A couple of weeks ago, my youngest said to me, “Mom, do you know there is a website for unclaimed property?”
Well, yes, I do. But I told him that does not apply to me.
After all, I know exactly where all my property is!
I’m sure you’ve heard the commercial on the radio as many times as I have…”find your unclaimed property at finadmassmoney.com” they repeat over and over.
According to the Unclaimed Property Division, Massachusetts has over $3 billion in unclaimed property. Unclaimed property includes forgotten savings and checking accounts, un-cashed checks, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, dividends and the contents of unattended safe deposit boxes.
My son continued our conversation with, “well, both you and dad show unclaimed property on the site, so maybe it DOES apply to you”.
I’ve never EVEN ONCE considered checking out the website. Clearly, my son was not missing any opportunity to claim a lost treasure.
He pulled it up on my phone and navigated to where it showed my name.
Well look at that, he’s right!
Long story short, I took the steps to claim my lost property and it said I would receive my property in the mail. Ok, but I won’t hold my breath.
It does not tell you how much or specifically what, at least not in my case. It’s a SURPRISE.
Mine was an immediate auto approval. Super easy. I had to submit a few supporting documents for my husband’s stuff. I’m not sure what the differentiating factor was.
Well imagine my surprise when, in less than two weeks, I received a check in the mail from the Mass Dept of Treasury for $912!
Turns out, it was from an old credit card through MEFA U-Promise (Massachusetts Education Financing Authority) where you could earn money towards college by using the card and then could transfer the funds to a 529.
Given that college seemed a lifetime away “back then”, I bagged that card for one with immediate gratification in rewards. (The older me with college age kids would perhaps rethink that decision now.)
Coincidentally, I made a tuition payment for my oldest the same day I received the check, so I suppose, theoretically, the money is STILL going towards tuition.
How nice that it reached its intended destination after all these years being lost!
All states have an unclaimed property division, so a simple google search should lead you to the website for your state.
Give it a try – it’s worth a look! Let me know if you find a lost treasure!
Something to Ponder
When you try to control everything, you enjoy nothing.
Sometimes you just need to relax, breathe, let go and live in the moment.