How to Identify Which Documents to Shred…
If you want to be sure that you’re protecting your information, then you need to be sure that you’re shredding certain documents. This principle applies tenfold when you’re responsible for the protection of somebody else’s information. Unfortunately, shredding can’t really be a case of “better safe than sorry” because some documents are very important. Being unsure about what and what not to shred is hard, which is even more of a reason to call in the experts. In this post, we want to help shed a little light on what you should and shouldn’t shred.
Identifying Documents
This one is huge. You should almost never shred identifying documents. This refers to birth certificates, death certificates, your social security card, ID cards, passports, or anything that would be officially used to prove you are who you say you are. Not being able to prove certain things about your identity can get you into hot water in your job, in the legal system, or even in the justice system. Don’t shred your existence away!
Legal Documents
Many legal documents are needed in hardcopy form as important proof of their veneration. This includes last will and testaments, marriage licenses, business licenses, vehicle titles, loan documents, house deeds, and mortgage documents. Proving that you have the right to do something or that you owe people a certain amount of money is extremely important, and having correctly notarized documents that support your case are essential to proving that you have the rights that your documents accord you.
Federal and State Documents
Though this encompasses items we’ve talked about in the previous two sections, it should be stated more boldly that you should never shred documents that you acquire through the federal or state government. Not only will it take forever to replace, but if there is a mistake in your documentation, it could be very hard to fight an entity as large as the American government. Replacing important federal documents is a huge hassle that you can easily avoid.
Digitizing Documents
Some documents are definitely worth keeping, but potentially not necessarily in hard copy form. Many important items such as tax receipts, bank statements, and medical records can all be accessed and preserved online in this day in age. Though these documents are still undeniably important, they need not be kept in hard copy, at least to the extent as the aforementioned items.
Make sure you’re shredding the right stuff and shredding it right by shredding with us!