How do I find a pension if my old employer has merged several times and I can't locate it? — Kent David, Hot Springs Village, Ark.

Hit the phones: Arkansas is one of 30 states in which federally funded counseling centers provide free legal help with pensions and other retirement plans, such as 401(k)s. As long as you live or work in one of those states, or your company was based in one, you qualify. Go to pensionrights.org/counseling-projects for contact info and a list of included states. It helps to have at hand your employment dates and old pension paperwork.

Not covered by that program? Try the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (800-400-7242), which has information on troubled plans and unclaimed pensions, or a union that represented workers at your old company.

— Anne C. Lee

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