Several years ago, I came across a tweet from @MebFaber saying that a family friend had found $50,000 in unclaimed assets. Curious, I visited the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) website to see if I had anything under my name.

To my surprise, I did, from an address I hadn’t lived at in over 15 years. I filed a claim and a few weeks later, received a check for $73 from the State of New Jersey. Turns out it was from an old Aetna insurance policy I’d completely forgotten about. Thanks again, Meb—if you're ever in New Jersey, lunch is on me.

Since that small but satisfying win, we've made it a habit to check for unclaimed property, both for ourselves and our clients.

💡 One client uncovered over six figures in unclaimed investments.

This is real money that had been sitting idle for years. It took less than 10 minutes to find.

Why You Should Check

  • Roughly 1 in 10 Americans has unclaimed property.
  • As of 2025, more than $70 billion is being held by state treasuries.
  • Some of these claims are worth thousands—or even millions.

For example, in 2011, a woman in Kansas City received a $6.1 million check tied to a stock purchase made by an ancestor. That’s not a typo. It’s the power of unclaimed property.

What Counts as Unclaimed Property?

You might be surprised at what qualifies:

  • Forgotten utility or rent security deposits
  • Life insurance proceeds
  • Uncashed payroll or rebate checks
  • Old brokerage or retirement accounts
  • Stocks, mutual funds, and dividends
  • Dormant bank accounts
  • Safe deposit box contents
  • Unredeemed gift cards or store credit

Each state has its own timeline for when property becomes “abandoned” and turned over to the government, often between 1–5 years.

How to Check (It’s Free and Easy)

Go to https://unclaimed.org — NAUPA’s official site. It links to every state’s treasury office.

🔍 Search your name in every state you’ve lived in.

If you find something, follow the steps to claim it. Most claims take just a few minutes to submit and can be processed within weeks.

A Simple Action with Big Potential

This is one of the few money moves with zero downside and only upside. It’s free to search, fast to check, and you might just uncover a forgotten piece of your financial past.

If you find anything—whether it’s $7 or $70,000—let me know by sending me a message. I’d love to feature a few reader stories in a future post.

Happy hunting!

Featured photo by rc.xyz NFT at Unsplash