Getting Paperwork in Order: What to Keep, Shred, Recycle/Toss

Clear out: As you are gathering your paperwork for taxes, pull out records older than 7 years and shred them. This is a great time to organize everything by year, so every year you can get rid of the oldest information. You may be able to shred items less than 7 years old. Go to Record Retention for more specific guidelines.

Keep: Create a box or binder to store information that needs to be kept: birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, Social Security cards, military papers, trusts/wills, and estate planning paperwork. Create another box or binder for information that updates occasionally: insurance policies, car titles, passports, etc.

Recycle or Toss: Junk mail, monthly statements (once you receive a new one), old newspapers, and old magazines. Anything with your social security number or account numbers should be shredded.

Going through paperwork on a regular basis will help you stay on top of it. If it has gotten out of hand, spend 15 minutes a day until you have things in order. If you need help putting a system in place call us at 414-526-5242.