Three Reasons to Go Paperless

Why you should elect to receive digital bills and statements instead of mailed copies
If you’re inundated with requests by utility providers, department store credit cards, and insurance companies to “go paperless” but haven’t made the switch to digital statements yet, you’re missing out on some great benefits.
Here are three major reasons you should opt to receive your bills, bank statements, account balances, and policy contracts via email instead of the mail carrier.
Better for the environment
The most obvious reason to go paperless is to reduce paper usage. By opting for digital statements, you’ll be saving trees and helping the environment. Plus,
it’s an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint, since paper waste is a large component of landfill waste. It’s a small change you can make to help care for our planet.
Less clutter
When you receive a letter in the mail, you have to decide what you’re going to do with it. Do you file it? Shred it? Throw it away? If you don’t take action, you’ll quickly develop a pile of clutter on your countertop. But, if you receive your statements via email, you don’t have to worry about physical clutter. You can still label, sort, and archive your digital statements similarly to filing paper printouts, but you can do so on your computer without having to find space for a filing cabinet. And if you’re worried about losing your records over time, some companies let you download your statements to save as PDF versions on your desktop.
Tighter security
You may think that emailing financial information would be less secure than sending in through the mail, but just the opposite may be true. Consider how easy it would be for a thief to steal your mail or find it in your dumpster. It’s a far easier feat than hacking into your private records on your computer network. Even if a scammer hacks their way into your inbox, they would still have to hack their way into your bill provider’s online account to access sensitive information.
If you’re on the fence about going paperless and haven’t made the decision yet, it’s a worthwhile transition to make. You’ll quickly see how simple receiving digital statements is and feel pride in how you’re benefitting the environment.
Did you know? If you have online banking with Washington Trust, you can waive receiving your monthly paper statements? Contact our Customer Solutions Center today to find out how!
Contact a Trusted Advisor
For more information or to speak with one of our trusted advisors about your unique financial needs, contact us at 800-465-2265 or submit an online form.