Thankfully, deciding what you need to keep and what you can safely shred is simple. And depending the type of documents you’re dealing with, you need to store some of them for certain periods of time; others you can digitize, and still others you can throw away altogether (but it’s always a good idea to shred them first). Shred everything elseSocial security statementsAnnual insurance policy statementsRetirement plan statements (401(k), 529, IRA, etc.) Everything else you can safely shred or throw away. It’s always a good idea to shred anything that has personal information like your name, address, phone number—and especially your social security number or bank account information.

Source: The Nation September 18, 2020 21:00 UTC