Nearly $29.7 billion in U.S. savings bonds have reached the end of their earning life and are simply sitting in the Treasury’s records — fully matured, drawing no interest, and waiting for owners or heirs who often do not know the bonds exist. Paper certificates tucked into drawers, safe deposit boxes, and old files quietly…

Two data-breach settlements are handing out cash to people who were never asked to prove a single dollar of loss, and both filing windows shut in early fall. Circle K, the convenience-store chain, and American Consumer Credit Counseling, a national nonprofit that helps households dig out of debt, have each set up funds that pay…

Few threats land harder on an older person living alone than the prospect of losing heat, light, or water within the hour. Scammers know it, and they build their script around that fear. Posing as the electric, gas, or water company, they call to say the account is past due and service will be cut…

Identity thieves who get hold of a name, birth date, and Social Security number can try to open credit cards, loans, or accounts in a victim’s name. One free tool shuts that door more firmly than almost anything else a consumer can do, yet many older Americans have never used it. Placing a security freeze…

Paying by credit card comes with a safety net most people never think about until they need it. If a charge is fraudulent or an order never arrives, the cardholder can dispute it and the bank can claw the money back. That protection does not travel with every payment method. Money sent through Zelle, a…

The pitch arrives as good news. A caller, a Facebook message from a “friend,” or an official-looking letter announces that the recipient has been selected for a free government grant worth several thousand dollars, no repayment required. There is only one step left: pay a small processing fee, or cover the taxes, before the money…

A phone rings and the caller ID shows the exact name and number printed on the back of the debit card. The voice on the line says the bank’s fraud department has spotted a suspicious charge and needs to verify the account holder’s identity right away. Everything looks legitimate, which is precisely the point. This…

When a parent or spouse dies, families are often left guessing whether a life-insurance policy ever existed. Paper policies get lost, insurers merge and rebrand, and the person who knew the details is gone. The result is billions of dollars in death benefits that no one ever claims, money that legally belongs to heirs but…