Prevent Identity Theft By Shredding - What To Shred, What To Keep & How To Choose A Shredder

Who Should Shred?
 
On June 1, 2005 a law went into effect that requires anyone with one or more employees to shred personal records before throwing them away. 

The fact is, everyone should shred personal documents in order to prevent identity theft. 

 
What Should You Shred?
 
You should shred anything and everything that holds personal information.  This includes items that with your signature on them, any account numbers, your social security number, medical information, and legal information. 

Here is a long list of everything that an individual should shred.  

Things You Should Not Shred?

There are some things that you will not want to shred, but instead keep. 

Some of the more important items you should keep for life are:

Birth certificates

Marriage licenses

Divorce papers

Death certificates

Military records

Social security cards

Copies of wills

Here is a long list of things to keep, and for how long. (Tip: It's best to keep these items in a safe deposit box.) 

What it comes down to is this: If you don't already have one, there's no time like the present to buy a shredder.
         

How To Choose A Shredder

There are 2 basic types of shredders from which to choose:

Strip cut shredders - these cut paper into long spaghetti-like pieces.  It is best to purchase strip cut shredders that cut as small as possible, preferably 1/8 inch.

Cross cut shredders - these will cut your paper into strips and crosswise, turning the paper into confetti.  These smaller pieces of shredded paper will be very difficult to reassemble, making your information safer. 

Cross cut shredders are more expensive and require more maintenance than strip cut shredders.

You can purchase shredders with a wastebasket attached or get a shredder that sits on top of any wastebasket. (The latter will save you a bit of money.) 

Be sure to check the labeling on shredders to find the right one for your shredding needs. 

For example, you can buy one that shreds 2 to 8 sheets at one time, which is fine if you shred papers infrequently.  A commercial-grade shredder will allow you to shred many papers at once and on a daily basis. 

Labels will also tell you how whether a particular shredder can handle staples, credit cards and CDs.
 
One final thing you should know is that virtually any document can be put back together with enough time and patience.  Of course, if you use your shredded paper for cat litter like I do, no one will be willing to try.