Over its more than 175-year history, the Ohio State Fair has become famous for its butter cow statues, foods on sticks, deep-fried treats — and, more recently, reuniting long-lost money with its rightful owners.

In 2026, for the fifth year in a row, the state’s Department of Commerce had a booth at the fair. According to local ABC affiliate WYTV, more than 1,500 attendees stopped by this year’s booth to learn whether they had any forgotten cash waiting to be claimed, and ended up recovering a total of more than $675,000, including one welcome stash of $47,000 and another of $40,000.

The best news (besides that $47K windfall)? You don’t have to travel to Ohio to search for forgotten cash, which is typically known as “unclaimed money.” These are funds that businesses, financial institutions, government agencies, utilities, insurance companies, and other organizations have been unable to deliver to their rightful owners and have eventually turned over to a government agency, usually a state treasury or unclaimed-property office.

“If a business, financial institution, or government owes you money that you did not collect, it is considered unclaimed money or property,” the website USA.gov explains. “You may be able to file for unclaimed money owed to you, or that was owed to a deceased relative if you are their legal heir.”

These sums can come from a variety of sources, including unpaid wages or pensions from a previous employer, IRS tax refunds, VA life insurance, and FHA insurance refunds. And they can be significant amounts of money.

How To Search for Unclaimed Property

Each state operates its own unclaimed property office, but Unclaimed.org (which is run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, an affiliate of the National Association of State Treasurers) is a good place to start to find out whether you have any missing money waiting to be reclaimed. The process is simple: Type in your name along with the city and state; you’ll then see a list of potential matches.

Don’t limit your search to the state where you currently live. Search every state where you’ve ever lived, worked, owned property, or otherwise done business. If you worked remotely for a business in another state, or had clients in states where you did not live, it’s worth taking the time to check those states, too.

However, it’s important to note that there isn’t one central federal database for all unclaimed money. Depending on what you’re looking for, you may need to check separate government databases for things such as unclaimed Treasury securities or tax refunds. 

If you’re missing a federal tax refund, for example, the IRS’s Where’s My Refund? tool can help. Similarly, the Department of Labor has a website to search for unpaid back wages; the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation can assist you with pensions from former employers; and the FDIC can help reclaim funds from now-shuttered banks.

How Do I Access Unclaimed Funds That Belong to Me?

If you find an account that belongs to you, or to a deceased person whose estate you’ve inherited, you can typically file a claim directly through the state’s unclaimed property website. You’ll need to provide some basic information to verify your identity and prove that you’re entitled to the money.

The exact requirements vary depending on the state and the type of property, but you may be asked for documentation such as a driver’s license, Social Security number, proof of address, or other records connecting you to the account. Once your claim is approved, the state will send the money to you. 

What About Companies That Charge a Fee? 

There are private companies, lawyers, and legal firms that can help track down unclaimed property, but they typically charge a fee or take a percentage of whatever they recover. 

These businesses, sometimes called “finders” or “locators,” are legitimate in many cases, and some people may find the service worthwhile if a claim is complicated or involves a large amount of money. But since you can search official government databases yourself for free, it’s worth going that route first.

If you do hire a finder, understand exactly what you’ll pay before signing anything. Also check your state’s rules and make sure the company is properly registered or licensed if required.

The bottom line: You could have money waiting for you, and it costs nothing to find out. A few minutes of searching could turn up anything from a forgotten utility deposit to a $47,000 windfall.

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Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make. But there’s a good chance you’re paying more for your mortgage than you should be.

An eye-opening new analysis from Bankrate found that a staggering 87% of borrowers who took out a mortgage in 2025 paid more than the most competitive rate available to them, meaning the typical mortgage holder pays an estimated $3,343 more per year than necessary. Over the life of the loan, that can add up to about $78,186 in additional costs.

For older homeowners, the stakes can be even higher. 

The “Seniority” Tax

Among people buying homes, age makes almost no difference. About 90% to 91% of borrowers in every age group paid more than the most competitive rate available to them. But refinancing tells a different story. The share of borrowers paying above the competitive rate is 72% among those under 35 and 76% for people ages 35 to 44. That rate climbs to 82% among those 55 to 64, 81% for borrowers between the ages of 44 and 54, and 81% for those 64 and older.

That age gap is what Bankrate calls the “Seniority Tax.”

“The Seniority Tax in refinance transactions may reflect the interaction of several reinforcing dynamics,” the report notes. One of them is that “[f]inancial urgency appears to diminish with age as rising incomes, accumulated equity, and lower debt burdens reduce search intensity.” Older borrowers may also be inclined to stick with banks they already have relationships with — and those institutions have little incentive to offer these customers competitive rates. 

But there are other factors as well. According to the report, “Cognitive and social factors associated with aging — including greater institutional trust, reduced tolerance for the friction of comparison shopping, and lower engagement with digital rate-comparison tools — could compound the behavioral shift. And some portion of the gap may reflect pricing strategies explicitly calibrated to the lower search intensity of older cohorts.” 

No matter what drives the phenomenon, though, the report notes that “the outcome is consistent: a market that appears to extract disproportionately from borrowers at precisely the stage of life when wealth, credit quality, and institutional relationships are at their peak.”

Interestingly, the research found that the borrowers most likely to overpay weren’t those with poor credit or limited financial resources. In fact, some of the homeowners paying the most appeared to have the strongest financial profiles.

So how does this happen — and what can you do to make sure you’re getting the best rate possible?

Why So Many Homebuyers Overpay

The process of getting a mortgage is complicated, so it can be extremely tempting to simply use a lender your real estate agent, bank, or a friend or family member recommends. But that convenience can come at a price.

Bankrate found that nearly 90% of borrowers rely on recommendations when choosing a mortgage lender. “While they may offer convenience, these sources generally lack the tools or incentives to comprehensively search the broader market,” the report notes. “The same is true for mortgage brokers relying on real estate agent referrals; under federal regulations like Dodd-Frank, they are under no legal obligation to secure the lowest market rate or actively facilitate lender competition.”

And shopping around isn’t always easy. A typical mortgage contract is roughly 50 pages long, and borrowers may have just 48 to 72 hours between having an offer accepted and needing to lock in their mortgage rate. “The process is defined by high complexity and poor timing,” Bankrate’s report explains.

Great Credit Doesn’t Guarantee a Great Rate

Having an impressive credit score is an achievement all its own, and one that will likely make it easier to qualify for a mortgage. But Bankrate’s analysis suggests an excellent credit history doesn’t necessarily translate to a great rate.

Borrowers with debt-to-income ratios between 33% and 38% had the highest overpayment rate of any group, at 92%. (According to Citizens Bank, a solid debt-to-income ratio is 36% or less.)

The reason, Bankrate concluded, is that borrowers who are confident they’ll qualify for a loan may be less incentivized to shop around for a better rate. However, knowing you can get a mortgage isn’t the same as knowing you’re getting the best mortgage.

How To Avoid Overpaying on Your Mortgage

While homebuying can feel overwhelming, a few simple steps can help you shop smarter, negotiate harder, and avoid unnecessarily forking over the cost of a brand-new Range Rover over the life of your loan. Here are some tips on how to make sure you’re getting the best rate possible.

• Shop Around: Your bank, realtor, friend, or family member may point you toward a lender they really trust, but that doesn’t automatically mean you’re getting the best deal. Still, Bankrate found that nearly 90% of borrowers rely on recommendations from these sources. You should get quotes from multiple lenders and compare what each is offering instead. Bankrate’s central finding is that competitive pricing does exist, but borrowers have to actively seek it out.

• Compare the Total Cost, Not Just the Rate: A mortgage with the lowest advertised interest rate isn’t necessarily the cheapest loan. Consider interest, discount points, origination charges, lender fees, and other closing costs when comparing offers.

• Make Lenders Compete for Your Business: Once you have multiple offers, use them as leverage. Ask a lender whether it can match or beat a competing offer rather than assuming its first quote is final.

• Read the Fine Print: Mortgage documents can run roughly 50 pages, according to Bankrate, so don’t focus solely on the monthly payment or headline rate. Look at points, fees, and other up-front costs, too.

A little legwork now could save you thousands over the life of your loan.

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It would be logical to think that the value of the cash in your wallet is printed right there on the face of the bill. But that assumption could end up costing you.

According to Wealthy Nickel, a rare printing error by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing has made some $1 bills worth up to a whopping $150,000 to collectors. Here’s what you should know before you spend any potentially valuable currency.

The Big Whoops

In November 2014, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing sent an order to print a batch of $1 bills to its Washington, D.C., facility. Then, in July 2016, it accidentally sent the same printing order to its Fort Worth, Texas, facility.

The result: Millions of $1 bills entered circulation with duplicate serial numbers. Because every U.S. bill is supposed to have a unique serial number, the mistake created matching bills that collectors now consider one of the most unusual modern currency errors.

Rather than making the bills worthless, the printing blunder has made them highly desirable. Collectors are searching for matching pairs of the duplicate notes and, in exceptional cases involving bills in excellent condition, may be willing to pay as much as $150,000 for a complete matched set. 

How To Tell If Your $1 Bill Is Valuable

Not every $1 bill with an unusual serial number is worth a fortune. The most sought-after notes all share three specific characteristics:

Series 2013: Look for the words “Series 2013” printed near George Washington’s portrait.

A “B” Federal Reserve Seal: The letter “B” indicates the bill was issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

A Star Serial Number in a Specific Range: The serial number must end with a star (*) and fall within one of these ranges:
B00000001* through B00250000*
B03200001* through B09600000*

If your bill checks all three boxes, it could be one half of a rare duplicate pair created by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s error.

However, finding one of the bills is only part of the challenge. The biggest payouts go to collectors who can match their note with its duplicate — another bill carrying the exact same serial number — which is no small feat.

Although more than 6.4 million duplicate notes entered circulation, only nine matching pairs have so far been reunited. The highest estimates of up to $150,000 apply to exceptionally rare matched pairs in top condition. Single notes can still fetch you a couple hundred dollars but generally command far less than a complete pair.

What Should You Do If You Find One?

If you discover a qualifying bill, avoid folding it or spending it. Keep it in a protective currency sleeve and record the serial number. Collectors maintain online databases, such as Project 2013B, to help owners determine whether the matching bill has already surfaced. If you eventually locate the duplicate, having both notes professionally authenticated and graded can significantly increase what collectors are willing to pay.

Other $1 Bills That Could Be Worth More Than Face Value

Even if that single dollar hiding under your couch cushion isn’t one of the rare duplicate serial number notes, it could be worth more than its face value. Currency collectors also pay premiums for certain other $1 bills, including:

Star Notes: Bills with a star (*) at the end of the serial number are replacement notes printed to take the place of bills damaged during production. While most are worth only a small premium, low-print-run star notes or those in pristine condition can be significantly more valuable.

Unusual Serial Numbers: Collectors seek out bills with unusual serial numbers, such as all the same digit (11111111), ladders (12345678), radars (a palindrome like 12344321), repeaters, or very low serial numbers such as 00000025. Depending on the pattern and condition, these bills can sell for significantly more than their face value.

Printing Errors: Notes with major production mistakes — such as missing serial numbers, off-center printing, inverted overprints, or missing seals — are among the most desirable modern error notes. Some have sold for hundreds of dollars at auction.

So, before you shove that next dollar bill into a tip jar, it may be worth taking a closer look. You never know when an ordinary buck could turn out to be worth a small fortune.

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Retailers are always looking for ways to sell customers on their products. Sometimes they succeed because of a clever marketing campaign, while other times they may discount the item as part of a seasonal sale. 

But another common sales tactic has to do with human psychology — specifically, items can be priced to manipulate buyers into thinking they’re getting a great deal. Take the concept of “charm pricing,” for example, which isn’t as charming as the name implies. Let’s look at how it works.

A Pricing Scheme That Works Like a Charm

The next time you wander through the aisles of any retail establishment, take a look at all the prices. You’ll probably see far more price tags ending in .99 than .00. For instance, you may notice a package of fresh strawberries being sold for $4.99 instead of a flat $5. This is also a common phenomenon when you’re making digital purchases, as a monthly Netflix subscription costs $19.99 instead of an even $20. 

That’s charm pricing, which takes advantage of what’s called left-digit bias, where buyers place an unnecessarily strong emphasis on the first number they read. In layman’s terms, the brain thinks that $2.99 is closer to $2.00 than $3.00, even though that’s not the case. 

A Brief History of Charm Pricing

The idea of charm pricing indirectly began with a saloon owner named James Ritty. In 1879, he devised a plan to deal with clerks at his bar who he believed were pocketing money during transactions. Ritty created a new machine akin to the modern cash register so that each transaction could be recorded. Eventually, John H. Patterson — another business owner who was suspicious of his employees — bought Ritty’s company and the patent for the machines and began selling them. 

As the machine became more popular, retailers soon realized they should charge non-round numbers for goods. This forced store clerks to not only record each sale but also make change for the buyer, so they couldn’t secretly pocket the money.

Those early anti-theft practices made it more common for retailers to charge non-round prices. Not only that, but products priced in such a way often sold more than items that were selling for a round number. Charm pricing came about thereafter. 

Why We Fall for Charm Pricing

A 2020 study that analyzed charm pricing found that consumers believed the difference between $4.00 and $2.99 was wider than the gap between $4.01 and $3.00, despite the fact that the monetary difference in both examples is $1.01. Psychologically, however, the brain processes those prices in a way that clouds our judgment — we look at $2.99 and think “about $2” rather than “almost $3” — which in turn benefits retailers. 

Of course, charm pricing is nothing more than an illusion, but it’s one that appears to actually have an impact on what we’re willing to purchase.

It’s worth noting that charm prices don’t necessarily need to end in a 9, and it’s the first digit that’s most important. This is why you may see prices end with different digits depending on where you shop. For instance, an analysis by the Hustle determined that 7 was the most common final digit in the prices of more than 500 items on Walmart’s website, popping up in 32.9% of prices. But the reason 9 is so common elsewhere is that a single cent is the minimum that retailers can lower prices by while still utilizing charm pricing.

As customers, there’s not much we can do to stop or change charm pricing. But it’s worth being aware of so you don’t get tricked into thinking that you’re getting a good deal on something, when in reality you’re saving a single penny.

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For many Americans, vintage Pyrex dishes trigger a wave of nostalgia. But for collectors, that sentimental value can translate into serious cash.

The beloved kitchen brand, which has been a staple of family dinners for more than a century, is now a highly sought-after commodity, with some pieces selling for thousands of dollars among collectors. That means that you could have a small fortune stored beneath your sink or hidden away in your attic — as long as you know what you’re looking for.

What Is the Most Valuable Pyrex Piece? 

While Pyrex has gone through some changes in ownership and materials since it was first introduced in 1915, the company is still very much in business. And that’s part of the appeal: “One of the joys of collecting Pyrex is that valuable, sought-after pieces are still available,” Jolene Forrester, owner of JoRetro vintage shop in Havre de Grace, Maryland, which specializes in rare Pyrex pieces, told Country Living. 

Still, if you’re looking to score a major payday, it’s often the decades-old exclusive or promotional pieces that are the most valuable. The extremely rare “Lucky in Love” pattern, a mix of hearts and shamrocks that was introduced in 1959, is considered the holy grail among Pyrex collectors, as the design was never mass-produced. In 2022, a casserole dish with the print sold for a whopping $22,100 on eBay (though according to experts, most go for between $4,000 and $10,000).

Other prints that can command top dollar include 1957’s Pumpkin Orange Amish Butterprint, which can be worth between $800 and $1,600; 1960’s Atomic Starburst print, which can sell for $600 to $1,500; and Atomic Eyes pieces, which can fetch between $200 and $650. “[T]his is a turquoise blue or pink mid-century elongated eye-shaped pattern that was made from 1950 to 1959 in a chip and dip service,” glass specialist Reyne Hirsch, who has appeared on Antiques Roadshow and American Pickers, told Parade. “Later, a coffee carafe was also produced.”

What To Look For When Evaluating Pyrex

While rare patterns are one of the surest ways to guarantee the value of your Pyrex, they’re not the only factor used in determining worth. Certain colors can yield higher values, as can condition. 

Two colors to keep an eye out for, according to Forrester, are “pinks and turquoises, which instantly stand out and were produced in more limited quantities.” 

Hirsch agrees with those color choices, and notes that the more complete a set is, the better. (Think space-saving casserole dishes, nesting sets, and items that include their original lids.)

As with any valuable item, the closer it is to like-new condition, the more valuable it will be. “Even small damage greatly reduces the value of each item,” Hirsch told Parade. “The damaged value is often 10% to 20% of the value if it was [in mint condition].” 

While Pyrex dishes are typically dishwasher- and microwave-safe, if you have collectible pieces you want to keep in the best possible condition, you should avoid putting them in the microwave and always hand-wash them.

How Can I Tell If My Pyrex Is Worth Anything?

To determine whether that vintage dish gathering dust in your basement is worth anything, you need to authenticate it. The easiest way to do this is to first check for the Pyrex logo, which most items were stamped with.

Pyrex by Corning: A Collector’s Guide by Susan Tobier Rogove and Marcia Buan Steinhauer details nearly two dozen stamps used by the company between 1915 and 1965 to help you authenticate your piece and determine when it was made. A stamp that’s in all capital letters is often more valuable. If a piece’s color is faded, that can lower its value. “A lot of it was ruined by dishwashers,” vintage kitchenware seller David Ross told Martha Stewart Living.

Because Pyrex was made to be used, not displayed, valuable pieces are still hiding in kitchen cabinets, thrift stores, and attics across the country. So before you drop that old mixing bowl into the donation bin, you may want to flip it over and check the stamp first.

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