled the withdrawals, deposits or charges with your monthly statements.
Same with bills for your cell service, utilities, etc. Hold on to them until payments have processed. However, if you are self-employed, you may need to hold on to these statements for tax purposes.
Keep your pay stubs until you receive your W-2 to make sure all the information is accurate.
Keep for a Year or Longer
You should keep the following documents until you have fully paid for them or sold them:
-Car title or loan
-Disputed medical bill
-Stocks, bonds or mutual funds
Keep for Seven Years
Did you know the IRS has six years to collect unpaid taxes or start legal proceedings against you? So, save your tax returns along with any supporting documentation, such as W-2s, tax deductions, important receipts, etc. for seven years.
Keep Forever
Make sure you keep any records that prove who you are and might be difficult or expensive to obtain again:
Birth certificates
Social Security cards
Marriage license
Divorce decree
Military discharge papers
Estate planning documents, such as a will and/or living will
Life insurance policies
In addition, you might want to store these important documents in a safe place, such as a fireproof safe or on your computer in a password-protected file. Be sure to safely shred any of the above documents that you no longer need to protect yourself from fraud or identity theft. If you miss our February Shred Day, don’t worry…we will hold another one in June, so you still have time to get organized and shred it!
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