According to Choice magazine, you could be richer than you think.
Take the time to track down your unclaimed super, a lost bank account or even a lazy insurance policy.
An estimated one in two working Australians has lost contact with a super account. If you changed your job, address or even your name and forgot to tell the fund, you could be one of them. And plenty more have lost track of bank accounts, company money, insurance policies and other cash. So how can you track down forgotten money?

Lost Super
It is estimated that every worker has an average of three super accounts. And close to $13 billion is squirreled away in "lost" accounts.
Those lost and multiple super accounts are costing consumers millions in unnecessary fees, so hunt them down and consolidate them into one account. Dividing your money between accounts means more paperwork and expenses – and those multiple fees and charges are going to eat into your retirement savings.
Making direct contact with any super fund you've been a member of is the quickest way to find your money. Your previous employer should have the fund's contact details.
The fund may also be able to confirm if you're listed on the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Lost Members Register. This is because most super funds are signed up to SuperMatch, a system that allows the fund to search the ATO's database.
Otherwise there are a number on online resources to help you locate your money:
ATO. Have your Tax File Number handy and then check the ATO's Superseeker database at www.ato.gov.au/superseeker.
AusFund. This acts as a holding account for super funds that have lost track of their members. Visit the Ausfund website at www.unclaimedsuper.com.au.
If you're over 65 and have lost super from before 2007, it may be held by a state government agency in the state where your super fund has its head office.

Bank accounts and insurance policies
It's not just super that gets lost – lots of money from banks, building societies and credit union accounts, deceased estates, company shares and the proceeds of life insurance policies also lies unclaimed.
According to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), about $500 million is owed to 600,000 people. The unclaimed sums range from $1 to a healthy $990,000 held in a Commonwealth Bank account in WA! The largest amount claimed this year has been $3.1 million for a deceased estate.
ASIC encourages anyone who thinks they might be entitled to unclaimed money to contact its Infoline directly on 1300 300 630 or email infoline@asic.gov.au.
You can also search for your money at www.fido.gov.au. If you locate any lost funds you'll need to prove they are yours or that you're the beneficiary.

Other areas
States and Territories may help you find unclaimed money such as shareholders' dividend, pre-1992 building society and credit union accounts, rental bonds, refunds and overpayments, royalties and commissions, trust account funds, uncollected goods and unpresented cheques.
If you think you might be entitled to proceeds of a will or unclaimed money from an estate, contact the public trustee in your state or that of the deceased person.
The trustee is often entrusted with an unclaimed estate and tries to track down beneficiaries. It may then transfer the funds to its counterpart in the appropriate state. It may require a bit of phoning around to find the right contact, but the reward is money in your pocket.
For state-by-state contact details, go to:
Australian Capital Territories www.publictrustee.act.gov.au
New South Wales www.osr.nsw.gov.au
Northern Territory www.nt.gov.au/ntt
Queensland www.pt.qld.gov.au
South Australia www.treasury.sa.gov.au
Tasmania www.treasury.tas.gov.au
Victoria www.sro.vic.gov.au
Western Australia www.money.dtf.wa.gov.au

Do the searching yourself
Several companies offer to recover money for a fee. Others offer to locate super and roll it into their preferred super fund in return for a commission from the new fund.
But you really don't need to pay someone to recover your funds. Do it yourself – it's easy and free.