DOCUMENTS STORAGE
RECORDS ARE IMPORTANT
Even in the digital age, accountants recommend people save income taxes and related records, dating back at least seven years. You do not need every receipt, but you should have yourW2’s, stock sale records, and bank statements.
Keep IRA contributions, annual retirement savings plan, cancelled checks, credit card, and mortgage statements. Furthermore, you have passports, marriage licenses, birth certificates and other legal documents. Invest in a fireproof lockbox for irreplaceable documents.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A DOCUMENT STORAGE FACILITY
Pickup/Delivery
Consider procuring a storage service that will pick up your files and provide you with an inventory list. If they charge by item, rather than by unit of space, you have the advantage of paying only for the space you use.
Protection
The storage facility should be secure for both your files and yourself, if you need to access them on the premises. The facility should be well lit, have safeguards against fire and water damage, and maintain a helpful staff. It should have a billing system which allows you to pay online or by credit card. Entrance doors should be pass protected, and there should be security guards on-site at all times.
SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS
• Make multiple backups of all stored documents and keep them in a separate location.
• Store all documentation on password-protected CDs or DVDs.
• Fill boxes, even with just packing material; loosely packed materials can shift during transport and
handling.
• Packed boxes should weigh no more than 30-50 lbs. for safe lifting.
• Ideally, raise boxes off the ground with pallets, wood, plastic or cardboard.
• Use archival quality boxes if the files are valuable.
• Stack boxes containing older files furthest back, at the bottom.
CALIFORNIA
