Should i shred bills

You create them and receive them. Paper usage is still growing every year even with the advancements with paperless technology. So what needs to be shredded? The simple answer is destroy everything, here is why.

Half of every document has some piece of information that is required by law to be shredded. So how do you decide? The time it will take to review each document would be great not to mention the possibility of making a mistake.

Many people are surprised to learn that someone can legally dig through their trash once it has been put out for pick up. The U. Supreme Court decision in California vs. Greenwood, found that there is no expectation of privacy in trash that is left for collection in an area accessible to the public.

That means any document that you put in the regular garbage is available to anyone that wants to look through it. Destroying documents with your personal information reduces the likelihood of becoming an identity theft victim. I would keep credit card statements for 7 years too in case of tax audit.

My banks only keep the last 12 months of statements available online, so I download these to my pc every 3 months to keep them for 7 years there. How long after the case is closed should those be kept? The answer to your question could depend on many factors including the document you scan and the purpose for which you want to use the document.

Are you thinking about scanning your child's drawing to share with a friend, or scanning a legal document to send to a court?

You may want to ask a lawyer for advice. When I got my first Social Security statement of lifetime earnings, there were a few years missing. Of course those records had long been shredded as they were earnings more than 20 years old.

SSA does not keep the records, so I was told I was just out of luck "and should have known better! How awful, Enjay! No one ever thinks things like this will happen to them. May we all learn from your unfortunate circumstance. My ex-husband destroyed some of my personal tax returns for yrs. A possible way to recover those lost earnings yrs. Check your Social Security every year. Register on the social security site and get your earnings statement.

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Share this page Facebook Twitter Linked-In. May 1, by Lisa Weintraub Schifferle. Shredding Infographic. Blog Topics:. Comments macmaneddie May 1, reply. If you pay stubs have any garnishment shown, they should be kept forever. The documents recommended to save forever are of a strange variaty.

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