Articles Tagged ‘checking account’
Banking Advice On How To Reduce Or Eliminate Banking Fees
Friday, January 8th, 2016
You need to have various types of financial accounts in order to make sure you’re getting the most out of your money, and positioning yourself optimally for the future. For example, you’ll want to have an IRA to provide you with the ability to take charge of your retirement saving plans. And you’ll need a checking account (and probably a savings account) in order to manage the flow of money both in and out of your various accounts.
Unfortunately, truly free bank accounts are relatively hard to come by, so it’s important to manage the applicable fees carefully....
5 Tips to Protect Your Checking Account
Tuesday, December 15th, 2015
Regardless of your income or your overall financial health, chances are you use your checking account as the backbone of your personal financial planning. Many of us have most (or perhaps all) of our paychecks deposited to our checking accounts each pay period. We then have automatic bill payments set up to pay our bills. And we can set periodic withdrawals from our checking accounts to fund our retirement accounts and investment accounts.
Because we rely on our checking accounts so much, it’s absolutely vital that we keep our checking accounts safe and secure. Here are five tips to help...
Which is Safer to Use – A Debit Card or a Credit Card and Why?
Wednesday, May 28th, 2014
Debit cards and credit cards look a lot alike. They’re the same size, of course, and they each come with a logo (usually MasterCard or Visa) that allows you to use the card to purchase items and services from various merchants.
But if you have both of them then you already know that debit cards and credit cards are actually quite different. Debit cards are linked to your checking account, so amount of each purchase purchases using a debit card is immediately withdrawn (or debited). Credit cards, in contrast, allow you to finance purchases over time, if you so choose....
Banking Advice on How to Save Money by Avoiding Common Banking Mistakes
Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
Opening up a checking account and savings account at your local bank or credit union isn’t particularly difficult. The process is usually quite straightforward, and a bank representative will walk you through each step along the way. Even if you set up a new account online, the process probably won’t take more than a few minutes.
But once you have your account, you need to pay more attention to it. In particular, you need to avoid the common banking mistakes that can trip up many individuals.
Here are some of the most common banking mistakes that some people make, and...
Can My Bank Close My Account?
Tuesday, November 26th, 2013
We normally think about our banking and financial accounts on our own terms. We decide when we want to open a new account, what financial institution we want to do business with, how much and how frequently we deposit funds into and withdraw funds out of our accounts, and when we close those accounts.
But that’s not always the case. In fact, there are some situations where your accounts can be frozen, accessed or even shut down. Most of these occurrences are likely to be fairly rare, such as having your assets seized in connection with a lawsuit or tax...
Questions To Ask Before You Switch Banks
Tuesday, August 27th, 2013
Whether you’re moving to a new neighborhood or city, you’re tired of your bank’s policies or fee schedules, or you’re just looking for additional account benefits, sometimes it makes sense to switch banks. But it can take a bit of time and effort to make the switch (particularly if you’re using your current bank’s online bill pay service), so it’s important to make sure you’re making the right decision for you and your money.
It’s also essential to make sure that you’re basing your decision on solid financial reasoning before you go through that time and effort.
Ask...
Risky Places to Use a Debit Card
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Debit cards and credit cards certainly appear to be quite similar. They both carry a Visa or MasterCard logo, they both allow purchases of products and services without having to carry around large amounts of cash or hassle with a checkbook, and both contain some degree of protection against fraud or unauthorized account use.
But there are also some significant differences between the two types of cards. In fact, there are some situations where using a debit card comes with a higher degree of risk than using a credit card.
Here’s a list of some of the riskiest places when using...
Tips to Manage Bank Transfers Between Accounts
Thursday, March 7th, 2013
Long gone are the days when we could effectively run our households with the cash from just wallets or purses (after cashing our weekly paycheck), or perhaps by using a simple checking account. Instead, consumers now have multiple financial accounts, likely including one or more checking accounts, bank accounts, and brokerage accounts. And we probably end up having to spend time and effort transferring money back and forth between these accounts.
Even if one doesn’t have a large number of different financial accounts, it’s still important to make sure that you are doing these transfers as efficiently as possible, without...
What is a Debit Card?
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
With the prevalence of online banking and electronic funds transfers, as well as the large number of automated teller machines that are available, there are more ways than ever for us to access the funds in our checking accounts. One of the most common ways for people to gain access is through the use of a debit card.
Debit Card Basics. A debit card is a banking card that provides direct and immediate access to the cardholder’s funds. The most common type of debit card is one that’s linked to a checking account. This allows the account owner to spend...
How to Create Banking Habits That Support Financial Security
Friday, January 4th, 2013
We can count on a certain degree of assistance from our banks and brokerages to help us keep our finances secure. Long gone are the days when we could simply access our accounts online by logging in with our account numbers and a simple five or six digit password, as more of these institutions are now demanding multi-factor logins, and that we change our passwords at least every 90 days.
We can also protect our finances by creating a few positive banking habits. It might seem like a lot of work to implement some of them, but doing so will...