Protecting your personal information: Which documents to keep and which to shred

When it comes to protecting your identity, you might think about keeping usernames to yourself, using strong passwords, and reviewing your statements. That’s all great. But it’s also important to think about what you do with documents or digital files that contain your financial information. So, let’s look at what you should keep and lock up, and what you should shred or delete.

Keep for at Least Three Years

• Income tax returns

• Tax-related documents, like canceled checks, receipts, W-2s, and 1099s

• Records related to selling a home

In some cases, the IRS recommends keeping tax returns and tax-related documents for longer than three years. If you can access these documents electronically, consider shredding your paper copies.