Spring cleaning isn’t just for closets—it’s a great time to organize your family’s paperwork, too. Physical files pile up quickly, and digital documents often get lost in cluttered email threads, making important information hard to find.

Using a digital vault like Trustworthy can save time, reduce stress, and keep everything secure, accessible, and up to date. This guide will show you how to simplify your document organization with Trustworthy this spring.

Key Takeaways 

• Spring cleaning your family’s documents will ensure peace of mind that they’re secure, easy to access, and accurate.

• Gather and assess all documents in one location. This is the time to decide what to keep and what to discard.

• Going digital can provide a centralized storage location that is easy to access, allows for clear naming and organization, reduces clutter, and makes it safer to share documents. 

Step 1: Gather & Assess Your Important Documents  

The first step to properly cleaning your family’s documents is gathering them in one place and sorting through what’s important. Documents to gather include: 

• Legal documents: This includes birth certificates, marriage certificates, Social Security numbers, and power of attorney documents

• Medical information: Medical history records, vaccination records, doctors and medical specialists' information, and health insurance cards

• Financial records: Bank statements, loan agreements, current debts, tax returns, bank account information,  investment records, and all income sources

• Insurance policies: This includes all health, auto, home, and life insurance policies

• Household information: Utility bills, mortgage documents, rental agreements, and other monthly expenses related to running a household

• Estate planning: This will include end-of-life planning documents like wills, trusts, advance directives, trust agreements, and other medical orders like POLST forms and do-not-resuscitate orders (DNR) 

Take this time to note missing or outdated documents and request replacement copies. You should also evaluate whether digital copies exist and whether they are stored safely. 

Once you have gathered all your family’s documents, you must decide what to keep and what to throw away. Here’s how you can decide what to toss: 

Documents to toss after a year: 

• Statements for your cell phone, cable, internet, and other streaming services unless you’re using these statements as business expenses

• Brokerage statements 

• Credit card and utility bills 

• Statements from other financial organizations 

Documents to throw away after seven years: 

• 401(k) and other retirement plan year-end statements

• IRA contributions 

• Records of sold real estate, investments, and charitable donations 

• Correspondence with the IRS 

Past tax returns and relevant documents 

If you own an asset, you will need to keep all corresponding documents related to that asset, including: 

• Warranties 

• Insurance policies 

• Titles 

• Receipts for important purchases and other investments made to your home 

Documents you need to keep forever: 

• Birth certificates

• Citizenship documents

• Adoption papers

• Marriage certificates 

• Divorce or annulment papers

• Custody agreements

• Deeds

• Powers of attorney

• Wills and living wills

• Financial aid documents

• List of important contact information for lawyers, relatives, financial advisors, and doctors 

• List of credit card numbers, bank accounts, insurance policies, and passwords

Step 2: Digitize & Organize

Paul Koenigsberg from Koenigsberg & Associates advises:

“Keeping only paper copies of important documents puts them at risk of loss, damage, or inaccessibility during emergencies. Some legal documents, like property deeds, birth certificates, or wills, are hard to replace and a hassle to retrieve if lost. Without them, you may face complications making claims, proving ownership, or accessing emergency services. Digitizing your documents is a smart way to back them up.”

For long-term storage, storing your family’s documents digitally is the best option, and Trustworthy is the superior choice. Trustworthy’s Family Operating System® was designed with family needs in mind and added peace of mind that their important documents are secure but still easy to access. 

Thanks to the mobile app with a built-in scanner, Trustworthy makes storing your documents online easy. You can scan and upload your documents on the go without downloading multiple apps. The Chrome extension offers a drag-and-drop function that makes it simple to add files, save email attachments, and capture screenshots directly to your Trustworthy inbox. 

The Benefits of Going Digital 

Choosing to go digital not only provides peace of mind but also comes with other benefits like: 

Centralized Storage 

Keeping your important documents in one secure place makes them both safe and easy to access. Trustworthy provides a secure, centralized system for families to manage their files.

Clear Naming and Categorization 

Quick, easy access is essential for managing family documents. Trustworthy’s AI-powered Autopilot suggests filenames and categories and organizes files for you—no need to start from scratch.

Its smart links feature also helps you quickly find related documents, so everything is easy to locate when you need it.

Easy and Secure Sharing 

Using digital over paper makes sharing your documents with family members and trusted advisors much more secure, thanks to advanced security measures often used on digital platforms. 

Sharing documents digitally also eliminates the risk of documents being physically lost during transport. 

Reduced Clutter and Increased Security

Paper piles up fast, making organization overwhelming and potentially risky. Digital storage clears the clutter and keeps your documents secure.

Trustworthy uses bank-level security—AES 256-bit encryption, multi-factor and biometric authentication, security keys, threat detection, and tokenization, which replaces sensitive data with unique tokens stored outside your account.

Step 3: Securely Share & Set Permissions

One of the most significant benefits of using digital storage for your family’s documents is controlling who needs access. Trustworthy offers families safe document-sharing options in three ways: 

Granular Access Levels 

Choose who has access to what by creating your trusted network of unlimited collaborators on Trustworthy. This can include family members and trusted advisors. Choose between full and partial access, which limits what folders and files can be accessed.  

SecureLinks™

This standout feature allows Trustworthy users to share their documents with people outside of their trusted network of collaborators securely. It creates unique, view-only access links to specific files. Users can set how long the link is valid, giving them ultimate control over their information. 

Legacy Access 

It is crucial to ensure your family has access to vital documents when they need them if you’re no longer around. Legacy access allows you to nominate an individual to access your account when you’ve passed away. 

Step 4: Automate Reminders & Stay Up to Date

Part of spring cleaning your digital documents is ensuring everything is up-to-date and accurate. You can prevent document expiration issues with passports, insurance policies, and licenses by setting automated reminders using Trustworthy. 

Use Trustworthy’s automated reminders to stay on top of renewals, deadlines, and important updates—like changes to beneficiaries or estate plans—while keeping your family informed.

Review your documents regularly, especially after major life events like birth, marriage, divorce, or death. Set reminders to check your documents at least twice a year.

Step 5: Plan for the Future & Give Your Family Peace of Mind

Having well-organized documents is not just about convenience but is also important for planning for the future and protecting your loved ones. For example, during medical emergencies, having critical information readily available can avoid delays in treatment. 

Make Spring Cleaning an Annual Habit 

Spring cleaning your documents can feel overwhelming if you wait until they're a mess. Make it a yearly habit—here’s how.

• Review your documents every year to ensure they are accurate and up-to-date

• Ensure your digital storage is secure and backed up. If you’re uncertain whether your password is still secure, we recommend updating it with a new, strong password

• Update documents that are outdated and securely discard unnecessary documents 

• Communicate any important updates and changes with your family members 

Trustworthy can help with making document spring cleaning an annual habit.

Start Your Digital Spring Cleaning Today

Don’t wait until the last minute to organize your family documents. Trustworthy makes it easy by providing a secure, streamlined way to keep everything up-to-date and accessible, giving you peace of mind.

Start your document spring cleaning today with Trustworthy for free, and stay for as long as you like. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How do I know which documents should be stored digitally and which should be kept in physical form?

While digital storage is a more secure and convenient option, some documents like birth certificates, property deeds, and Social Security must be kept in their original physical form. You can keep digital copies of these, but for official purposes, they need to be the original physical copies. 

How should I dispose of sensitive documents I no longer need?

Declutter and organize your documents by disposing of sensitive documents with a shredder. If you don’t own one or have a large volume of documents that need to be shredded, some companies offer secure shredding services. 

What’s the best way to store and organize old family documents like heirlooms, photographs, or handwritten letters?

Make digital copies of old family documents and upload them to Trustworthy. Physically store heirlooms, documents, and photos in acid-free folders and temperature-controlled safes that are water and fire-proof. 

What are some common mistakes people make when organizing their documents?

Some common mistakes to avoid include keeping your family’s documents in multiple locations, using weak or compromised passwords, not regularly backing up digital copies, and not updating information after major life events.