I've been trying to do a little financial housekeeping. For several years now, I've gotten letters from my state saying that I have unclaimed property. I never responded, because I always assumed that it was some sort of scam. But, well, times being what they are, I did a little poking around and it seemed to be legitimate. So, I thought, if one state owes me money, does anyone else? One of the things I did was go on the Web and look at those unclaimed money websites. It turns out that two states said that I have unclaimed property. I filled out the forms and sent them off.
At any rate, today I got a check from the District of Columbia... for a thousand dollars. I think the breakdown is going to go something like this:
$250 - set aside for taxes on the windfall
$250 - into the emergency fund
$100 - I really really want to try this new hair salon
$100 - tzedaka (hey, you have to say "thank you")
$300 - pay down car loan
Hmm... I get to be responsible AND have fun too! Haircut here I come!!!!
And, yes, I am keeping an eye on my credit report just in case this turns out to have been a scam.
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4 comments:
If it's truly unclaimed property (and not a payment), then it shouldn't be taxed.
Anon,
Are you sure? They asked for my social security number/tax identifier on the claim form. I guess I should call them and ask. If it's really not going to be taxed, then I guess I can put the extra $250 into my emergency fund. All of this really feels too good to be true (especially when I'm still on that high from having paid off the high interest credit cards!)
What web site do you go to that tells you that you have unclaimed property?
I used www.missingmoney.com. They have a free search.
It doesn't seem to be a scam. The check cleared and my credit report isn't showing any problems.
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