Tax Savers,

The U.S. Treasury owes Americans nearly $17 billion in unredeemed Series E savings bonds.  Sold from 1941 until 1980, the bonds were marketed initially as a way to show patriotism during World War II and later as a safe way to invest.  But many people have lost or forgotten about bonds purchased generations ago.  The Treasury has done nothing to find the owners of these orphaned bonds.

To see whether you own a Series E bond purchased after 1973, visit treasurydirect.gov and type your social security number into the Treasury Hunt function.  If you think you might own a bond issued before 1974, confirmation is alot more difficult.  Records linking older bonds with their owners are maintained on microfilm, which can only be searched manually by Bureau of Public Debt personnel.

 

"We want people to cash in their bonds," Mckayla Braden, a spokesperson for the bureau, says.  "The problem is that people die and leave the bonds in books, in holes in basement walls, in the attic.  Nobody knows they exist."

 

Not only are many people owed money on government bonds, but millions of people are owed money from other institutions.  (This is why unclaimed fund web sites are so popular.)

 

It is estimated , by the State of Ohio's Faith Based Office that 1.5 billion dollars of unclaimed credits are not taken each year, by residents of Ohio alone.

 

Taxes are high enough without you leaving money on the IRS table.  A tax professional can insure you get all your entitled.

 

Wishing You Many Happy Returns,