What if, as a younger person, you worked a few years for a small company that you've since lost track of - perhaps it went out of business, or merged with another company. Do you have any pension payments coming from that job? 

You may secure some help in answering this question from the Pension Rights Center, a Washington, D.C., consumer advocacy group that has 11 regional counseling centers, including one in California (phone: 800-474-1116). Partially funded by the federal Administration on Aging, the non-profit Center may be able to assist you with other types of pension problems and questions, as well. You may access The Center's web site at www.pensionrights.org

Another resource is the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which guarantees most pension plans. PBGC has an online search feature where you can enter your name (or the name of the company you worked for) to determine any unclaimed pension benefits - the agency says that so far it has found more than $45 million in "lost" pension distributions. PBGC's web site is www.pbgc.gov/

Finally, the Social Security Administration keeps track of employer identification numbers (EIN's), and through these numbers SSA may be able to determine what happened to your former employer - whether the company went out of business, was acquired, or is still in business under a different name. You can access the SSA site at www.ssa.gov

January 2003