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When
designing your filing or record keeping system you will probably
want to split it into 2 categories: (1) active files that you will need to use reasonably soon, such as an unpaid bill, and (2)
inactive files which would be items that you may need to use in
the future, such as bank statements for the past 3 years. Listed
below are some of the items that should be kept in each file.
Active
files
-
Unpaid
bills
- Paid
bills for the last year
- Bank
statements and canceled checks for the past year
- Tax
returns
-
Current records and papers for income tax
- Financial
aid documents
- Academic
documents
- Job
related information and documents (i.e. resumes)
- Credit
card statements for the last year
-
A list of your credit cards with the phone numbers to call in
the event of loss or theft
- Current
health records
- An
inventory of the contents of your home
- Insurance
policies
- Automobile
documents
- Warranties
- Retirement
and investment information
- A
copy of your will
Inactive
files
- Bank
statements for
the past 3 years
- Tax
returns and any supporting documents that are 4 years old or older
- Any
property improvement records (such as credit card statements,
canceled checks, and receipts)
- Educational
records (once you've graduated and won't need to access them frequently)
- Copies
of birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees,
death certificates, reports from trusts, child custody and child
support information
Note:
Items that would be difficult or
expensive to replace should be stored in a safe-deposit or fireproof
box. Such items might include but are not limited to the following:
- Birth
and death certificates
- Marriage
certificates, divorce decrees, and child custody and support documents
- Copy
of your will
- List
of insurance policies
- Household
inventory
- Deeds
to real estate
- Vehicle
titles
- Contracts
Additional
Resources: Your
files: Active and Inactive click
here Student
Guide to Record Keeping click
here
Internal
Revenue Service Publication 552
click
here Organizing
Family Records click
here Manage
Your Personal Records, Legal Documents, and Other Important Papers click
here |
