Money & Finance

There’s about $33 billion worth of unclaimed money and some of it could be yours. I’ll tell you how to find out if you’re owed money and how to get it. First, let me tell you where the money is and how it got there. According to CBS News, state treasury offices and other agencies are required to hang on to unclaimed money, or what’s officially called “unclaimed property.” For example:

• Maybe you forgot about an account you had with a bank or credit union. The account went inactive and if you moved, the bank didn’t know how to reach you.
• You may have unclaimed property if there’s a check you never cashed, or one that got lost in the mail.
• Maybe there’s an insurance, stock or dividend payment you never received or that was originally put in the wrong account by mistake.

So, how can you find out if you have money owed to you? There are a few ways:

• Use the website MissingMoney.com. It’s pretty easy; it takes just a few minutes and it’s free. All you have to do is type in your name and your state or province and see if your name pops up in their records.
• Another website to check for any money that might be yours is Unclaimed.org. Click on a state or province and an official government search site will come up.
• If you hold any old savings bonds you might have misplaced or forgot about, check out TreasuryDirect.gov. Click on the button called “Treasury Hunt.”

To help with your search, here are a few tips:

• Search every state you’ve ever lived in. You might have money sitting in a state you haven’t been in for years!
• Also, if you married or changed your name, search under every name you’ve ever used.
• If you have deceased family members who have unclaimed property, you can file a claim for it.