THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2026 Page 17 How Families Can Find Lost Money After a Loved One Dies Dear Savvy Senior, After my mom passed away, we discovered a few small accounts and an old insurance policy we didn’t know she still had. It made me wonder how often families uncover forgotten or unclaimed money like this after a parent dies. Is it common, and where should I start looking? --Searching Sarah Dear Sarah, It’s actually quite common. After a parent or spouse dies, families often come across small, forgotten accounts, uncashed checks, or old insurance policies that slipped through the cracks over the years. In many cases, paperwork was misplaced, accounts were opened decades ago, or loved ones simply weren’t aware the assets existed. According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, billions of dollars in unclaimed assets are currently being held by state governments and federal agencies, waiting to be claimed by rightful owners or heirs. Unclaimed property usually comes from fi nancial accounts or benefi ts that became inactive because the owner moved, changed names or died. In many cases, heirs were never aware the money existed or did not know where to look. These assets can include savings or checking accounts, uncashed dividend checks, utility security deposits, life insurance proceeds, pension benefi ts, tax refunds, matured savings bonds and unpaid wages. By law, banks, employers, insurance companies and other institutions must turn these assets over to the state if they cannot locate the owner or next of kin after a set period, usually two to fi ve years. Once turned over, the money is held indefi - nitely, so there is no deadline for families to fi le a claim. Where to start A good place to begin is MissingMoney.com, a free site endorsed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators and the National Association of State Treasurers. It allows users to search for unclaimed property in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico at once. Hawaii is not included but can be searched through a link on the site. When searching, check every state where your mother lived, worked or did business. Be sure to search under maiden names, married names and common misspellings. Using just a fi rst initial and last name can also uncover accounts that do not appear under a full name search. Each state’s site will indicate whether property is listed and explain how to fi le a claim. Other places to check State treasuries are only part of the picture. Families should also check several other common sources of forgotten money. Pensions and 401(k) s: To search for lost or forgotten retirement benefits your mom may have left behind with an old employer, use the U.S. Department of Labor’s Retirement Savings Lost & Found Database at lostandfound.dol. gov and the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits at unclaimedretirementbenefi ts.com. Or to search for unclaimed retirement benefi ts from private-sector plans that have closed down, use the Pension Benefi t Guaranty Corporation search tool at pbgc.gov/ workers-retirees. 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 fi nd out if your mom had a Savings Bond or other Treasury security visit your state’s unclaimed property offi ce using unclaimed.org. Search the state of residence at the time of the securities purchase or last known address. Lost life insurance: To track down a lost or forgotten life insurance policy, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, an insurance regulatory support organization, off ers a free policy locator service at eapps.naic.org/life-policy-locator. Other refunds: To search for money left at an FDIC insured bank or credit union that has gone out of business, visit closedbanks.fdic.gov/funds. Federal tax refunds can be checked at irs.gov/refunds or by calling 800-829-1954. FHA mortgage refunds can be checked at entp. hud.gov/dsrs/refunds. And unpaid wages are listed at dol.gov/ agencies/whd/wow. Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5, Norman, OK 7070. 1. On Aug. 14, 1935, FDR signed what Act benefi ting the retired? 2. What beverage has egg in its name but does not contain egg? 3. What at the White House is known as “the sticks”? 4. What country east of Miami with “The” in its name gave women voting rights in 1962? 5. On Aug. 15, 1519, what city (including the name of a hat) was founded? 6. How are Camembert, buffet and tarot similar? 7. In what 1929 film would you fi nd Hotel de Cocoanut? 8. Where (coff ee source) was a senator recently sworn in in a white elephant costume? 9. On Aug. 16, 1954, the fi rst issue of Sports Illustrated hit the newsstands; it is well-known for what annual issue? 10. Who is known for the 1841 short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” with the amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin? 11. In what year did the fi rst motel open (called the Milestone Mo-Tel): 1870, 1925 or 1936? 12. On Aug. 17, 2008, who became the fi rst to win 8 swimming gold medals at an Olympics? 13. What were dachshund sausages later called? 14. Which presiden t (three-letter nickname) had an electric horse at the White House? 15. On Aug. 18, 1920, Congress ratified women’s right to vote (19th amendment); which U.S. state (has doubled letters) passed it last? 16. What European countries have recently been in the news due to a canicule? 17. What Nathaniel Hawthorne novel ends with “On a fi eld, sable, the letter A, gules”? 18. On Aug. 19, 1812, what U.S. ship defeated the HMS Guerrière and got a nickname? 19. What pope was a Jesuit? 20. On Aug. 20, 1882, what work debuted, to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon’s army, that is popular in Boston? Answers 1. Social Security Act 2. Egg cream (has milk, soda water and chocolate or vanilla syrup; invented in NYC) 3. The microphones at the West Wing portico 4. The Bahamas 5. Panama City 6. Words ending in silent “t”; all are from French, but tarocchi was the original name in Italy, where tarot decks were invented 7. The Marx Brothers’ fi rst fi lm, “The Cocoanuts” 8. Colombia (Luis Carlos R?a, who had mostly campaigned in the disguise against graft) 9. Swimsuit issue 10. Edgar Allan Poe (“fi rst modern detective story”) 11. 1925 (in California; “motel” is derived from “mo-tel,” a portmanteau of motor and hotel coined by the motel’s owner) 12. Michael Phelps 13. Hot dogs 14. Calvin “Cal” Coolidge (A satirical poem about him and his “horse” was read in the House of Representatives.) 15. Mississippi (voted on March 22, 1984) 16. France and Spain, due to fi res; canicule means “dog days” (summer heat wave) 17. “The Scarlet Letter” (an epitaph meaning “On a black background, the letter A in red”) 18. USS Constitution (Old Ironsides); the Guerrière originally was a French ship 19. Pope Francis 20. “1812 Overture”; used by the Boston Pops
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