You might be richer than you think

Did you know that the State of California is holding more than $4.8 billion in Unclaimed Property? These assets have been turned over to the State for safekeeping by banks, businesses and other organizations as required by law.

There is no charge to file a claim for Unclaimed Property. Last year, more than 239,000 accounts were returned, and the average amount received was almost $1,000! You can use this Web site to search for property you may have lost or forgotten. There are 7.6 million accounts, so there is a good chance that you, a friend or family member has unclaimed property.

After typing my name to search if I had any claims available - I didn't - I found that my grandfather had about $200 in an old savings account. What was interesting was that when he opened the account, he listed the address of the house where I was born in Mexico City. That certainly brought a lot of memories!

However, a good friend of mine claimed (and received) almost $800 and my wife Jessica had about $45 dollars she was owed from a previous insurance payment. The claim process is very simple and doesn't take much time. I invite you to see if you or someone you know does have some money just waiting to be claimed.

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