Join Us for a Free Community Shred Event in Rochester on September 11

Most of us have a drawer, a closet, or a basement box packed with paperwork we know we don’t need anymore.

The hard part isn’t deciding to get rid of it. It’s knowing what’s actually safe to toss, and how to dispose of it without handing your personal information to a stranger.

That’s exactly what this event is for.

On Friday, September 11, 2026, we’re teaming up with The Platinum Wealth Group to host a free community shred event right here in Rochester. 

Bring your old documents, watch them get destroyed securely on site, and grab lunch while you’re at it.

Event Details

Here’s everything you need to know:

• Date: Friday, September 11, 2026
• Time: 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
• Location: 2430 Ridgeway Avenue, Rochester, NY 14626
• Cost: Free and open to the community

Every document is shredded during the event itself, so you can watch your paperwork get destroyed rather than wondering where it ended up.

What You Can Bring

If it’s paper and it has your information on it, it’s probably a good candidate.

Common items people bring include:

• Tax returns and supporting records older than seven years
• Investment records and statements
• Bank statements
• Cancelled checks
• Paycheck stubs

Old credit card statements, expired insurance policies, and outdated medical bills are fair game too. Anything with an account number, a Social Security number, or a signature deserves the shredder rather than the recycling bin.

What to Leave at Home

Two important exceptions to keep in mind:

• No electronic devices. Hard drives, phones, and old computers can’t be processed at this event
• No banker boxes. Please bring your documents in bags or smaller containers you can carry

Planning ahead on these two points keeps the line moving and gets everyone through quickly.

How Long Should You Keep Tax Records?

This is the question we get most often, and it’s the reason a lot of paperwork sits in basements for decades.

As a general rule of thumb, seven years is a safe holding period for tax returns and the records that support them. That covers the realistic window in which a return could be examined or questioned.

Using that same seven year guideline, you can generally let go of:

• Tax returns and their supporting documentation
• Bank and investment statements
• Cancelled checks and paycheck stubs
• Receipts supporting deductions you already claimed

There are exceptions worth respecting. Property and home improvement records should be kept until you sell the property, and then for several years after, because they affect your cost basis and what you owe on the sale. Anything tied to an open, amended, or disputed return should stay put until the matter is fully resolved.

What You Should Never Shred

Some documents belong in a safe place permanently, not in the shred pile.

Hold onto originals of:

• Birth certificates, marriage licenses, and Social Security cards
• Wills, trusts, and estate planning documents
• Deeds, titles, and mortgage payoff records
• Military discharge papers
• Retirement account records and beneficiary designations
• Business formation documents and partnership agreements

When you’re unsure about something, keep it and ask. It’s far easier to hold onto a document for another year than to reconstruct one that no longer exists.

Why Secure Shredding Matters

Tossing sensitive paperwork in the trash or the recycling bin is one of the simplest ways personal information gets into the wrong hands.

A single old bank statement can contain an account number, your full name, and your home address. That’s often enough to start building a case of identity theft, and cleaning up after one takes far more time than a trip to a shred truck.

Professional shredding solves this for good. The documents are destroyed beyond reconstruction and the paper is recycled afterward, so the information is gone and the material doesn’t go to waste.

Come Hungry

Because clearing out paperwork goes better on a full stomach, we’ll have complimentary food trucks on site.

The menu includes a Tex-Mex lunch with quesadillas, Tex-Mex bowls, and loaded tortilla baskets, plus an ice cream treat to finish. It’s all free, and it’s all part of the day.

Good food, good company, and a lighter filing cabinet. That’s a solid way to spend a Friday afternoon.

How We Help Rochester Families and Businesses

Knowing what to keep and what to let go of is a small piece of a much bigger picture: staying organized enough that tax time is straightforward instead of stressful.

Through our business strategies and consulting services, we help Rochester, Greece, and Monroe County families and business owners build record keeping habits that hold up, so the documents that matter are there when they’re needed and the rest isn’t cluttering up the basement.

And if you’re ever unsure whether something is safe to shred, that’s exactly the kind of question we’re happy to answer.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve been meaning to clear out those old files, this is your chance to do it safely and at no cost.

Mark your calendar for Friday, September 11, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at 2430 Ridgeway Avenue. Bring your paper, leave the electronics and banker boxes at home, and plan to stay for lunch.

We hope to see you there.

Not Sure What’s Safe to Shred?

If you have questions about which records to keep and which ones can go, we’re glad to help you sort it out.
Contact us and we’ll walk you through it.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered tax, financial, or legal advice. Individual circumstances vary. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.