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What should I shred?

The easy answer – anything that has a signature, account number, phone number, social security number, medical or legal information (plus credit offers).

The complete answer – see below.

  • Address labels from junk mail and magazines
  • ATM receipts
  • Bank statements
  • Birth certificate copies
  • Canceled and voided checks
  • Credit and charge card bills, carbon copies, summaries and receipts
  • Credit reports and histories
  • Documents containing maiden name (used by credit card companies for security reasons)
  • Documents containing names, addresses, phone numbers or e-mail addresses
  • Documents relating to investments
  • Documents containing passwords or PIN numbers
  • Driver’s licenses or items with a driver’s license number
  • Employee pay stubs
  • Employment records
  • Expired passports and visas
  • Unlaminated identification cards (college IDs, state IDs, employee ID badges, military IDs)
  • Legal documents
  • Investment, stock and property transactions
  • Items with a signature (leases, contracts, letters)
  • Luggage tags
  • Medical and dental records
  • Papers with a Social Security number
  • Pre-approved credit card applications
  • Receipts with checking account numbers
  • Report cards
  • Resumés or curriculum vitae
  • Tax forms
  • Transcripts
  • Travel itineraries
  • Used airline tickets
  • Utility bills (telephone, gas, electric, water, cable TV, Internet)

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