How to find and claim forgotten assets

Dear Savvy Senior,

A while back, I read an article about some online tools that can help people search for lost or forgotten money left behind by their deceased relatives, but I’ve misplaced it. Can you help me with this?

My mom, who passed away in December, was always bad about keeping up with her money, so I’m wondering if there was anything she left behind.

—Searching Son

Dear Searching,

Forgotten or lost money is actually very common in the United States. According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, there are literally billions of dollars in unclaimed funds sitting in state treasuries and other agencies just waiting to be found.

These unclaimed funds are from accounts that are inactive, or whose owners, or their heirs, cannot be located. Unclaimed funds can include things like lost or forgotten sav- ing or checking accounts, stocks, utility security deposits, tax refunds, life insurance policy proceeds, un-cashed dividend checks, matured savings bonds and much more.

This typically happens because of a change of address (the owner moved), a name change (the owner got married or divorced), or the owner died and the estate was unaware of the money, or the heirs could not be located.

By law, companies and financial institutions that can’t find the owner or their next of kin within two to five years must turn the property over to the state, where it’s held indefinitely.

Where (and how) to search

About 10% of all Americans have some unclaimed money out there waiting to be found, so it’s very possible your mother had some too.

To start your search, go to Unclaimed.org, which has links to all state programs that will let you do a state benefits search online for free. Or you can do a multi-state search in 39 states at MissingMoney.com. Be sure to check every state in which your mother lived, worked or did business.

Also, make sure to check under your mom’s maiden name. And if she had a frequently misspelled name, search those misspellings too. Using her first initial and her last name is also encouraged to make sure everything comes up.

Every state can tell you immediately if your mom has some unclaimed money, as well as how to go about collecting it.

Other places to look

In addition to state treasuries, here are some other resources that can help you look for unclaimed money that may have been overlooked:

Forgotten retirement benefits: To search for lost or forgotten 401(k) funds your mom may have left behind with an old employer, use the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits at UnclaimedRetirementBenefits.com.

To search for lost pension benefits, use the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation trusteed plan search tool at PBGC.gov/ search-trusteed-plans.

Lost life insurance: To track down a lost or forgotten life insurance policy, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, an insurance regulatory support organization, offers a free policy locator service at eapps.naic.org/life-policy-locator.

Unredeemed savings bonds: It’s very common for people to lose track of U.S. saving bonds because they are often given to children as gifts, then forgotten before the bonds reach maturity.

To find out if your mom had any, the U.S. Department of the Treasury provides an online search tool at TreasuryHunt.gov for finding matured, uncashed savings bonds over 30 years old and no longer earning interest.

Federal tax refunds: Each year thousands of refund checks totaling millions of dollars are returned to the IRS by the post office. To look for lost federal tax refund checks, go to IRS.gov/refunds or call 1-800-829-1954.

Send questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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From page 11

You’ll also want to feel comfortable that the adviser is willing to step up and respond to your individual needs.

Here’s an example: A couple of years ago, we contemplated having my husband make a transition from full- to part-time work. Our adviser ran a series of analyses on our income and his pension options. We decided not to make a change, but it was helpful to have someone who listened to us and then came back with different options.

Other critical skills to consider when choosing an adviser might be a little more obvious.

You definitely would want someone who is knowledgeable about both planning strategies and investments, who is constantly learning and staying current with new solutions and strategies and, finally, who can be flexible. Life can be crazy sometimes, so they should be ready to adjust your plan when those curveballs land.

Consider certifications, legal status

Various designations can lend insight into what type of experience an adviser has, and a good place to start is finding a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP). Having this designation requires these professionals to continue to learn, as they have mandatory hours of education each year — and they are regulated by a board of ethics.

And while we’re on the topic of ethics:

Fiduciaries are required by law to put your interests before their own. In addition to that, a subset of fiduciary firms are feeonly, which means they don’t sell any products or services beyond their relationship with you, and act as a fiduciary in all parts of their business.

The word fiduciary gets used incorrectly all the time, but a true fiduciary has very few conflicts of interest, with all decisions made in the client’s best interest. For me, these two criteria — being a CFP and a fiduciary — should be non-negotiable when choosing an adviser.

There are many other types of advisers out there, though — some work for broker-dealers, banks or even insurance companies. Just make sure you evaluate how they work with clients and how they get paid.

Some advisers earn a commission from services they sell, which can be a red flag if you feel any pressure during your conversation to add on or upgrade your initial request. Or they may suggest an investment that isn’t perfect for your situation because they receive a higher payout on that specific investment — there is a level of conflict of interest to consider!

You also don’t have to stick with the same adviser the rest of your life. If some-

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thing isn’t working, and you lose your confidence in their ability to guide you through your life course, don’t hesitate to start the search again.

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