Checking In With Susan Koeppen: Coronavirus Spring Cleaning While Stuck At Home
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- If you are doing some spring cleaning of your important paperwork, you might be wondering what to keep, what to throw out and what you should be shredding.
In her "Checking in with Susan Koeppen" series, Susan Koeppen gets some answers from CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger.
In the "keep" file, you want to keep your tax returns and tax documents for six years.
"You need the physical and executed copy of your will, your power of attorney and your health care proxy," said Schlesinger. "Your insurance policy should be kept as long as you have the insurance."
She also recommends that you keep your home deed and mortgage documents. And for those in the military, keep your discharge papers if you want to be buried in a military cemetery.
In the "toss" category, get rid of statements that come in each month.
Things like credit card and bank statements can be tossed after 30 days. And you can get rid of investment account documents.
"As long as you don't need them for tax purposes, get rid of it, you don't need it," said Schlesinger.
If a document has your social security number on it, even the last 4 digits of your social security, you should shred it.
"Anything with a full account number, shred it," said Schlesinger.
In an emergency to-go box, Schlesinger recommends that you keep your wills, health care proxies and power of attorney.
