David Morey 
Most people can relate to having money owed to them from loans made to family and friends, but you might actually be owed money from other, unexpected sources.
Here are just some of the possible ways you can recover the money you are rightfully owed.
1. A Workplace Injury
If you’ve been recently injured at work, you might be entitled to recover funds through workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation insurance was created specifically to provide employees who have been injured on the job with the money they need to cover their medical bills. Most employers are required to carry this type of coverage, so it doesn’t make sense to foot the bill for your injuries.
If, for some reason, your employer won’t report your injury to get you compensated, you can hire an attorney to help. In rare cases, you might even be able to file a lawsuit against your employer for certain qualifying injuries. If you’re struggling to get workers’ comp after being injured, contact an attorney right away.
2. Class Action Lawsuits
You may have seen television advertisements asking you to call a special phone number if you’ve been injured by a medical device or some type of medication. These are ads for class action lawsuits, and millions of people get money through these lawsuits every year.
What you may not know is that not all class action lawsuits are filed against medical companies. Some of them are filed against clothing companies, supplement brands, and even software companies.
If you sign up for a membership card with your email address, or if you use an electronic payment system for purchases, you’ll likely be notified by email of a class action lawsuit if one is ever filed for those particular purchases. Otherwise, you may not hear about the lawsuits for which you qualify. It doesn’t hurt to browse current class action lawsuits to see if anything is applicable.
3. Wills
Another common source of money you may be entitled to is through an unclaimed inheritance. If someone has left you money or property in their will, and you’re not aware of it, then it will go to the next person in line according to the will and state laws.
If you aren’t aware of a family member’s passing, you might not know when they’ve left you an inheritance. Additionally, someone in your family may pass away without keeping records of property or money they own, which makes it even harder to know if you have unclaimed property.
There’s not much you can do if you don’t know you’ve been listed in someone’s will, so if you find out someone in your family has passed, make sure you know what was in their will. It’s unfortunate, but sometimes family feuds cause people to hide the contents of a will from other people.
4. Warranty Claims
If you’ve made any purchases that come with a warranty, you could be entitled to get repairs or a replacement covered. This is basically free money, although the cost of covered repairs is usually included in the purchase price.
Still, if you can get something repaired or replaced without paying a dime, that’s a good deal. You shouldn’t have to pay for something that is guaranteed to be covered at the time of purchase.
5. Refunds
It’s common to buy something only to find out it’s broken or damaged. For many people, it’s easier to let something go than to deal with trying to get a refund. However, if you don’t pursue refunds you’re owed, that money will add up fast.
It’s worth taking the time to at least reach out to customer support and ask what you have to do to get a refund. Sometimes, companies don’t even require you to return the product before they’ll issue a refund. In this case, the process will be a piece of cake for you, and you’ll get that money back in your pocket.
If you’re owed a refund and you really don’t want to pursue it, you can resell the item on a site like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. At least you can recover some or all of the money you spent.
Unexpected Money Can Come From Anywhere
There are so many different ways unexpected money can come into your experience. Whether you’re claiming a spot in a class action lawsuit, filing for workers’ comp, or collecting on a forgotten inheritance, it’s worth pursuing the money you’re rightfully entitled to recover.
