<p>Just up from the basement where I was horrified at the number of files with SSN and financial details. How do I ship this stuff to the new place half-way across the country? Do I entrust the lot to the movers? Do I send it by US Mail/UPS/FedEx? Do I pay for the extra luggage, and check it onto the plane with me?</p>
<p>Please advise!</p>
<p>I’m thinking I would pack it in boxes, tape them securely, and label them “Fragile, glassware, this side up”. OTOH, I don’t trust anything breakable/irreplaceable or the jewelry to the movers and would probably drive a carload of the most fragile items across myself. </p>
<p>Wow, it never occurred to me to worry about that. And I’ve moved stuff thirteen times. I’d tape the boxes securely and put them with everything else. Just don’t include the passwords.</p>
<p>A shredder might be your first step.</p>
<p>Perhaps some of them are redundant, such as monthly or quarterly statements whose information is included in a year end statement, so the redundant ones can be shredded.</p>
<p>Another option is to scan them to electronic files(PDFs) and then shred. This way, you have the files themselves without the piles of paper…</p>
<p>I’m a lawyer and I send and receive highly confidential, attorney-client privileged, or trade secret documents via Federal Express all the time. Many of the documents have material, non-public financial information. I think you are over-thinking this. </p>
<p>If you are worried about your social security number – and I don’t think you should be – get a sharpie or Marksalot pen and blacken out your social security number wherever it appears. But again I do not think this is at all necessary.</p>
<p>Google "how long to retain documents. " Scan what you need to keep, then shred everything. </p>
<p>I agree with LasMa. We actually shredded a lot of extra documents, and we are NOT moving. Everything we have left would fit in a small…and I mean small…box that could easily travel on the backseat of your car. </p>
<p>It was a lesson we learned when my mom died, and we went through five shredders shredding YEARS of collected and not needed documents. </p>
<p>I think you need to first figure out what you REALLY need. Then shred the rest. Maybe you can use the shreddings for packing material :)</p>
<p>nottelling -</p>
<p>Thanks! That info about FedEx and the advice to stop over-thinking was exactly what I needed to read. </p>
<p>thumper1 -</p>
<p>Part of the problem is that I’m not sure what to keep and what to shred. When I look at the basement, I just want to call one of those services that shreds records, and just point them to the file. 16 years of stuff is down there all neatly organized into bankers boxes.</p>
<p>Money Magazine publishes great articles from time to time on what to keep and how long to keep it. I will see if I can dig up a link tomorrow. </p>
<p>Here’s an article by USA.gov about how long to keep different financial docs that you may find useful in wading through stuff. Good luck–this is something we all have to confront.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Money/Personal-Finance/Managing-Household-Records.shtml”>http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Money/Personal-Finance/Managing-Household-Records.shtml</a></p>
<p>There are lots and lots of lists online, and they may vary in minor details, but they’re pretty consistent. I printed out the one I use, and hung it on the side of the file cabinet, as a constant reminder. </p>
<p>happymom, print out the list HImom linked, and take it to the basement. If you took the trouble to put the stuff into bankers boxes, I’m guessing there’s some kind of organizational scheme. So maybe deal with one box a day. If it contains tax returns from the 1980s, shred the whole box. Done. The next day, do the next box. Break it into bitesize chunks.</p>
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<p>Agree. I just shredded a lot of documents. There were 20-30 year old documents. My house is much neater as a result. I can’t wait until I get to do that again when I get to shred old tax returns. </p>
<p>Definitely cull your documents. Shredder time. Why pay money to move old material that will just take up space again? This is the ideal time to get rid of old stuff. I hear 7 years for tax purposes. To be conservative you could go back near 10. Save a copy of your tax return- without all of the supporting forms if done by the tax preparer (they will have their own copies I presume) and all of the receipts/records from companies that prove the info on forms. Remember you can get rid of info relating to stocks et al sold many years ago. Try to take as little as you can.</p>
<p>Where did all the time go? We are all getting old enough to have decades to accumulate stuff we haven’t gotten rid of but should. We are all young enough we don’t need to live with all of our past. New stage in life with kids gone- time for a fresh start. </p>
<p>PS- your children will thank you. My father is finally getting rid of stuff in his house, many more decades than we had.</p>