Helpful tips on sorting your papers.

Keep Them

• Keep for 1 Month - Withdrawal and Deposit Slips (balance against your monthly statement)
• Keep for 3 Months - Receipts for minor purchases such as clothing (most stores have a 90-day return policy or less)
• Keep for 1 Year - Paycheck Stub Monthly Statements for your Bank Accounts, Credit Card, Brokerage, Mutual Funds & Retirement Accounts
• Keep for 6 Years - W2s, 1099's and other guts of your Tax Return Year End Statements for Bank Accounts, Credit Cards, Brokerage, Mutual Funds & Retirement Account
• Keep Indefinitely - Tax Returns, Receipts for Major Purchases such as Appliances, Real Estate and Residence Records, Wills and Trusts.

Shred Them

• Utility Bills - once you get the next month's bill and verify that your last payment was applied correctly you can shred the bill unless you are writing the bill off on your taxes or being reimbursed. If not, SHRED 'EM!
• Monthly Statements and Paycheck Stubs - you only need to keep these for one year. Your year-end final statement you need to keep for 6 years with your tax return but shred the rest.
• Checkbook carbon copies - you only need to keep these if you are using them as a receipt for an item you are writing off on your taxes. Ideally keep the receipt, but if you lost the receipt a carbon check copy could be used. Simply put the carbon copy in with that year's tax return and shred the rest.
• Credit Card Checks - if you receive blank checks in the mail that give you access to your credit card account and you don't use them Ð SHRED THEM immediately.
• Personal Info - anything you receive with your personal info on it that you don't need, SHRED. I can't stress this enough!

Invest in a Home Office Paper Shredder
Having a durable cross cut shredder in your home near the area where you go through your mail and pay bills will significantly increase the chances that you will shred all of your papers that contain your personal information.

Check out my favorite Home Office Paper Shredder. I have owned this Royal paper shredder for almost a year and I love it. It's a great value for the price.

www.ShredYourPapers.com

Need some help with your shredding?
Pioneer Secure Shred, a locally owned and operated shredding company, has drop off sites around the metro area and offers home pick up.

DROP OFF SITES
You can drop off as little as 1 lb. of paper at any of these locations, plus more locations will be available soon. Walk-ins are welcome, no appointment is necessary at any of the drop off locations. Call the locations directly for hours and cost.

On average, the cost is around $0.75 and $1.50 per pound depending on the location and how much you drop off. One full standard size bankers box is about 28 pounds.

Your papers are weighed and then shredded right there while you watch. Your shredded documents are then sent to the plant where they are recycled back into new paper.

Golden Valley Sir Speedy Printing
2525 Nevada Ave. N. Suite 207, 55427
763.542.8812

Wayzata UPS Store
1161 Wayzata Blvd. E., 55391
952.249.1500

St. Paul UPS Store
1043 Grand Ave., 55105
651.222.2019

HOME PICK UP
Pioneer Secure Shred will stop by your house and pick up all of your documents, take them back to their plant for shredding and then issue you a Certificate of Destruction. The cost is $75 per bin and a bin holds approximately 7 standard size bankers boxes.

For more details and a list of additional drop off sites, call Cindy with Pioneer Secure Shred at 612.381.2175.

More Information On Preventing Identity Theft
Shredding your papers that contain personal information is one of the best ways you can prevent identity theft. For more tips and some scary statistics, visit www.ShredYourPapers.com and click on Identity Theft.

Some of what you'll find in next month's issue
How to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive by up to 90%.

The launch of The Fast-Filling Method audio program, how to put away or locate any paper document in your home in 30 seconds or less, guaranteed; for under $30.

Note To My Clients
Clean out all of your "Current Year Statement" files. The contents should go into long-term storage with your 2007 tax return along with all of the other "guts" of your tax return (W4's, 1099's, receipts, etc.).