Save It or Shred It? A Guide to Document Shredding

What's a Shred Day Event?

Shred Day Events offer the perfect opportunity to safely and securely dispose of documents with sensitive personal information, such as social security numbers, names and addresses, or even account information.

Should I Save It or Shred It? 

To help reduce clutter and potential fraud, it’s always a good idea to first digitize anything you might need later, think copies of your will or trusts, other legal documents, warranties, investment information, or items you might need when it comes time to file your taxes.

Receipts, bills, paystubs, annual insurance policies, bank statements, these are items to keep for up to a year (and can likely be discarded sooner). Anything reconciled or out of date isn’t worth holding on to.

Loan documents, vehicle records, savings bonds, investment information, appliance and warranty documents, you should keep as long as they’re relevant.

It’s also recommended to hold on to Federal and State tax returns for at least seven years, in case you get audited.

Of course, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and divorce decrees, Social Security cards, and military discharge papers should all be kept indefinitely, preferably in a secure place such a safety-deposit box or fire-proof filing cabinet.

When in doubt, use your best judgement and consider when or where you’ll need to reference the information again. Otherwise, make sure to dispose of your documents thoroughly and securely.

Join us for our FREE biannual Shred Day Event on May 25th, 2025 from 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM at OUR Credit Union Warren Branch located at 5625 E. Twelve Mile Rd., Warren 48092. Click here for more information. 

Happy shredding!