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Documents: Keep and Store or Shred and Toss?



DOCUMENT STORAGE SOLUTIONS


An organized, reliable and safe system for storing your documents is vital for anyone who wants to easily access important documents whenever they need to. You don't want to just pile your documents and papers onto desks, counters, and shelves...or store them stacked randomly by year in damp bankers boxes in your basement. It's important to get some education on what to keep and how to keep it safely.


Four basic things to consider are whether your storage is Easily Accessible, Protected From Theft, Protected From the Environment/Weather/Fire Damage, and Well Organized.


Below are some ideas and options for storing documents safely in the long term.


Paper Storage

Although storing documents in paper form is less common than it used to be, many people still need to keep some documents stored in physical filing systems such as a filing cabinet. If you decide to use a filing cabinet or filing box, then file folders should be labeled and organized by subject and year at least. You might need to further subdivide depending on the type of documents you choose to keep.





For your most important documents, a filing cabinet or box may not provide enough security or protection. If this is the case, a fire-and-waterproof home safe is a better option. This doesn’t necessarily mean a professional level wall safe hidden behind a painting. A grab-and-go lockbox that opens with your fingerprint or a passcode that you keep in your closet can be the perfect solution for protecting documents from a home fire or a flood.



A safe deposit box is another option to consider if you want to keep certain documents off-site in a more protected environment. Any institutions that provide safe deposit boxes will have alarms and security cameras and, sometimes, additional security staff or other measures. Unfortunately, you will only be able to access your safe deposit box during business hours. This means that you’d need to plan ahead to get these documents, so, if you think you’ll need quick access 24/7/365, then keep your documents elsewhere.


Digital Storage Solutions

The move towards secure and accessible digital storage has greatly reduced the paper clutter in homes and businesses! Some institutions or businesses might charge a small fee to get paper copies of older statements; but it’s often worth it to regain the space in our spaces.

And documents that still arrive in paper form can be scanned into digital storage systems via stand-alone scanners or apps on our cell phones.


If you decide to keep the majority of your documents digitally then it’s recommended to avoid keeping them on your computer or even just some sort of external hard drive since you might lose documents if these devices are damaged. It can also really slow down your entire system. But if you do decide to go this route, then creating digital backups of your digital files is a good idea.



Another option is to choose cloud-based storage such as iCloud, Amazon Cloud Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Carbonite, or another secure server storage solution. Cloud-based storage can be great for organizing and securing your documents since most services guarantee protection through encryptions; and they often make your documents available through your phone or tablet. This allows easy access to your documents almost anywhere at any time.



If you do decide to go with a digital storage solution, just verify that you won’t need a physical copy or the original document in the future. The last thing you’d want is to shred something that you’re actually going to need in a few years. You can probably get a copy of the document from the original source; but will need to wait and likely pay a fee.



HOW TO DISPOSE OF OLD DOCUMENTS


Getting rid of old, useless paperwork can create a lot of space in your home and office, especially if you’ve been saving documents for decades.

But, you don’t want to just toss your personal information out with the weekly trash and risk exposure to identity theft or financial fraud. You might not realize how much information is available in your old bills, statements, voided checks and other financial or legal documents that could lead to a motivated person causing you some real and long-term problems.



Before you throw anything away in the regular trash, look the documents over for any personal information. This includes Full Names, Physical Addresses, Phone Numbers, Social Security Numbers, Financial Account Numbers, Policy Numbers, Driver’s License Number, Usernames and Passwords (those old sticky notes!), Membership Information, Medical Records, and anything with authentic Signatures.


The best option is to shred documents that contain sensitive or personal information before you throw them away. If you don’t have much to shred or if you shred documents on a regular basis, then investing in your own shredder is a good idea. If you need to do a large volume shredding then it’s best to hire a professional shredding service that will come to your home or business and almost instantly pulverize all of those sensitive documents so no one will ever have any idea what was on them.

The fee you pay for this service is well worth it to keep your personal information safe.


If you have more to shred than you want to run through your small personal shredder, but not enough to hire a shredding service to come by, then some retail stores also offer shredding services. These places include Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, FedEx Office, and The UPS Store. Some towns will also offer a “Free Document Shredding Day” and this can be a great option if you have time to drop by since you’ll avoid having to pay the fees associated with the other options.



Our lives necessarily involve documents, statements, receipts, and other paperwork. We’re often required to have a paper trail or proof of purchases or insurance, estate planning documents or legal action paperwork or just the usual IRS tax documents. By educating ourselves on what needs to stay and what we can dispose of, we can minimize the amount of space your documents take up in your home or office.

And by accumulating fewer physical documents, we create more life space for us to enjoy.


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