When looking to throw away your important documents it is essential that you shred these papers before putting them in the trash.  Important documents that need to be shredded before being tossed in the garbage include old bank statements, credit card statements, and any other document that has your personal information. 

The reason why you need to shred your important documents before putting them in the trash is to keep someone from obtaining your records and accessing your account or even worse, stealing you identity.   If someone is able to use your personal information to gain access to new lines of credit or charge items to your current credit card, your credit history could take a serious hit.  When your credit score drops it becomes much more difficult to be approved for new lines of credit such as credit cards, auto loans and mortgages.  To help ensure the safety of your credit report you will want to shred all documents that may include your personal information such as your social security number and bank account number.  By shredding this information before throwing it out rather than just ripping the paper into pieces you are making sure that no one will be able to root through your garbage and tape your documents back together in order to find out your personal information.