Consumer Reports published a handy list of documents to
shred and to keep. Much of the
information came from the Federal Trade Commission. I looked for a link but no luck. However, here’s
a link to a Consumer Reports article from 2010 that discusses the avalanche of
paper we all have: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2010/03/conquer-the-paper-piles/index.htm. The FTC recommends we keep our tax returns
forever. News to me!! So I have shredded the tax documentation from
more than 7 years ago but kept the copy of the return.
I know from personal experience how overwhelmed I can feel
when I see piles of receipts, bills, paid invoices, letters, and the paper
stuff we accumulate. Sometimes local
government officials will sponsor a shredding day so their constituents can
bring a certain number of boxes to a central location for shredding. A small shredder works for me, however, and I
can immediately shred old credit cards, and papers that contain my social
security number or credit card number.
And while we can get lost in a sea of paper, we can send
ourselves a life preserver by completing the Vital Information Form. Once the PDF is downloaded, it is easy to
copy and paste it into a Word document that will be user friendly. The VIF can be located in the blog when
viewed in your web browser.
As winter descends, think “great time to get organized”. Schedule a date with yourself to clean out
drawers and files. Make room for the
new.
Image: Liz West
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