When I started working at CheeseGov, I learned a few things. Like the inner workings of state government and elevator etiquette. Most intriguing of all is unclaimed property.
Did you know that roughly one in seven Americans has unclaimed cash or property? You might very well have some. I do! My parents and kids do, too. More on that in a second.
Unclaimed property is usually associated with financial institutions or companies in which there has been no activity for at least a year. Each state government holds onto these assets indefinitely, releasing them if/when the owner files a claim.
Wisconsin actually leads the nation in returning unclaimed property to its rightful owner. CheeseGov does a great job getting the word out, and actually won an award last year. We were even featured on Good Morning, America. Part of my job involves educating the general public that they might have untold riches awaiting them. Here are a couple of social media posts I put together to let folks know.
(As an aside, 90% of my job involves managing CheeseGov’s social media accounts. I didn’t realize this when I applied for the position, but honestly, it’s been a refreshing change of pace. I still have plenty of opportunity to flex my creative muscles, and they have been very willing to let me run wild with it. I don’t think they knew what they were getting into, ha!)
A few weeks ago, I dropped by the Unclaimed Property division, where they were sorting through the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes. If a financial institution is unable to get in touch with the owner for two years, the property is sent to CheeseGov. We hold onto it for another year and, if there is still no claimant, sell the items through a public auction. All proceeds remain in the owner’s name indefinitely and can be claimed at any time.
There was some pretty wild stuff in there; lots of rare coins, expensive jewelry, gold bars, letters from mistresses, and even a few naked Polaroids. It’s amazing what people hang onto! A lot of junk, too, like one dirty sock (so, that’s where the missing one from the laundry ends up!), an empty sunflower seed container, cheap plastic toys. They have even found guns, cocaine, and – once – a stick of dynamite, which required evacuating the building and calling in the bomb squad.
Never a dull moment at CheeseGov!
In any case, this inspired me to see if I had any unclaimed property floating around out there. It’s as easy as googling {name of state} unclaimed property and entering your name in the search bar. Takes about five seconds. Lo and behold, my name popped up in the Washington state database. Turns out I’m owed $50 from Evergreen Pediatrics in 2004. I filled out the claim form, attached proof of identity and residency, and sent it off. I’ll be receiving a check for fifty bucks within 90 days.
Better twenty years late than never, that’s what I always say!
It isn’t hard to figure out what happened. I’m sure I took Audrey or Rusty in for a checkup, paid the copay out of pocket, and the clinic was later reimbursed by my insurance company. I switched jobs in 2004 (shocker!) and probably didn’t have my new insurance card yet.
My parents’ names were also on the list, so I sent an email, letting them know they had money waiting to be claimed. I figured they’d be happy to hear this and tripping over themselves to thank me, but instead, they thought it was all some big con and I was gullible with a capital GULL.
“Sounds like a scam!” my mom said.
I tried to convince them it’s legit, but I still don’t know if they believe me. Hey, if they’re just going to let free money owed to them gather virtual dust, that’s their prerogative.
If nothing else, it inspired this blog post. If even one of my readers discovers unclaimed property, I’ll consider this a successful PSA. Let me know if you do!
Originally, Tara and I were supposed to see Heart and Cheap Trick in Milwaukee tonight. We decided to make a long weekend out of it, taking time off work and booking a hotel room right next to the arena.
And then the concert was postponed to some as-yet-unannounced future date when Ann Wilson announced she’s battling cancer.
Major bummer, to say the least. I hope Ann recovers. Heart is one of my all-time favorite bands and one of only a handful left on our concert bucket list. And then there’s the fact that we booked a non-refundable room through a third-party booking company to save a few dollars. Because I’m one stubborn SOB who refuses to take no for an answer, I jumped through hoops – it’s a tale that involves arguing with a robot and doing some serious Sherlock Holmes-level internet sleuthing – and somehow managed to get the company to make a rare exception and give us a full refund despite their no-exceptions policy, which saved us $210 and some valuable PTO hours.
I’m telling you guys, this manifesting shit really works.
We still decided to take Friday off, and will be cashing in a gift from my Aunt Nancy. She went to Taliesin – Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic home and studio in Spring Green – last summer during the family reunion and had such a good time, she sprang for tickets to thank us for our hospitality. We’ll be cashing those in tomorrow.
Which means my weekend is – glances at watch – a mere 90 minutes away!
Mark My Words 
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