Have You Ever Opened a Checking Account?
Maybe some of you are saving it in your trusty piggy bank, under your mattress or way back in a sock drawer. Although I'm glad that you are saving, your money is not doing anything for you locked up in your house. Consider a checking account where you can make some interest on your money. And for those of you who already have a checking account, after reading this article you may want to change banks. Checking accounts are the most popular accounts banks hold. People use them to pay bills and expenses but did you know that there is more than one type of checking account? To name a few there is the basic checking, free checking, interest-bearing, joint checking, express, lifeline, senior/student checking and money market. For a summary of them, go here (http://www.bankrate.com/brm/green/chk/basics1-1a.asp). Choosing a checking account You should put more thought into getting a checking account. Why you ask? Because some charge you for an in person transaction or have a high insufficient fee, or ATM fee, even when you use one of their ATMs, etc. When selecting the right account for your needs, you have to take all your banking habits into consideration. Think about whether you bounce checks on a regular, how many checks you write a month, if you prefer to get your statements in the mail or view them online, if you prefer to do your banking online, by phone, at ATMs or work with a bank teller in person, how much money you usually keep in your account, etc.? Knowing all these things beforehand will make it easier for you to pick the right bank and checking account to keep your money in your account and not in the bank's greedy hands. Free checking really free? Some banks say they offer free checking but there are all these stipulations, such as if you don't maintain a certain balance then you will get charged X dollars a month until you meet the minimum. Other banks charge a fee for using the account. According to the Federal Truth in Savings Act, free checking means that there are no minimum balance requirements and no monthly activity and maintenance fees. But that doesn't mean you won't get charged for bouncing a check, stopping a payment or writing more checks than you are allotted for the month. For those of you who still write checks, you can no longer count on having a couple of days before the money actually comes out your account. I just found out there is a law that took effect in October 2004 called Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21). This law was designed to speed up the payment of bills. If you write a check to the light company, they can convert it into an electronic check and e-mail it to their bank without having to send the actual check through the mail. This may not concern those twentysomethings who manage to keep money in their account but for those of you who are living paycheck to paycheck, this might be a problem for you. Bouncing Checks Banks want to pretend that they are on your side. Look at this example taken from Bankrate.com. "Say you had $300 in your checking account and you wrote six checks totaling $375. The six checks are for $200, $12, $50, $60, $23 and $30. If they all came back to the bank on the same day, the bank will clear the $200 check and the $60 check and bounce the rest since the next largest check ($50) won't clear." You would have to pay four separate insufficient fees. At my bank the insufficient fee is $30. That would be $120! Although the bank could have cleared the smaller checks first, their stand is that the larger checks could be for something more important such as a mortgage or car loan. To avoid getting those pesky insufficient charges, consider getting overdraft protection. In order to get it you have to have another account with the bank, whether it's a savings account, credit card or some other line of credit. So if you overdraw your checking account, the bank will pay the remaining balance and take the money out of your account. As long as you keep money in your other accounts, the bank guarantees the check(s) will be paid. You will still get charged a fee but it will be dramatically less than the insufficient fee. But the trick is you have to request the overdraft protection. The bank will not automatically cover your checks because you have other accounts with them. Okay, I have just given you a summary to get you started on choosing the right bank to hold your money. The rest is up to you. In fact, I'm thinking of changing banks myself, in researching for this article I just realized I am getting ripped off. For more on checking accounts go to bankrate.com. ChaChanna Simpson is the publisher and editor of Twentity.com, the free ezine for twentysomethings, featuring cheap and free events every Wednesday. Subscribe at http://www.twentity.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Ten Steps To Building A Good Credit History
Are you thinking of buying a house? Do you want to buy a new car to replace that old wreck? Trying to get insurance on you home, auto, or life? In each of these situations, what's on your credit report will determine if you can get a loan or insurance and what rates you'll have to pay.
Credit Trap: What They Dont Tell You About Credit Cards In College
In industrialized nations, going into debt starts early. It's easy for an eighteen-year-old to get credit cards and fall into debt, especially if they're headed for college.
My Credit Card Application Was Rejected! Now What?!?
No doubt, you've probably gotten literally hundreds of credit card applications in the mail and online, and each and every one of them has said that you've been "Pre-Approved".
New Law Provides Free Annual Credit Report
As of Thursday, December 1, 2004, one-third of Americans will be able to access their credit reports from all three main agencies for free. Passed in late 2003, the Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act creates a central source consumers can use to obtain a free annual credit report.
Identity Theft - How to Protect Yourself
"Like the tan? I got tons of sun on that Caribbean cruise. First class tickets to Florida and back! Nope, not an airline upgrade. 5-star service all the way, baby! Hotels, restaurants, theme parks?you name it! Look?I took pics with my new cell phone! Hey, let me know when you're free to take a spin in the car ? it's a 2005 sports model, fully loaded! Yours truly, Chad E. Charlatan, is going to the top! Nope, no job. But I didn't pay for anything myself. I don't care who Ms. Donna Knowe-Bedter is, but it's not my fault if she doesn't keep tabs on her credit card statements. One day I'll thank her for being so rich!"
Good Credit -- Essential for the Prospective Home Buyer
Credit is a funny thing. It can be a useful tool in the hands of an informed individual, or a weight of burden to the unsuspecting. One thing is for certain, you must have a decent credit score to attain a quality mortgage loan.
Identity Theft : They Got Him
His hard earned money? Gone. Creditors on his back everyday. Police knocking on his door. His family strained to the breaking point. He didn't do anything wrong but my business partner's life got turned upside down a few years back. He became a victim of what is now the fastest growing crime in the world. Identity theft.
Finding and Applying for the Right Credit Card Offer Online
Anywhere you go online nowadays, you will see a multitude of ads for credit cards. Some offer low interest rate for an introductory period, or bonus frequent flyer miles while others offer real discounts on new vehicles and equipment. Trying to find one that suits your needs and lifestyle can be a little overwhelming.
5 Killer Steps to avoid Credit Card SCAMS!
In August, 2004, the Federal Trade Commission issued their findings of a recent study, which showed that nearly 25 million adults were victims of fraud.
Myths and Truth about Credit Scoring
Credit score is the key factor determining approval of almost any type of credit. It is based on the information contained in your credit report files. The widely used FICO score was developed by Fair Isaac Corporation, and it is a formula which assesses your potential credit risk.
Reward Credit Cards: Get the Best Rewards Card Incentive Program
A good credit reward card can contribute to your retirement account, offer gas rebates, score theme-park or vacation tickets or take thousands off the
price of your next auto purchase. Rewards at hotels, airlines, and retailers bring more to the possibilities but, adds to the confusion. Here are some tips to find the best reward programs for you to increase your buying power.
Credit Repair Scams
"Erase Bad Debt !"
Credit Reports Inside and Out
The Credit Report is like your scorecard in the lending world. Every time you prepare yourself to acquire or purchase something that requires financial assistance from a lending institution, your credit report will be your "presentation card".
Beware of Falling Minimum Payments
If you opened a credit card statement recently and were pleasantly surprised to find that your minimum payment due was lowered, don't be so quick to "jump for joy". What may appear as a small boost to your monthly budget is actually the rock that can weigh you down in debt for a lifetime.
Credit Problems? Heres How to Manage Your Creditors
If you find that creditors are calling you almost daily or that one of more of your bills has been turned over to a collection agency, you should know how to manage your debts.
5 Ways To Prevent Credit Card Late Fees
Paying a credit card late fee is the same as throwing your money away. Late credit card payments can also hurt your credit score. The payment tips and strategies here will show you how to prevent these costly fees.
Credit Help for Real Estate Financing: Credit Scores
When you buy real estate, lenders run all of the "big three" credit bureau reports. Each credit reporting agency lists your credit history as supplied to them by the individual lenders and includes governmental records. Each report assigns a credit score number to you. The credit scores reflect your theoretical risk of default to the lending institutions.
Five Reasons to Repair Your Credit Score - You Can Do It Yourself
There are multiple reasons that tell us why we should have a 700+ Credit Score, but these five facts will definitely give you the big picture and hopefully will drive you to want to fix your credit score starting today.
Understanding Credit Card Penalties
Because most of us have one or two credit cards and we use them every day, understanding credit card penalties and fees is a significant issue since one time or another we have paid a penalty for some reason. Every user of a credit card must first understand that every charge on the credit card represent a loan which must be repaid. It's like the loan for buying a house or a car; the same way these loans should be repaid, the credit card debt should also be repaid and even more it should be paid in time and at least the minimum amount or else you'll end up paying more interest fees and penalties than the actual borrowed amount. So, we can say it is important that reading and understanding credit card penalties and fees to be done before you apply for a credit card and start using it. A credit card user should read, before signing, the agreement and especially what is written with small letters because those small written lines sometimes are the most important. The agreement of the credit card usually contains rules on how and when the credit card issuer can apply penalties and fees, but you should also look for the lines where it is clearly stated how and when the payments should be done. You, as the future user of the credit card need to have complete and accurate information in order to be able to take a correct decision.
Credit Card Debt: One Way To Avoid It
One of the biggest problems people have in these modern times is Credit card debt, and worst is USA.
Simply because there have always been so many laws and regulations before you could have a
card in the rest of the world, you can't for instance borrow someone elses card and go shopping because
you always have to show some ID before they accept cards in Europe.
|
