Ask any investor regardless if they are involved in real estate, stocks or any other asset class if they require paper for their transactions and the answer is a resounding yes.  Documentation showing a title transfer or stock purchase/disposition is essential for tax purposes as well as legal.  The storage of these documents is important but even moreso is the way they are discarded.

Please do not ever throw away anything which has your name, address, phone number or other important information about you. There are professionals in your area who scour garbage bins and prowl areas in an attempt to steal this vital information from you in order to make a quick illegal profit.

Once your identity is stolen, it is not just the financial headache it causes but an ongoing emotional toll that it takes to restore what was taken from you.  I do not speak from experience but have heard this from others who have been victimized. This can have negative consequences which can easily last years from a simple act such as tossing your utility bill in the garbage can.

For more useful information on how to stop identity theft from occurring, please visit this site: http://tinyurl.com/d77nm

Yes, it can happen to you!!