@ One of the hardest things about spring cleaning is know= Ing what to keep and what to ‘throw to away. When tt comes ‘to documents, which should be retained in thelr original forms? ‘AcDocuments that should be keptin thai orginal forms induce marrage, birth adoption, ctizen- ship and death certificates. Other important documents incude ‘veterans papers heath records, passports and legal contracts. ts oes bestto keep theserecordsina Te ‘Secure place, preferably insome awcaescimen typeof cabinet or safe that is AAS ‘reproof and fitted with alock —‘zserewwcim. ‘@ What types of documents canbe stored digitally? ‘A:Some documents you need to retain fora period of time, but not necessarily in their original ‘form Just be sure a strong password replaces sturdy lock Documents such as mortgages, student loans, banking, credit and investment ‘account statements all can be saved electronical. It important to remember that regular badeups Of year formation wil benecessany Mary ancl public accountant or certified financial planner to Frelp purge and shred. This s especially good if you ‘are helping an elderty family member. @Can you toss certain documents after so many years? ‘Ac Depending on the specifics of your fling, you ‘should hold on to your tax return and retated docu ‘mentation for up to seven years. In general, locu- ‘ments like pay stubs, bank statements, quarterly Investment statements and bills should be kept for _at least one year, but sometimes longer depending ‘on your individual sttuatton Retain product warran- ‘tes for as long as the item Is owned. ‘What other tips do you have for organizing les? ‘A: Buy expandable folders. Utiizing these types of folders with organizational tabs wil allow you to file tems easly. This also makes finding your records at tax time a simple task. Another tool that ‘can come in handy isa paper shredder, better yet, ‘your local credit union often has shred days. Use ‘your smartphone to take pictures of important. ‘documents and text them to your loved ones and/ or advisers.