Lifehacker how long to keep documents

But which documents should you keep and which can you toss? Do you need to shred, so as not to lure identity thieves? This post originally appeared on LearnVest. Fear not. The suggested rules for which financial documents you should keep aren't crazy and they aren't written in microscopic print. We've got them all right here.

And there's an even better reason to consider tackling this to-do: According to a poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center , nearly one in four Americans say they've either lost or forgotten about an important financial document , and only 40 percent think they could locate an important document at a moment's notice. First, let us offer you a potential solution to that lost-doc feeling of panic: LearnVest's Doc Vault, available to all of our premium members. There you can securely upload all of your most important financial documents, see which crucial forms you're missing and keep them safe until the next time you need them in a hurry.

Stop counting sheep today. Fall asleep to the sounds of nature or comforting ambient noise. And if you're investing, you only need to hold onto monthly statements after your year-end statements arrive as long as everything matches up. We touched upon financial document storage advice before, but it's the perfect time of year to start going through old papers especially as newer documents accumulate.

How long do you store your documents, and how do you decide which to toss? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments. Which Tax Records to Keep [Kiplinger]. Hey folks, whatever you do There are a pleathora of articles on this issue.

Some disks are better than others at storing data long-term. These "year" claims are absolute bunk. They will reimburse you the cost of the disk and your data is gone with no recourse. Lifetime and experience varies, I've had disks go 8 years without problems, and I've had others that developed read errors in a year stored under ideal conditions with no physical damage.

Hard disks aren't exactly a stellar idea either. There will come a day when that drive refuses to spin up more common in these days of lead-free solder for circuit boards. The second subset of documents to hold on to relates to documents you need to keep, if only for a little while.

Documents in this category include:. Finally, the last subset is the documents you need to keep at least the most recent version of:. Everything else you can safely shred or throw away.

The list of to-shreds includes stuff you might not have otherwise considered sensitive, from ATM and credit card receipts, to bills and even used airline tickets.