With the rise of identity theft and the painstaking amount of time required to address it, it’s more important than ever to shred documents that have your personal information. Personal info includes: social security number, bank/investment account numbers and personal account numbers on your medical documents. If you’re already paying your credit card, bank, and utility bills online, yet still receive hardcopy statements in the mail, consider going completely digital instead. If having the hardcopy serves as a reminder to pay, ask to receive monthly reminders via email or add a reminder in your calendar when to pay. Give yourself at least a week or two to insure you pay on time.
What to do with old statements? Shred them. Use a shredding company to take large loads of papers, as home shredders may not be able to do it all. I am a fan of having a paper shredder at home for current papers and to protect your identity from theft.
Do you have recommendations about shredding firms, i.e. Office Max, and cost?
Price varies from place to place. I’ve seen shredding bins at Staples for $0.99/lb. UPS is another place that carries a shredding bin. I recommend calling the store first to make sure it does offer shredding services.