How to Sort Through Old Papers that Belong to a Relative

When you start to go through the belongings of a relative who is deceased or who has been moved to a nursing home, objects such as furniture, jewelry, and clothing may call upon the most emotional reactions. On the other hand, it may be tempting to say that you can go through old paperwork and just toss it without a second glance. Unless the individual was incredibly organized, sorting through the stacks of paper may be an overwhelming task.

Why Bother Sorting through the Stacks of Paper?

If you toss papers without looking you may lose an opportunity to find old photographs, correspondences, and other documents that could be interesting to you and your family. Don't assume that wedding photographs of grandparents, marriage certificates, death certificates, or even old school papers were put away with sense of organization. That box with the 20 year old electric bills on top could also be home to the one photo of your great-great grandparents.

What if you aren't sentimental? Consider safety. Until recently, a social security number was used as a patient number for doctor and dentist files not to mention a host of government-related documents. The IRS used to print mailing labels with one's social security number prominently displayed along with name and address. You should be mindful of identity theft, especially if the individual is still receiving Social Security or Medicare benefits.

Eliminating Paper Clutter

I can't guarantee that you'd find any benefit to setting aside all paperwork for sorting on some future date. While cleaning through my parents' house I found old paperwork from when my mother went through her father's belongings more than a decade earlier. This was a lesson in avoiding procrastination. Use sorting and organizing paper files as a "break" from other tasks.

You may consider bringing home boxes of paperwork so you can, say, watch a movie while organizing paper files. The disadvantage is that suddenly your home becomes overpowered by all those dusty stacks of paper. You may not mind. However, staring at boxes of paperwork in my living room made me anxious; I never got a break from the mess at my parents' house.

There is no secret to going through paper clutter. Just open a box and start. Avoid getting caught up in reading everything. Scan so you can tell that a piece of paper is an old electric bill or a receipt for services at a doctor's office. In most cases, documents need to get shredded for security. A home shredder won't be able to do all the work. Look in the yellow pages for a place that does industrial shredding; it will be worth the cost.

Organizing Paper Files

Watch for bank documents that refer to savings accounts, IRAs, money market accounts, bonds, etc. Set those aside for further investigation. Also, look for receipts for large house expenses such as a new roof or a new hot water heater. If you later rent or sell the house it will be useful to have this information in a file.

Work fast and set paperwork in piles indicating shredding or possible future use. Get a couple of file boxes. One for photographs (avoid using time intended for going through paper files for looking a photos) and one of paperwork. If you think that you need more boxes, you don't (unless the individual was the current owner of a business).

With the exception of tax-related documents, you shouldn't have to keep non-legal documents for more than a year. Keep the most current information on various financial accounts. If you have power of attorney or are executor of a will, banks can talk to you about current accounts and help you sort out which accounts have been closed, even though the paperwork was in the bottom drawer of your relative's desk.

Put the documents in files so you can access information when you need it. Take the 'to be shredded' piles to a place where they can be shredded. Sit down with some relatives as you look through the photographs (did no one ever write the identity of individuals in a photo on the back?). Next, tackle organizing paper files that belong to you so you don't torment one of your relatives some day!