File all contracts, benefits, rates, and account access information from your investment service providers in a Remove/Replace file (e.g. Investment Services). If you are holding an actual paper stock certificate or savings bond, keep it in Vital Records (or store it in a safe deposit box with a copy in your filing system). For tax purposes, your investment broker is required to keep a record of the purchase price of all your new investments.** Keep all year-end statements such as forms 1099, or gain/loss reports with your tax files (e.g. Income W2/1099 Misc.) New monthly statements and trade confirmations can be filed by month. NOTE: for legacy stocks and funds you have purchased in the past (or from non-compliant brokers**), verify that your broker has the purchase price on file, otherwise keep individual stock purchase receipts in a Permanent file until sold (e.g. Investments Owned). If you choose instead to rely on years of monthly statements as a back-up, use the Archive to organize past statements by year; however, be sure to maintain purchase dates of your current investment holdings in a table, spreadsheet, or accounting software so that you can put a destroy date (six years into the future) onto any statements older than your oldest held asset.

** U.S. law passed in 2008, enforced in 2011 for stocks, 2012 for funds, 2013 for securities

*NOTE: While FreedomFiler® provides a method of automatic purging which eliminates the need to review files, you must ultimately decide which documents are kept two years, ten years, or indefinitely. FreedomFiler® is not liable under any circumstances for claims of loss or damage arising from suggested document retention guidelines. Consult a professional advisor to determine your specific document retention needs and adapt your system accordingly.

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