Take into account all of your savings in instant access accounts, premium bonds, cash ISAs, fixed rate bonds, notice accounts, no notice accounts, or even current accounts if you happen to have built up a substantial savings pot here too.

You should have paperwork, but if you cannot find anything that relates to the accounts you know you have then call your savings provider and ask for a statement to be provided. You will have to go through some security measures.

You'll need to factor in the accessibility of your savings too. For instance, if you have savings tied up in a fixed term account you'll need to check:

• How long you have remaining until the account term expires
• Whether you can access your money before the end of the account term
• Whether any penalties will be applied if you withdraw your money before the end of the account term

You may also have other savings in schemes such as Save As You Earn (SAYE). This is a scheme offered by employers which enables you to buy shares in the company you work for at a lower price than you would be able to buy them for from a stockbroker.

You save money into the scheme at a set amount per month (£250/month max), and for a period of time that you determine (usually 3, 5 or 7 years). At the end of the term, you have the choice of buying shares in your employer's company, or you can take your savings out of the scheme along with a tax-free cash bonus.

The price you will be able to buy shares at when the savings plan is finished is set at the start of the savings plan, and is known as the option price. If the share price goes up during the term of the savings plan, then you can exercise your right to purchase them at the option price, which means you get your shares at a discount.

If you have paid into one of these schemes with your current or previous employer, then you should find out how much it is worth now. Ask your HR department, or the owner of the company, for some figures. The scheme is probably going to be run by a third party, and your employer will be able to tell you where else you need to go to get the information you need, if he or she cannot provide it directly.

If you think you might have lost track of any current or savings accounts over the years track them down asap.