You might be sitting on millions... Maybe hundreds... Possibly a dollar's worth of pennies, that you are unaware of. Free money! Forgotten moolah.

How do you know if you've got secret money stashed somewhere?

I asked Patti Wilson with the Department of Revenue for the State of Washington that very question. Here's how our conversation went.

Dan: You're with the Department of Revenue. And you're NOT calling to say that I owe you money?

Patti: Usually that is the case, but with unclaimed property, we're actually trying to give money away that we're holding on to.

Dan: And is it easy to give money away? Are you finding it difficult?

Patti: Since last July we've returned $70 million (for the fiscal year). So I think we're doing pretty good getting money out.

So where would this money be coming from?

Dan: Wouldn't I know if I have unclaimed property?

Patti: A lot of folks don't. You move and you forget to leave a forwarding address and you have a deposit coming back to you, or you've set up a bank account, and then you forget about it, and you move... Or you have a check that was issued by a company and you didn't realize you had a refund coming. You know, different reasons.

Is there an expiration date on when I can claim my money?

Patti: Nope. there is no expiration date. We hold on to the funds forever, until the rightful owner comes forward to claim it.

Where do I go to see if I actually have unclaimed property?

Patti: You go to claimyourcash.org, and we have a searchable database that folks can enter their name, or their family members names, and just see if we're holding any unclaimed property.

If I find something, how soon can I get my hands on that money?

Patti: We try to get that money out as quickly as possible, to the rightful owners. Currently, it's taking about eight weeks for us to refund the money.

Dan: They didn't even know it existed, so what's another eight weeks?

Do you have forgotten funds?

Go here and find out.

How Much Money Do You Need to Make to Be Happy in the Pacific Northwest?

These numbers crunched by Go Banking Rates were inspired by a 2018 study performed by Purdue University. Purdue looked to find the number that would make people feel like they reached a level of life evaluation and emotional-well being where they were truly happy.

LOOK: Here are 25 ways you could start saving money today

These money-saving tips—from finding discounts to simple changes to your daily habits—can come in handy whether you have a specific savings goal, want to stash away cash for retirement, or just want to pinch pennies. It’s never too late to be more financially savvy. Read on to learn more about how you can start saving now. [From: 25 ways you could be saving money today]

 

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