Policy Organising
When you think about what to put in your Will, it’s common to realise that you’re not entirely sure what shares, insurance policies, and even bank accounts you actually have. Good Will Writing Ltd has listed some helpful hints so that you can start to feel fully in control of your financial situation and ready to write that Will!
Pensions
The Government's Pension Tracing Service is designed to put you in touch with the administrator of your lost pension. It's worth noting that it won't tell you upfront whether you have a pension or what its value is, however, it will tell you with whom to check.
People are at most risk of having lost a pension if they have:
- Opted out of the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) in the 1980s or 1990s.
- Moved house often and not updated their pension provider.
- Changed jobs multiple times.
https://www.gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details
Life Assurance, Bank Accounts, Building Societies
and National Savings
The British Bankers' Association, the Building Societies Association, and National Savings & Investments (NS&I) have a joint venture, My Lost Account, which replaces their separate account tracing tools.
https://www.mylostaccount.org.uk/
Check if you have any unclaimed prizes from your premium bonds.
https://www.nsandi.com/prize-checker
Shares
Shares can be a little more difficult to trace but one of the main share registrars can start the ball rolling for you by giving you information about the companies’ histories and their current contact details.
You can also trace your pension with your National Insurance number, which is your unique identifier to allow the government and companies to trace your lost pensions.
- Sending it to HMRC to find out if you contracted out of SERPS
- Sending it to an old employer to ask for details of your pension scheme administrator
Pension Tracing Service
Telephone: 0800 731 0193
From outside the UK: +44 191 215 4491