Shred This - Recommended Top 20

It's not difficult to determine what you should shred. Essentially, any document containing information that you don't want others to have should be shredded. People who buy their first shredder are surprised as they often end up shredding twice as much as they expected. Paper shredding is a simple step that goes a long way toward securing your information. Here's a brief list of documents that should be shredded using a strip cut or cross cut shredder:

1. Obsolete financial records, including loan applications

1. Pre-approved credit card applications

1. Personal medical records or physician statements

1. Correspondence and tax preparation worksheets

1. Receipts for purchases

1. Bank statements

1. ATM receipts

1. Credit card statements

1. Cancelled checks

1. Mail and old records

1. Utility bills

1. Credit card charges

1. Insurance forms

1. Investment transactions

1. Expired charge cards

1. Mailing labels from magazines

1. Pay stubs

1. Old driver's licenses or passports

1. Expired insurance and membership cards

1. Any documents that may contain Social Security numbers, birth dates, your mother's maiden name and any account numbers or online passwords