| Of the tens of billions of dollars in | | | | have reliable databases, and even when |
| unclaimed assets across the country, the | | | | looking at data straight from the state, the |
| North Star State is home to more than $300 | | | | information is only as good as the people |
| million. MN is known for freezing cold | | | | updating the records. These assets are turned |
| winters, but most people don't know about the | | | | over to the state constantly, but that |
| mountains of cold hard cash in the form of | | | | doesn't mean each record is added the second |
| Minnesota unclaimed money. The best part | | | | the state takes control of it. |
| about all of these millions is that they | | | | |
| belong to regular citizens across the state | | | | If a Minnesota resident searches for MN |
| who only need to track them down and claim | | | | missing money on Monday, but someone at the |
| them. | | | | Commerce Department didn't update their |
| | | | system with that resident's record, then the |
| It's easy to dismiss unclaimed property as a | | | | resident would be incorrectly told they |
| myth because it is difficult for most of us | | | | weren't owed money. Now, consider the fact |
| to believe that our neighbors (and ourselves) | | | | that money can be turned over all year, and |
| simply abandoned significant amounts of money | | | | that many account types aren't required to be |
| throughout our lives and that it's all just | | | | turned over to the state for 3 to 5 years, |
| sitting out there under our noses, waiting to | | | | and longer in some cases. What this tells us |
| be discovered. A quick call to Minnesota's | | | | is that searching more than once, frequently |
| Department of Commerce, or the State Treasury | | | | in fact, is one of the most important tactics |
| Department in any other state will put your | | | | a searcher can use, and one that all |
| scam concerns at ease. This money is within | | | | professional finders use regularly. |
| reach for those citizens with a little | | | | |
| education on the matter. | | | | There are also a variety of reasons why |
| | | | Minnesota residents might be owed money by |
| The reason unclaimed funds totals have grown | | | | other states, and residents of other states |
| so greatly across the country is because most | | | | might be owed MN unclaimed money. These often |
| people don't even know this cash exists, and | | | | have to do with the location of insurance |
| those that do still haven't been properly | | | | companies and corporate headquarters of |
| trained to search for these monies. There are | | | | employers. For these reasons, people should |
| a number of obstacles that stand in the way | | | | never limit their searches to their home |
| of beginners who are trying to find their | | | | state or they could miss out on significant |
| lost money that are easy to overcome if | | | | chunks of cash with their names on it. |
| people know what they're doing. | | | | |
| | | | For further details on these tips and many |
| One of the biggest mistakes people make when | | | | more, people who are truly interested in |
| searching for forgotten funds, is searching | | | | locating all possible money owed to them |
| their name at whatever website they first run | | | | should educate themselves on how to perform a |
| across and ending their search there. For | | | | thorough search and copy the tricks used by |
| starters, very few unclaimed cash websites | | | | experts in the unclaimed property game. |