Collaborative post
Unclaimed Money – Might it Be Yours? Here’s How to Get It
Occasionally, you’ll see news reports or read articles about all the unclaimed money that sits, going to waste, as people with no idea of what they’re due go about their daily lives, unknowing. It makes sense – do you sincerely remember every investment, every rebate, every paycheck, every refund or discount or suit you ever engaged with in your entire life? It’s no wonder that people with busy lives often go without claiming what’s rightfully theirs. And honestly, there are probably plenty out there with a stake in making sure you never claim the money you’re due.
Photo Credit: Pixabay.com
If you’re ever wondering, though, if you have unclaimed money in a coffer somewhere, just waiting for you to come collect it, you can certainly find out. While there are actually sites that claim they can tell you right away what you’re owed and by whom, these aren’t always foolproof. Below we’ve listed a few instances in which you might be owed money or compensation and how to take advantage of those funds.
Lawsuits and Claims
Lawsuits are big business these days, and sometimes a person can participate in a class action lawsuit and forget all about their participation. It’s no wonder, with class action suits handling thousands of clients at a time, taking literally years to reach any kind of settlement, and being predictably slow and inept in their communications. You can hardly be blamed if you’ve forgotten about your participation, or if you never realized you had a claim to begin with.
Suits exist in various areas – suits against former employers, in the area of medical malpractice, harassment, bad investments/folding ventures; the list goes on and you. You may be owed money if you were unfairly terminated, if you were harmed as a result of medical malpractice, if an investment you made wasn’t used properly, etc. For example: there’s currently a suit forming against providers who Mis-Sold SIPP claims, on high risk investments. You can file a claim on the website to join the suit.
There’s no shame or guilt associated with taking your due, especially in cases of pain, suffering, harassment or when you’ve been cheated out of something you paid into. Claim what’s yours!
Winnings
If you’ve ever played the lottery, or entered a contest, you may have, like many of us, thrown in your lot and then forgot all about it. You’d be surprised to find out how many people have won a small amount of money or some other prize and never came forth to claim it.
Any contest or competition you enter, no matter how small, should always be checked out later! And if you think you might have won something in the past, it can’t hurt to reach out and check now. Search those websites, contact the companies with whom you participated, and find out if you have unclaimed winnings.
Taxes
If you do your taxes yourself, you may have overlooked money that you are due. Mistakes can be made, and you may find out that the government actually owes you money.
Hiring an accountant to look over the past few years’ taxes returns is a great idea to account for your work and make sure everything is on the up and up. You never know, you might have an unexpected windfall headed your way.
These are just three possibilities for unclaimed money that you may be owed. It can quite literally pay to look into all the other possibilities for yourself!