This report explains the importance of keeping personal records, describes types of records to keep, and suggests places in which to keep them and ways to organize them. Guidelines are offered for keeping the following types of records: (1) personal documents (family records, wills, passports, diplomas, and social security cards); (2) property records (real estate records and household inventories); (3) financial records (securities, pension and profit-sharing plans, bank accounts, and credit accounts); (4) insurance records; (5) tax records; and (6) health records. The guidelines include reasons to keep each type of record and how long to keep it. Suggestions are offered for keeping records in the home and in safe deposit boxes as well as methods and aids for organizing records. A chart is included which lists the preferred storage location, uses, and length of time to keep each type of record. Information in this report is current at the time of printing, April 1983, but is subject to change. (DC)