INDIANAPOLIS — Money might be out there waiting for you to claim it.
It ends up on different unclaimed sites because companies, government entities and other institutions are unable to track you down. Maybe you switched addresses, jobs, or both.
A good place to start is your state's unclaimed funds site.
Unclaimed.org organizes a list of all the states' unclaimed sites so you can easily jump around if you have moved a lot.
To find possible unclaimed retirement benefits, Elizabeth Ayoola with NerdWallet suggests starting with three sites:
If you track down retirement savings, think about where you will put that money to avoid tax penalties.
"Roll the funds into an existing retirement account like another 401k or an existing employer-sponsored account. Another thing that people can do is open an IRA and put the money into there," Ayoola said.
If you're at the age where you can withdraw funds without penalty, you may not need to worry about it.
The U.S. Government also offers a list of where you might find other unclaimed funds:
- Unpaid Wages - Back pay an employer might owe you.
- Veterans Affairs Life Insurance Funds - Unclaimed insurance funds for veterans.
- Tax Refunds - If you have not received your tax refund.
- SEC Enforcement Funds - Search the for money from an investment enforcement case.
- Savings Bonds - Find matured savings bonds that have stopped earning interest
- Bankruptcies - Search for money you may be owed after a person or business declared bankruptcy.