Assante Shred & Protect 2018

Identity theft is on the rise, but it doesn’t have to hurt you. Join us at this complimentary document shredding event to protect yourself from identity theft. Bring your old cheques, bills and statements, personal information papers or any confidential documents and the shredding truck will do the shredding for you in seconds!

This event is open to the community. Enjoy a hot dog or hamburger with the donation of a non-perishable food item; all proceeds benefit the Abbotsford Food Bank.

How long you should keep certain documents?

Trash in a Few Days

• ATM receipts, once you record the transaction
• Bank deposit slips, once the funds appear in your account

Trash After 1 Month

• Receipts for things you bought on a credit card, once you get your statement, unless you need it for a return or a warranty
• Credit card statement, unless it has a tax-related expense on it

Trash After 1 Year

• Utility bills, if not needed for business deductions (such as a home office)
• Paycheck stubs, until you've reconciled them with your T4.
• Bank statements, aside from pages that include copies of canceled checks needed for tax purposes
• Investment account statements, once you get your annual statement, unless they show a trade for a gain or a loss for tax purposes
• Receipts for medical and dental expenses if not needed for reimbursement by a health care insurance company.

Trash After 7 Years

• Supporting documents for tax returns, including T-Slips, tax-reporting statements, and proof of charitable contributions. The CRA has four years to audit you unless there's a chance you underreported income or it suspects fraud. (Note: These are tax years, so keep supporting documents for your 2013 return—filed in 2014—until 2020.)

Keep Indefinitely

• Tax returns with proof that you filed and paid (if you owed)
• Receipts for capital home improvements, until you sell the home. (And then you should hang onto them for tax purposes—see tax documentation rules.)
• Receipts for large purchases, for insurance purposes
• Brokerage statements proving cost basis of an investment you still own, unless it's held with Assante in which case we track this.