These days, most people choose to go paperless on things. However, it is still unavoidable to get essential paper mails such as old tax returns, medical bills or insurance papers. If you are a homeowner, you probably have piles of paper you have been keeping for years. You are probably not sure of which of these documents you should give up anytime soon. To decide which documents you should shred, consider the guide below:
Old Cards
Any card that has your personal information such as your ID, credit and debit cards must be disposed of properly through paper shredding. You don’t want other people to steal your information through these cards. Your ID cards have it all. After closing a bank account and transferring your money to a new account, make sure you shred the card associated with the old account. This is also true for expired cards since their number is usually the same as the new card. You will have to consider this to avoid making it easier for identity thieves to get your data that usually takes just cracking the expiration date and security code.
Old Banking and Medical Information
Banking documents that are at least one year old shouldn’t be kept. In case you will be required to provide proofs of your identity, you can use new credit card bills and bank statements. The same goes for letters with your insurance provider and old medical bills. Unless you need these papers for an ongoing dispute, have the old docs shred.
Old Tax Information
Give those tax-related papers about seven years before you decide to shred them. It takes up to seven years to hoard these papers especially if you are an audit risk. Also, make sure you double check with your attorney before you shred those papers.
Any Docs that Have your Personal Information
Any piece of paper that has important information such as social security and bank account information must be shred. You may also think about shredding any paper that has your contact information and address.
Although some documents like your marriage license, will, deed of your property and car title contain your personal information, they are must-keep items you don’t want to give up. You can keep the most recent versions of some papers like your retirement plan statements. However, if you have lots of unused and useless papers in your residence, you can contact a shredding service provider to dispose of these things.