How long do you keep paid credit card bills and medical EOBs? I was cleaning a file cabinet and was amazed to find I had some of both that were over 10 years old! So I shredded them. I know you keep tax records for 7 years...but wondering about these other things.
EOBs I read, confirm they are correct and toss.
I only keep a paper copy of my tax records because it makes my husband happy and I like when he smiles.
I keep the EOB's ... well .. maybe entirely too long LOL HOWEVER, they have come in handy when trying to get medical records forwarded when we did a move with the military.
I've got tax records back to ummmm 1990 (might be 1989) I think LOL
Other than that it goes pretty much immediately If I have any say about it (the hubby is a different story).
My experience with the military has been DO NOT throw ANYTHING related to it OUT .... EVER. You never know when they are going to come back and say "We can't find it" ... better to have a copy.
The only paper I keep these days is our tax returns, pet/vet & car maintenance/service records (because those aren't online) and the warranty info/receipts for large purchases.
All my banking, bill paying and credit stuff is done electronically now.
I have a binder where I stash the family passports, birth certificates & social security cards, in case we ever need to make a quick "exit" I will grab that first!
I think I WOULD keep hard copies of medical stuff, if one of us had an ongoing medical condition or problem, just to be safe.
Credit card bills? I don't keep them at all. Online banking is the record.
Same with utilities, etc.
Medical stuff I through in a big envelope for the current enrollment year. HSA is all online--that's my record.
There's really no reason to keep anything except tax returns for any length of time. You can always get copies if you really need them.
I usually keep the EOB's for any major medical operation or procedure so I know the date and the name of the procedure, the provider, where the procedure was performed and which insurance carrier I had at the time. I also keep the EOB's for my kids' births - it has been interesting to look at the costs then vs now. I also look to see if there were any immunizations on there that I don't already have in my files. The rest of the EOB's I shred. What is the policy on your homeowner's insurance -do you have replacement value or initial cost? What documents would you have to provide to them if you had a claim. I would only keep a major $$$ receipts, but we have the last few years of credit card billing on line.
I have zero paper records.
I don't keep anything but tax returns and receipts for that tax year. I figure in todays day and age and technology that everything should be retrievable from the source if need be. Even if there is a charge, I would rather pay it than try to organize and store it. JMO. Good luck!
I always keep them arounf for a year or so!! But I have some over three years old !! If there really important I just file them.. Hope it was helpful
