What financial documents do you keep and for how long?

[MelissaRaeCake]

I am cleaning out my filing cabinet, and I would like opinions on how long to keep financial records and other documents.

I loathe paper! It has a way of piling up and taking over (my desk and my mind)! I would love to go all digital. I have been receiving e-bills and statements whenever possible for several months now. I think most every company that issues a monthly or quarterly statement has a way for you to access that statement online or by request for several years. So really, once you take a look at it and pay it, is there any real need to keep it?

I have a scanner, and anything that I might want to reference in the future, I can throw on it and save a digital copy (that I will back up on a disc).

So aside from the obvious (marriage and birth certificates, house deed, etc), what do you keep and for how long and why? THANKS!

[MrsPinecone]

Tax info needs to be saved for at least 7 years.

[jen276here]

I don't keep much of anything. Obviously Birth/Marriage certs and such, buy everything else I either scan or save a copy to my computer then back up on a external HD and on a disk to be safe. I too hate paper clutter!