How Long to Keep Documents

Feb 28th, 2007

Do you ever wonder what to keep and for how long?  This information might help.

The ABC’s of Important Papers

Julie Morgenstern’s guide to what to keep and for how long
From the September 2004 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

Key:
What to Keep
How Long

Automobile records (titles, registration, repairs)
As long as you own the vehicle(s)

Appointment books
1–10 years, depending on your comfort level

ATM slips
Maximum six years if needed for tax purposes

Bank statements
Maximum six years if needed for tax purposes

Credit card statements
Maximum six years if tax-related purchases on statements; otherwise, until annual interest statement is issued by company

Calendars (past)
According to your comfort level and whether you use them for reference or memorabilia

Catalogs & magazines
Until the next issue

Dividend payment records
Until an annual statement is supplied by company, then just only annual statements

Household inventory & appraisal
As long as current

Insurance policies (auto, homeowners, liability)
As long as the statute of limitations runs in the event of late claims

Insurance policies (disability, medical, life, personal property, umbrella)
As long as you own it

Investments (purchase records)
As long as you own them

Investments (sales records)
Maximum six years for tax purposes

Mortgage or loan discharge
As long as you own, or six years after discharge

Receipts:

    Appliances
As long as you own the item

    Art, antiques, collectibles
As long as you own the item

    Clothing
For the length of the returns period, unless tracking your household budget

    Credit card slips
Until your statement comes and you can match purchases

    Furniture
As long as you own the item in case repair is needed

    Home improvements
As long as you own your home, or six years after sale

    Household repairs
For life of warranty, or longer to reference reliability record of service people and their rates

    Major purchases
For the life of the item

    Medical and tax-related
Maximum of six years

    Rent
Your canceled check is sufficient

    Utility bills
Your current bill and one previous year’s to check billing patterns

    Warranties and instructions
For the life of warranty or the item. Stick label with warranty expiration date and service repair number on bottom of appliance. If something breaks down, you’ve got an easy way to check if the item’s still covered without even having to go to your file drawer.

Property bill of purchase
As long as you own the property

Resumé
As long as it’s current

Safe Deposit Box key & inventory
As long as it’s current

Tax records (bank statements and canceled checks, certificates of deposit, contracts, charitable contributions, credit statements, income tax returns, lease and loan agreements, loan payment books, pension plan records, pay stubs)
The current year, plus six prior years

Vital Records (Adoption papers, birth & death certificates, citizenship papers, copyrights/patents, marriage certificate, divorce decree, letter of “Last Instructions” to executor or heirs, medical illness and vaccination records, passports, Power of Attorney, Social Security records, Wills)
Permanently

O's Quit Smoking Challenge

Feb 28th, 2007

If you’re even thinking about cutting down or quitting smoking, you might be interested in some fun resources on Oprah’s website.  There’s a fun quiz: “What kind of smoker are you?”  I took the quiz and answered like I might have when I smoked years ago.  I was a creative smoker.  Hum, that fits.

There’s also an online support group if you’d like to share your journey or find a buddy.  And there are e-cards and an “I Quit” contract.

Check out O’s Challenge

Eat Nuts!

Feb 26th, 2007

During the fat-free crazy, I was distressed to hear health educators caution people not to eat nuts. Now research studies are showing that nuts can contribute to improved health. In fact, nuts have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks, reduce the prevalence in women of gall bladder surgery, and reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes in women.

Get the rest of the story here.

Are you a worrier?

Feb 20th, 2007

Do you sometimes wish there were a pill you could take to help you stop worrying?  Me too.  There are pills for anxiety and excessive worrying, but research is finding that there are often better solutions–cognitive behavioral strategies to name just one.  Here’s an article that may help you better understand how the worry habit begins and is strengthened.  You’ll also get many suggestions for strategies to get a grip on worry. 

Source:  Consumer Health Information written by Harvard Medical School

First Wheelchair Back Flip

Feb 14th, 2007

Not Your Run-Of-The-Mill 14-Year-Old

From Paralyzed Veterans of America

Fun-loving 14-year-old Aaron Fotherington isn’t a paralyzed veteran. But he certainly shares the “go for it” attitude embraced so many of our young servicemen and women who are determined to live life to the fullest.

Last year, Aaron made history when he became the first person ever to do a back flip in his wheelchair.

Want to see the backflip?  See video here

What did you have for lunch today?

Feb 6th, 2007

Some friends asked me to go to lunch today at the last minute.  Sure…I love the fun that going out to lunch brings.  But then the challenge begins….what should I order that I will enjoy and that will be good for me?  I also try to choose food that my stomach and body will like.

Do you ask yourself both of these questions?  Or do you just think about what would taste good?

Let’s do lunch.  At the comment link below, tell us what you had for lunch today and tell us what you were thinking about the food as you prepared it or ordered it from the menu.

I’ll start.  I had a baked chicken Quesadilla with chips but didn’t eat the chips – no drink.  I was thinking….I just had a big salad last night and will probably have another one for dinner, so I’ll eat a little more for lunch.

Your turn.  What did you eat for lunch today and what were you thinking about it?  See the comment link below?  Go there.

Beware . . . Puns ahead

Feb 2nd, 2007

Oh Pun the door……

Because humor is so good for us, here are 10 Good Puns.  Maybe you’ll get over that cold, or not get it because you laughed so hard.  At the very least, your mood should improve.

1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, “I’m sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.”

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says “Dam!”

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.

4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says “I’ve lost my electron.” The other says “Are you sure?” The first replies “Yes, I’m positive.”

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.

   “But why?”, they asked, as they moved off.
   “Because,” he said,” I can’t stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption.

   One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named “Ahmal.” The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him “Juan. ” Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, “They’re twins! If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Ahmal.”

8. A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to “persuade” them to close.

   Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he’d be back if they didn’t close up shop.

   Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

10. And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

The One Page Energy Diet

Feb 1st, 2007

I found a great cheat sheet for having more energy, losing weight, and generally taking good care of yourself.

Get the One Page Energy Diet here