A Lesson that Stayed with Me

Treasurer’s Note

Pushing Ourselves to Improve

When I was a kid, the sign outside my hometown read “Gifford 800.” My eighth-grade class at Gifford Grade School was about 24 kids. And we were a big class.

So it’s no surprise I didn’t have a lot of choices of sports to play. In the fall, the only option was baseball. In the winter, basketball. In the spring, track and field.

I wasn’t that good at baseball, but I enjoyed being part of a team with my friends. I always loved basketball and didn’t mind the drills and conditioning to get in shape.

Track was a different matter. I ran middle distance, which just meant a lot of running. Not my favorite exercise as a kid. To make it worse, our coach would occasionally have us run hills.

Although I wasn’t the fastest runner, I didn’t like to lose.  I’m the one in the gray shirt.

Now, Illinois is mostly flat. Parts of our state boast beautiful rolling hills, but that’s not where I grew up. Five miles south of Gifford is Flatville. It is not ironically named — the land around it is nearly as flat as can be.

And yet, just south and west of Gifford was a hill that I avoided when I went out on bike rides. It’s no mountain, but it was definitely work to ride up. Sprinting up this hill with the track team left my legs burning and lungs searing. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t see the value in it. After all, the tracks we ran on had no elevation.

But sometimes you have to push yourself to improve. When giving advice to young people, I usually tell them that if what you are doing does not challenge you, it will not change you.

I have always experienced my greatest growth after challenging experiences. I learned a lot by spending a couple of summers living in a recently former communist country. I am more flexible and creative after living two years outside of Western culture in Taiwan.

Taking the easy path might be easy, but it doesn’t improve us like after we struggle.

In my office, we promote Bright Start to help save for college and Illinois Secure Choice to save for retirement. It can be difficult when you are barely making ends meet or living paycheck to paycheck. But if you can find even small ways to do it, your life stands to be better in the future.

Although I know that struggle and pain lead to greater strength, we have really tried to make things easier for you to claim your missing money. We put in place eClaim, Fast Track, and even Money Match processes to make the ICash program easier for you.

As a result, more than 90% of people get their money back either by filling out an online form or by just cashing the check we send them in the mail. Less than 7% of people claiming their own money are asked for additional documentation.

Even with these changes, I still run into people who say it is too difficult to get their money. I understand, but I know they would be more upset if we gave their money to an identity thief.

I know it can be more difficult to claim money that belonged to a relative who passed away. We are required to follow probate law to make sure that their money is going to the people your relative wanted or that state law requires. Wills and estates can get pretty complicated pretty quickly.

But for most money turned over to my office, we have somewhat simpler methods. If the value of your claim is $250 or less, you can use an affidavit where you swear under penalty of criminal perjury that you will distribute the funds as required by state law.

I didn’t like running up those hills, but in hindsight, I know they made me faster. I know that people don’t like providing wills and other evidence that they are the rightful owners, but I know that if they put in the work with us, they will be stronger financially.

Sincerely,

Michael

Returning a WWII Hero’s Purple Heart Medal

Russell J. Reilly was a World War II veteran who lost his leg during combat trying to save a friend.

He loved celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. He passed away at age 60 in a VA hospital. The date? March 17, 1980.

I recently announced the return of his Purple Heart medal to his only daughter, Patti. You can hear their family’s story by watching the video.

Helping Young People Build Better Futures

I traveled to Rockford last month to visit Life Decisions, a nonprofit that connects young people with mentors, internships, and transitional housing. Life Decisions is one of 10 Illinois nonprofits that recently received nearly $200,000 in grants through the Charitable Trust grant program, which my office manages.

The program is designed for small nonprofits that help feed, house, and provide job skills to people in need. A new grant cycle is open through March 31.