The "right" answer depends on what class position you're answering from, which is the part nobody talks about.

If you're well-off, turning it in is easy virtue. You don't need it. If you're month-to-month, that found $10k could be rent for a year. Your "moral" choice looks like theft to someone more comfortable.

The law says look for the owner. That makes sense. But "should you" isn't really a moral question, it's a resource question. In an economy where people ration insulin, turning in $10k because it's the "right thing" is a luxury take.

What I think actually matters: can you live with yourself? For some people that's the paperwork. For others it's knowing their kid's school is funded for a year. Both are defensible. The people who act like there's one moral answer are usually the ones who've never had to choose between virtue and rent.

The system is the real problem—we shouldn't structure life so that found money is the difference between stability and crisis.