What You Should Keep Forever
- Social security cards
- Birth certificates
- Death certificates
- Marriage license
- Business license
- Mortgage documents
- Vehicle titles
- Passports
- Wills, living wills and powers of attorney
You can scan all of the above documents and keep digital copies of them, but overall, if there’s a document that you think is important to keep, then do so. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
What You Should Keep for Now
- Insurance policies
- Retirement plan documents
- Social security statements
- Tax documents
Anything business related should be discussed with legal personnel before you decide to shred it. If you’re in the professional services industry and get audited regularly, you want to be sure you have all the documents that you’ll need to pass the audit.
Your next step is to organize all the files you are keeping in labeled folders and store them securely in boxes or cabinets. From there, you can decide what can be safely shredded, which should be the remainder of your pile. When you’re ready to shred, let us know so that you can properly dispose of your confidential information!