{"id":3215,"date":"2018-03-14T16:45:27","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T12:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.awebtoknow.com\/?p=3215"},"modified":"2018-06-10T02:00:34","modified_gmt":"2018-06-09T22:00:34","slug":"finding-unclaimed-money-and-property-for-free-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.awebtoknow.com\/how\/finding-unclaimed-money-and-property-for-free-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Unclaimed Money and Property for Free: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
Guest post by\u00a0Lee Reams II<\/em><\/p>\n According to a recent study <\/span>reported on by CNBC<\/span><\/a>, states across the country are currently holding onto roughly $41.7 billion in unclaimed assets \u2014 right now. This number is a dramatic increase of the $32.8 billion number that was estimated by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators<\/em> just a few years prior, in 2010.<\/span><\/p>\n Unclaimed assets can come from a wide variety of places, all of which contribute to the deep layer of confusion about the situation. These unclaimed assets can be found in uncashed payroll checks, life insurance payouts that were forgotten about for years after a loved one passed away, bank accounts that remained dormant for long enough for the bank to list them as “unclaimed”<\/em> \u2014 even stock splits. The list goes on and on. And nearly $2 billion in lottery prizes go unclaimed every year, according to <\/span>another report by CNN Money.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is where unclaimed assets like money and property come from. Why they remain unclaimed for so long has to do with a few different factors.<\/span><\/p>\n For starters, if a loved one suddenly dies and you had no idea they had an active account with X, Y or Z bank, you wouldn’t know to claim it in the first place. Secondly, a lot of people simply assume that they don’t have anything to claim \u2014 but even experts agree that it is very, very easy for money, in particular, to wind up under the control of the state when someone isn’t paying attention.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, even if you DO believe that you have unclaimed funds or property out there somewhere, many people assume that the process they have to go through to gain control of those assets is a lengthy and expensive one. In other words, it’s not worth the trouble.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s that final myth that it is incredibly important to shatter, both for now and for all time.<\/span><\/p>\n In truth, it’s incredibly easy to find out if you have unclaimed funds and property and to get control of what is rightfully yours. Not only that, but you can do it without spending so much as a dime. Better yet, you can do it largely over the internet from the comfort of your own home. You just have to keep a few key things in mind, both about where you choose to begin your search and exactly what it is that you’re looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your search for unclaimed money, in particular, will start in one of a few different places, depending on exactly what type of funds you’re looking for. Below are just a few of the many available options out there, all of which can be used for free:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a tip, be sure to search for both your name and the names of any loved ones who have recently passed away. If you can prove that you are in charge of someone’s estate (as would be the case with a recently deceased mother or father, for example), you can still get control of those funds and disburse them in accordance to any will or other documents that may still be valid.<\/span><\/p>\n Note that if you’re looking for an unclaimed property that is now under the control of your state, one of the absolute best ways to begin that search involves heading over to <\/span>MissingMoney.com.<\/span><\/a> This will help you easily locate the contact information for the unclaimed property department in either the state you live in or a state you lived in previously, which will allow you to get to the root of the matter quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n As the name suggests, you can also use MissingMoney.com<\/a> as yet another source for searching for unclaimed general funds in your state that may have been missed through other means.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As you can see, if you’re on the hunt for unclaimed money, property or other assets that you feel you may be entitled to, you certainly aren’t without your options. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that the total value of unclaimed assets continues to rise, year after year. So even if you think that you have everything accounted for and that you couldn’t possibly have anything out there waiting to be claimed, it’s in your own best interests to check anyway. It only takes a couple of minutes, it’s totally free of charge and you truly never know what you might find.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lee is the founder and CEO of ClientWhys, Inc., a marketing automation software developer for tax and accounting professionals. Lee is an active blogger and speaker, with articles and interviews published in Forbes, Huffington Post, Fit Small Business, Accounting Today, TaxBuzz<\/a>, CountingWorks and many more. Lee loves to write about taxes and small business issues. He believes that informed taxpayers and business owners are more likely to find successful financial outcomes.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Guest post by\u00a0Lee Reams II According to a recent study reported on by CNBC, states across the country are currently holding onto roughly $41.7 billion in unclaimed assets \u2014 right now. This number is a dramatic increase of the $32.8 billion number that was estimated by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators just a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[46],"yoast_head":"\nThe Case of the Unclaimed Funds<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Getting Back What Is Rightfully Yours<\/b><\/h2>\n
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