If you’re approaching retirement age or are already enjoying your status as a retiree, it’s probably time to look over your old documents to see what you can get rid of. Thinning out old records is a necessary and ultimately satisfying experience, but you can’t go about it higgledy-piggledy. It’s not just a matter of filling a trash bag and dumping it in the bin outside. Some documents contain personal information that malicious actors can use to create false identities, commit fraud, and worse. When you do decide to cull your files, do it wisely. Here are four things you need to do when destroying documents.

Do a Review

This may be the most tedious part of dealing with old documents, but it’s necessary. Look over each document and determine if it’s safe to throw away or if it needs special disposal. Documents with personal information like social security numbers, bank account numbers, passwords, and the like should not go in the trash. Also, hold onto other papers covering your medical history, tax records of the past seven years, and similar important matters. Don’t be persnickety, however, and hold onto everything that “seems” important. Know when to hold ‘em, and when to fold (or better yet, shred) ‘em!

Are There Duplicates?

It’s always good to have backups on all your documents, but you’ll need to account for every existing version when it comes time to destroy them. This means destroying paper and digital copies on your computer or server, in your email folder, or on thumb drives and other external devices. You can’t destroy a thumb drive with a paper shredder, but you can ensure its destruction by pulling it apart and smashing the internal circuitry to bits with a hammer or pliers.

Buy a Shredder or Hire a Shredding Company

Take all the paper documents containing personal information that you saved and render them useless with a shredder. Shredders are affordable and easy to use, so get one now if you don’t already have one. Purchase a cross-cutting shredder because the scraps are difficult to reconstruct. Afterward, you can dispose of the shreds. Consider pouring ink or paint into the bag to ensure the documents are unreadable. If you hire a company to destroy your documents, make sure they provide a certificate of destruction to confirm the documents are gone for good.

What Does the Law Say?

Another thing you need to do when destroying documents is to avoid violating state or federal laws by destroying or even not destroying them. Seek legal counsel before going ahead with disposal. You may possess records that, if found by someone without the right authorization, could lead to identity theft, revelation of proprietary information, or legal proceedings. For instance, doctors and other healthcare providers can’t simply toss old patient records into the trash. Elsewhere, lawyers and companies dealing with sensitive material may be required to follow certain procedures for old document disposal. Look into it before you start shredding! You don’t want a nasty surprise down the road.

24World Media does not take any responsibility of the information you see on this page. The content this page contains is from independent third-party content provider. If you have any concerns regarding the content, please free to write us here: contact@24worldmedia.com