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)