Vault: Is It Wrong to Keep Found Money?

Summary

The Bert Show: "Vault: Is It Wrong to Keep Found Money?" (March 12, 2026)

Overview

In this episode, The Bert Show dives into a classic ethical dilemma: What should you do if you find a significant amount of money on the ground? Intern Rich and his wife unexpectedly face this situation after discovering over $400 in cash, prompting a conversation with the show's cast and listeners about morality, responsibility, and personal circumstance. The debate explores various viewpoints, from practical steps to return found money to justifications for keeping it—especially in tough times.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Dilemma: Rich’s Story

• Intern Rich shares his wife’s discovery
  • She found over $400 (mostly $50s and $100s) crumpled on the street and didn't realize how much it was until counting later.
  • The couple, struggling financially, feels both excited and conflicted, recognizing someone else might have desperately needed the money as well.
  • Rich: "We're to the point now where, like, we're trying to figure out if and how the bills are even gonna be paid next month." (02:29)

Ethical and Emotional Impacts

• Host raises the moral angle
  • Host ponders: "Is this a gift from God or is this a test from God?" (02:54)
• No clear way to return the money
  • Since it wasn't lost in an identifiable way (e.g., someone dropping it directly), there's no straightforward path to returning it.
  • Rich: “If she saw it fall out of someone's purse as they're walking by, [...] she would have ran after him and gave it to him anyway, but... it's not really a way that we could return it that I can think of.” (03:11)

What Would You Do? Solutions and Views

• Posting a sign or notice
  • Suggestion to post vague notices like: "Lose something? Call and describe." (04:00)
  • Rich doubts this would deter dishonest claims: “It's not like it's $15,000 on the dot in unmarked bills in a suitcase... It could even be guessed.” (04:09)
• Giving back to the community or paying it forward
  • Several callers suggest keeping the money while committing to donate a portion or paying it forward when in a better situation.
  • Caller: “I think that you guys are thoughtful in thinking, okay, give some of it back and pay it forward a little bit." (05:42)

Listeners Share Experiences & Opinions

• Personal anecdotes of finding cash
  • Caller: “It happened to me, too. I was at a club... there was just a wad of cash... What am I supposed to do? Go around to the club, 'Hey, did you lose $150?'” (04:40)
• Speculating about the source
  • Some posit it could be drug money or from a careless, well-off person.
  • Hosts and callers joke: “It's totally something like that... You're just trying to prevent a drug deal from going down.” (07:57)
  • Rich: "I just saved a life." (08:04)
• The "keep it if you can't ID the owner" philosophy
  • Caller: "Unless you can absolutely identify who that money belongs to, then you have no responsibility to try to find who it goes to." (05:19)
  • Another caller notes that if you’re careless in hard times, maybe you deserve to lose it—sparking debate.

Moral Takeaways and Next Steps

• Consistent advice to help the family, but remember to pay it forward when able.
  • Caller: “Just remember when you’re well off that you have to, like I said, do the equivalent or more.” (08:57)
• Curiosity on the outcome
  • Host presses Rich: "You promise it's not spent yet?" (09:19)
  • Rich: "No, it's not. It's not. I promise." (09:20)

---

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the emotional high and the guilt:
  • Rich: “This was like the best news we had had in a long time. [...] But then we started to like, we feel bad.” (01:10)
• On morality and faith:
  • Host: “Is this a gift from God or is this a test from God?” (02:54)
• On practicality and responsibility:
  • Caller: “Unless you can absolutely identify who that money belongs to, then you have no responsibility to try to find who it goes to.” (05:19)
• On paying it forward:
  • Caller: “If you keep it, help your family. But just remember how you got this money; everybody goes through phases...” (08:57)

---

Memorable Caller Contributions

• Tales of Found Money:
  • Club anecdote on the impracticality of finding an owner for lost cash. (04:40)
• Assumptions and Rationalizations:
  • Debates about whether the cash belonged to a drug dealer, bartender, or someone "who deserved to lose it." (07:44–08:10)
• Advice to Use with Mindfulness:
  • "Do pay it forward. [...] To ease your mind. But definitely keep it and help your family. It's a gift." (08:44)

---

Key Timestamps

• 00:11 – Introduction to Rich’s dilemma
• 01:10–01:54 – Rich and wife’s emotional conflict over the money
• 02:54 – Host raises "gift or test from God" question
• 03:11–04:09 – Exploring possible ways to return the money
• 04:40 – Club story about finding cash, real-world impracticalities
• 05:19 – Caller advocates for keeping money unless the owner can be identified
• 05:42–06:16 – Discussions of charity, paying it forward
• 07:57–08:10 – Drug money theories; “I just saved a life” joke
• 08:44–08:57 – Final consensus on keeping vs. paying forward
• 09:19 – Host checks if Rich has spent the money

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Bert Show showcases a relatable and thought-provoking conversation on the ethics of found money, blending humor, empathy, and practical advice. The team and callers wrestle with the internal and external pressures of doing the "right" thing, ultimately landing on the importance of context, conscience, and the commitment to pay good fortune forward when possible. If you’ve ever wondered what you’d do in the same situation, this episode offers plenty to consider—plus a few laughs along the way.

Transcript

[Host]

The bird show. All right, Atlanta, this is intern Rich. How are you today, man?

[Rich]

I'm doing good. How are you?

[Host]

Doing great, bro. Really good. Oh, Rich's wife is having a. An ethical dilemma right now.

[Caller 1]

Mm.

[Rich]

Well, we got to live the ever famous question that you always think about and hear about, and it's what would you do if, you know, you found a large sum of money laying on the ground? And for us, it's an extremely large amount because, you know, as everyone else, times are really hard. But I got a phone call the other night, actually a message saying, you know, where are you? Pick up your phone. I got some crazy news, crazy news. So I call her back. I'm thinking, you know, what happened? She's having a baby or something. And she called and she said that she was walking back from work and found over $400 crumpled up in a pile laying on the ground. And she didn't even know what she had at first. She saw some money and was, like, on her way to the car or to work. I can't remember if she was coming or going. Basically just put it in her pocket, not even thinking. It was like, maybe a couple bucks or something. It wasn't until she actually got in her car and, like, let me see what I have here. And started counting it, and she's like, oh, my God, I have, you know, $400. And you have to understand the shock she had. I mean, like a lot of other people in Atlanta right now, times are tough.

[Host]

Yeah, you guys are really struggling.

[Rich]

We're struggling. You know, I'm in school right now, so doing the part time thing here, and bills are needing to be paid. So she was like, exact. This was like the best news we had had in a long time. So she got home and, you know, we were both really excited. But then we started to, like, we were like, we feel bad. I was like, because this is really good for us. But they were like, someone lost this money, so we were back.

[Host]

It could be somebody in the same situation.

[Rich]

You know, it's like, this is like, it couldn't have come at a better time for us. But whoever lost it, and it could have come at a worse time. I mean, we're like. We have all these stories in our head. Maybe it was some person who. I mean, who has that much money, it was crumpled up. So who crumples up, like, $400 in their pocket? Who doesn't have, like, if I have $400, it's in the bank or I know exactly. Or it's folded up nicely hidden somewhere. You know, it's like, not both. So we came up with all these stories to make us feel good about ourselves.

[Caller 2]

But was it hundred dollar bills or.

[Rich]

It was a mix.

[Host]

It was twenties.

[Rich]

No, it was all upper bills. Like fifties, hundreds. I think it was fifties and hundreds. Yeah.

[Host]

If the economy wasn't bad now and you guys weren't struggling this year like you were in past years, how would you handle it?

[Rich]

Well, honestly, it's never happened before, so I really don't know. The first thing that came up to my mind that came to my mind, I was like, you know, babe, even though we're struggling, I was like, maybe if we took part of it and found a cherry that we like and gave, like, a little too. And then like. But we really. I mean, we're behind. You know what I mean? We're like.

[Host]

Like how behind?

[Rich]

Well, we're getting to a point now, especially. And it's kind of my fault, too. Cause I'm in school. I feel bad. But, I mean, we're to the point now where, like, we're trying to figure out if and how the bills are even gonna be paid next month. You know what I mean? So it's getting to the point where it's like, all right, we don't even know what has to go out next month is not even what we bring in. And I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that. So it's like, we have this money. This can put us ahead a little bit, at least pay the bills.

[Host]

If I was looking at this, right, And I want to get all deep about it, right? Let's say it's a Monday afternoon, and I just went to church on Sunday. I would say to myself, this question, is this a gift from God or is this a test from God?

[Rich]

Exactly.

[Caller 3]

You know, but how do you give it back? Like, where did she.

[Caller 4]

She found it.

[Rich]

It's not like it was sitting, like, in an area where if she wouldn't have found it, someone else was gonna pick it up and take off with it. And it's not like it was sitting there with a name and phone number on it. It was money. And it's one of those things where, like, obviously you're like, there's. If there was a way that, like, you know, if she saw it fall out of someone's purse as they're walking by, I mean, she's the kind of person. She would have ran after him and gave it to him anyway, but. So this is not really a way that we could Return it? That I can think of. But at the same time, it's like, would you even return it if it's laying on the ground? Like I said, someone else would have come by if it wasn't her.

[Host]

Is it near, like, even if she wanted to do something about it? I'm trying to. Without giving specific location of where it is, just try to figure out the local. Like, are there buildings in the area? It's such a tricky thing because if you go from lobby to lobby asking if anybody's lost $400, obviously the dude's gonna go, right? I did. Oh, my God. Thank God you're here and it wasn't the dude.

[Caller 1]

You know, the only thought I had is if you posted a sign or something, said, lose something, question mark, call, and then if they knew exactly what they had lost, then that might be the person. But you can't say it's money.

[Rich]

Yeah, and I thought about that too, but I mean, seriously, times are so bad, it wouldn't surpr. If you get enough phone calls or enough requests and someone's bound to, you know, get 100, 200, you can almost. It's not like it's like $15,000 on the dot and unmarked bills and a suitcase kind of thing. It's not really specific. It could even be guessed, I think, at some point. I mean. No, to answer your question, it wasn't like, in an area where you would be able to tell who dropped it, or maybe it specifically came from there. It was out in the middle on the ground where anyone could have picked it up and she would just happen to be the person who spotted it.

[Caller 3]

It happened to me, too. I was at a club and I was walking up the stairs, and all of a sudden there was just a wad of cash. But I thought it was just 120. I picked it up, it was like 150 bucks. But what am I supposed to do? Go around to the club, hey, did you lose 150 bucks, like, to everybody in the club? You really just.

[Host]

Yeah. I don't know what you do in a case like that.

[Caller 3]

Just have to take it.

[Host]

Did intern Ben tell you guys that he's been finding this rolled up cash in a bathroom stall for a couple of weeks? In a ride in the bathroom of the toilet roll.

[Caller 1]

He might lose his life for that one.

[Host]

He found somebody's drug stash, huh?

[Caller 1]

Sure did.

[Host]

Hey, Erica, Good morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller 5]

Good morning.

[Caller 6]

How are you?

[Host]

Good, how are you?

[Caller 5]

I've been there, done that, kept the money. Unless you can absolutely identify who that money belongs to, then you have no responsibility to try to find who it goes to. Not only that, if, if I had $400 in cash in my hand, I would be a lot more careful with it. And when you're careless of something, especially in these hard times, you deserve to lose it. Learn a lesson, I don't know.

[Caller 2]

But at the same time, if you can't rightfully return it, what do you do? I mean, really. I mean, there really is no other option. I think that you guys are thoughtful in thinking, okay, give some of it back and pay it forward a little bit. Because if you see it like Berth said, as a gift from God, as something to really help you guys get in a better place, then maybe you can also gift to someone else.

[Rich]

Maybe could be like a gift slash test, you know, like we'll, we'll take a little gift and pass the test.

[Caller 1]

Or you can use it all knowing though that when you can pay it forward, you pay it forward in the same amount or even more.

[Host]

I think if it's my case, I do something just to ease my own mind that at least I tried to find the person. I don't know if that means Craigslist. I don't know if that means posting something vaguely on a poll somewhere near where it was lost, just so I have peace of mind that I did something, I tried.

[Caller 1]

And, and that's why I say like, and not being specific. That's why it's like, did you lose something? Question mark, you know, here, or. I don't know how to word it. So that when they call, I mean, you may get a lot of, you know, prank phone calls, but if you, if they are specific about, about how it was broken down and everything, then it might be theirs. But if not, then it's, you know, it's not theirs. And you don't say money on it. You know, I think it might have

[Caller 3]

come from somebody who's well off because who just has 50s and hundreds in their pocket. Like, I think when I go get, like, if, if I had 400 bucks, I'd be broken down into like 20s and tens, you know, I wouldn't have 50s and hundreds. I'm sitting in my wallet.

[Host]

It just wads it up and puts it. It was strange to me.

[Caller 1]

That's just to make you feel better about taking it. I mean, it could be somebody who was make. About to make a deposit for somebody else. It was. I mean, who knows what it is? But I think when we start getting into, well, who has that kind of money, who would crumple it up? And that's what we want, to lose it. It's like that, that. You're only saying that to make yourself feel better.

[Caller 2]

Yeah. You want somebody to have made it rain in the parking lot. So don't feel bad about it. Throwing out money.

[Caller 1]

Yes.

[Host]

Hey, Stacy. Good morning. You're part of the Birch show. Hi.

[Caller 5]

Hi.

[Caller 1]

Hi.

[Caller 4]

I was saying, like, I think it'd be from, like, a drug deal.

[Host]

Why?

[Caller 4]

Someone up to no good. I mean, it was probably someone putting it down, Someone watching in the corner, like, having the money, you know, like it' something fishy.

[Host]

Yeah, it's totally something like that. You should keep the money. I agree. If you keep this money, it's really. You're just trying to prevent a drug deal from going down.

[Rich]

I just saved a life.

[Host]

Good morning, Michelle. You're on Q100.

[Caller 6]

Hey, good morning, guys. You know, I agree with the last caller and several of the others. First of all, it's other money from a bartender. You know, they get money and they jab it in their pockets. I served, and that's what I would do. And also, it could be money from a drug dealer because they just get those larger bills, like $20, and shove that in their pocket.

[Caller 4]

And.

[Host]

What are you telling them to do? You tell them to keep it.

[Caller 6]

Yeah, bro, Keep it. You know, no worries. What are you gonna do? I think trying to find the person to give the money back to is ridiculous. Everyone's gonna claim it.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Caller 6]

Do pay it forward. You know, give 50 bucks to your church or support a family in need, or buy toys and drop them off. Something. But to ease your mind. But definitely keep it and help your family. It's a gift.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Caller 1]

I think my feeling is, I mean, if you're gonna keep it, keep it. Help your family. But just remember how you got this money, because everybody. Everybody goes through phases of financial security. Sometimes you're in debt, Sometimes you're well off. And just remember when you're well off that you have to, like I said, do the equivalent or more.

[Host]

Give it back.

[Caller 1]

Yes.

[Host]

I'm gonna be very curious to see what you guys do with it the next couple of days.

[Rich]

I'm kind of curious, too.

[Host]

You promise it's not spent yet?

[Rich]

No, it's not. It's not. I promise. So.

[Host]

All right, keep us posted.

[Rich]

All right, we'll do the first show.