You already know that you might have unclaimed money sitting out there, just waiting for you to grab it. The next question is: where do you go from here?
One thing's for certain. If you search on the internet for unclaimed money resources, you are going to find a bunch of websites and vendors that are going to try and charge money to you, to claim your money. Don't go that route. After all, if you have to pay someone to get your money back, it kind of defeats the purpose.
Now, let's take a look at the top unclaimed money resources right now.
On the official IRS website, you can search for tax refunds that you might be eligible for, along with stimulus money that may have been granted to you under the 2020 CARES Act.
The best part about working with IRS resources is that they are 100% free. You can even contact the IRS directly if you get confused during your online search.
When a bank closes, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is responsible for overseeing and distributing any remaining deposits and assets to the rightful owners.
For example, let's say you opened up a savings account back in your home town, many years ago. You forgot about the account because you didn't have much money in there, and the bank closed a few years back.
In most cases, you are still entitled to reclaim the money from your old bank account. Visit the FDIC's Unclaimed Funds website to see if your bank is on there.
The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) is a non-profit organization that oversees unclaimed property throughout the U.S. Using the NAUPA's free search tool, you can search for unclaimed property of all types, including cashier's checks, travellers checks, personal checks, stocks, safe deposit box contents, and more.
Now that you know about some top free tools you can use to search for your unclaimed funds, the next step is getting out there to see what you can find.
What do you have to lose?