How To Find YOUR Unclaimed Money!

Okay, I have to ask you something. What if I told you there's a chance you have money sitting somewhere right now, completely unclaimed, just waiting for you to come and get it? 

I'm not talking about a lottery ticket or a get-rich-quick scheme. I'm talking about real money that already belongs to you. 

According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, roughly 1 in 7 Americans has unclaimed assets.

The average claim on MissingMoney.com? $2,080. One person even collected $6.3 million from a single claim!

So how do you know if any of that could be yours? Let's dig in.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to lose track of money over the years, especially if you've moved around, changed jobs, or just had a busy life (which, let's be honest, is most of us). 

Older adults tend to have more unclaimed assets simply because they've had more years to accumulate them, and back when a lot of this record-keeping happened, everything was on paper that could easily get lost or left behind at an old address.

This is the important part. You should never pay anyone to search for unclaimed money on your behalf. These legitimate search tools are completely FREE:

•       MissingMoney is your best starting point. It's endorsed by NAUPA and lets you search 49 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico all in one place. The average claim here is over $2,000, so it's absolutely worth five minutes of your time.
•       Unclaimed is where you can search by state to find unclaimed matured savings bonds. Remember those bonds you got as graduation gifts? Some of them may still be out there.
•       ClosedBanks is where you can search for funds from banks and credit unions that have closed.
•       LostandFound can help you track down unpaid retirement benefits.
•       Workers Owed Wages site helps you recover unpaid earnings from past employment.

Once you find something in your name, the process to claim it varies a bit from state to state, but generally, you'll need to provide your name, current address, and Social Security number. You can file claims directly through MissingMoney.com for 38 states. For the others, you'll be directed to file through that state's website.

A heads up: some states are quick and easy, and others will ask for more documentation,   like an affidavit. If you run into any confusion, contact that state's unclaimed property office directly. They genuinely want to help, and they're good at it!

Watch Out for Scams

Here's where I have to put on my organizer hat and give you a firm reminder. Searching for unclaimed money is always free. If a website or company asks you to pay a fee upfront to find or recover money for you, that's a red flag. Walk away.

Scammers have created fake websites that look very similar to legitimate ones, so always double-check that you're on an official government or NAUPA-endorsed site before entering any personal information.

So here's your assignment this week: carve out five minutes, head over to MissingMoney.com, type in your name, and see what comes up. Search your maiden name, too, if that applies to you, and check any states where you've lived or worked. You might just find a little surprise waiting for you!