Most of us lose a set of keys or a pair of sunnies, but losing a massive chunk of shares? It happens way more than you’d think. Here’s how life’s little changes can lead to a forgotten fortune.

Think about the last time you moved house. You probably remembered the fridge and the cat, but did you actually tell every company you’ve ever owned a share in? Probably not. Who has the time? Life just gets in the way. You change jobs, you get married, you move three suburbs over, and suddenly, that link to your old investments is snapped. Just like that.

In Australia right now, there is literally hundreds of millions of dollars just sitting in limbo. It’s not “government money.” It’s yours. We’re talking about old dividends that never cleared or shares from a company you worked for back in the 90s—Woolies, Telstra, the big banks. It’s sitting in a database gathering dust because the paperwork trail went stone cold. At Investafind, we see this stuff every day. It’s not that people are being careless; it’s just that the system isn’t exactly designed to go on a manhunt to find you.