You know the famous Geico advertising slogan?
15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.
Well, what if 15 minutes could net you $ 1,500 in lost cash?
That’s what happened with Will Tjernlund (ok, it was really $1400).
So… how? It’s a website called “Missing Money.”
I know, I know. Gotta be a scam, right? I can feel people’s BS meters already being triggered. I was skeptical too, but the referral came from my uncle, who uses the site every year to find unclaimed property he’s owed.
I also spent about 30 minutes searching around to see if the website had ever been flagged. However, the real proof is that I used it myself and collected checks. Results below:
My Results: $450
Since I had never used the website, I had about 10 entries, dating back to 2010 in Colorado and 2005 in Boston. All told, we found $250 for me and $200 for my wife.
I was owed money from companies ranging from Epson printers to old Chase bank accounts. Hell, apparently I never collected a refund from my old Massachusetts E-ZPass.
The Meta Lesson: Hidden Resources
Some people may search for “Missing Money” and find a few hundred dollars. Some will find $0.
However, I bet there are several situations in your life where you can find these hidden cash-out opportunities hiding in plain sight.
One of my relatives has a bike he bought in 2010. It’s barely used and still worth at least $2,000. It’s currently hanging in his garage, and my guess is there is ZERO chance he’ll ever use it again (at his age and physical condition).
Why not sell it and use the funds for something else?
My wife and I do a yearly Facebook Marketplace purge of stuff our kids can no longer use. Some years are $50, and others we make selling $500 or more of stuff we no longer use.
Or does someone still owe you money?
The meta lesson is that if you look hard enough, there are missing money opportunities.
My recent experience with Missing Money was another good nudge for me to keep my eyes open.
PS
You know it’s a government operated website when the design is this old-school. LOL
