I don't use a copy machine in my practice for several reasons:

1. Buying or leasing a copier is expensive and so are the man hours related to making, filing, storing, and retrieving those copies.
2. If I'm collecting that much hard copy information from someone, I'm doing something wrong (I use carefully constructed and encrypted online client forms to gather most of the information I need)
3. There's precious little "personally identifiable" information that I need from you (birthdate is one such piece of information but I don't want or need your social security number or account numbers)
4. Copiers represent a colossal security risk of your personal information as shown in this video

Think about these reasons next time your financial adviser says "I'll just make copies of these..."

"Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception."
-- Psalm 38:12