No matter how high-tech our lives become, we have to keep some papers. If you're not careful, those papers can pile up, and the next thing you know, you can't find what you need when you need it. Getting organized makes your life easier and reduces stress.

What Personal Papers Should Be Kept?

Digitizing papers saves space, can be safer in an emergency (if backed up to secure cloud storage), and is always available. Unfortunately, you can't digitize everything. Some documents have to be kept in paper form.

Documents that have to be kept permanently:

Birth certificates

Adoption papers

Marriage licenses and divorce decrees

Death certificates

Social Security cards

Military records

Business licenses

Passports

Incorporation documentation

Pension plan documents

Green cards and citizenship papers

Insurance policies

Vehicle titles and loan documentation

Wills, living wills, and power of attorney documents

Deeds and mortgage documents

Even an expired passport has valuable information and is also still legal, valid proof of U.S. Citizenship. Keep it securely locked away with other “keep forever” papers. Business licenses and incorporation papers, in theory, are only essential while the business exists, but other experts suggest keeping those documents permanently.

What Are Household Documents?

“Household documents” are vital papers related to your family and personal life. Homeowners should keep some forever while others only need to be kept for one year or seven, depending upon the document. The kinds of paperwork that fit into the “household documents” category start with the list above, except for business licenses, incorporation, etc.

In addition to those papers, household documents include:

Baptism and confirmation records

Vaccination records

Bank and credit card statements

Investment paperwork

Property appraisals, certificates of occupancy, variances, etc.

Tax returns and records

Educational records

Veterinary records

Car repair and maintenance documentation

Funeral and burial plans

Warranties, guarantees, owner manuals

Many of these papers can be digitized and the originals shredded, but the period for keeping physical copies varies. ATM receipts can be shredded after reconciled with a bank statement. Credit card statements, bank statements, etc., only need to be held a year so long as you have digital copies.

However, a business should keep any financial document involved in an IRS audit for seven years. The Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Information division also offers guidance on how long to hold onto necessary paperwork.

Car owners should keep vehicle paperwork as long as they have the car. The maintenance and repair records could affect its resale value. The same goes for property paperwork and home improvement records. Keep veterinary records as long as you have the pet.

How Do You Organize Your Personal Paperwork?

It's more important to find a filing system that works for you, is easy to maintain, and stick with it than follow one particular method. That said, here's a reliable approach.

Select your storage location

Gather the papers to be organized

Digitize and shred what you can

Purge what's unnecessary

Collect filing supplies

Sort and label

Regular file maintenance is crucial

File vital personal records like birth certificates and marriage licenses together. Financial records would be another category. House and property documentation would be another.

Within a category, primarily financial, which tends to be a large category, you can be as specific as works for you. For example, a file for each credit card or, if you only have one or two cards, a single file for both might be sufficient. You want to be as specific as needed to make maintaining it easy but not excessively so.

How Do You Organize Years of Paperwork?

It can be daunting going through years – or even decades – of paperwork. The same principles listed above still apply, though. Sort into piles of what can be purged and what needs to be kept. Then distinguish between things to keep, scanned, and digitized versus what has to keep as paper. Shred all of the discards. Old receipts and paperwork can be an identity theft risk.

The only real difference in handling old paperwork is that the task can seem overwhelming, and you can safely shred more of the paperwork because it's out of date. Starting small and doing it in batches might be easier, but some prefer to do it all at once.

Protect Your Data with Storage Quarters

Good data management and destruction are essential to prevent breaches and identity theft. The data and document experts at Storage Quarters can help with all aspects of storing and shredding your sensitive information and keep your vital records safe and secure. To get a free quote or book our services, contact Storage Quarters today by email or call us at (516) 794-7300.