Let’s make banking simple and easy. That’s only possible once you understand how it all works. Here we will explore the nuts and bolts of banking. It makes it a lot harder to save and make good financial choices, if you are foggy on when you can access your funds, how many times you can make withdrawals, or how to maximize your interest. Chances are you need a bank to meet your financial goals, so you might as well learn how to use it to your advantage.
Discretionary Dollar Banking
Racking Up the Rewards
Monday, January 24th, 2011 at 7:21 PM
Rewards points are certainly not new. Nearly every major credit card, bank or airline has their own form of currency called miles, rewards, points or something else. Companies “reward” you to build customer loyalty and return business for simply using their company’s credit card or purchasing their company’s product. However, with some forethought and a few minor changes in your habits, you can convert your rewards points into cash.
Spend a Dollar to Save a Penny
Let’s be clear here. Spending a dollar to make a fraction of a dollar isn’t usually a good strategy. However, if you already must purchase a product why not benefit a little from it.
We do our best to maximize our rewards and usually end up with about $1000 a year in cash. We put this bonus in our replacement fund which we use each year for trips and vacations. Not a bad starting point.
The Case For Paperless
Saturday, June 26th, 2010 at 9:31 AM
Paper litters nearly every aspect of our life. Not only is paper a nuisance, but for every piece of paper you decide to keep, you have to organize, store and manage it. What a waste of time and resources.
Is your desk covered with neat (or messy) stacks of paper? Do you find it frustrating to find documents in a file cabinet? Tired of having stacks of mail and paper clutter your life? Are you interested in simplifying your life and spending more time doing the things you love?
Here are just a few reasons to work towards eliminating the endless stream of paper.
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Chuck the Checkbook
Friday, December 25th, 2009 at 3:28 PM
Balancing your personal checkbook is not as necessary as it once was. In fact it’s not necessary at all. Ten years ago you’d have to wait for a statement showing what checks cleared. Times have changed. Here are a few ways for you to get rid of the checkbook and the balancing chore that goes with it.Stop Writing Checks
First thing is first. In order to eliminate the checkbook you have to stop writing checks. While you may not be able to do it cold turkey, in most cases you can use other means of payment. For example you can use your credit/check-card or a BillPay type service. Electronic transactions like plastic and BillPay clear within a day or so.
Tracking Expenses The Easy Way
Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 9:46 PM
Do you wonder where your hard earned dollars get spent? Here are some ways to track your expenses in just a few minutes per week.
1. Use Online banking
Some smaller banks are still catching up but the larger banks have done a great job of giving you all the tools you need online. If you aren’t using online banking then tracking your expenses will be much more difficult and may require far too much time and effort.
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Use Your Credit Card Without Transaction Fees or Minimums
Monday, December 14th, 2009 at 8:24 PM
The biggest drawback to going cashless is the problem of uninformed merchants charging minimums or transaction fees. So are you tired of getting nickel and dimed as you go to use your credit or check cards?
If you are still unclear on the different types of debit/check cards, be sure to read Credit or Debit? Plastic Explained first.
The Problem
Merchants see credit transactions as an additional cost. In general store owners pay between 1-3% per transaction to process your card. They also have a fixed transaction cost ranging from .15 cents to .45 cents. Different accounts have their own prices, but that’s generally the structure.
Credit or Debit? Plastic Explained
Sunday, December 6th, 2009 at 1:35 PM
because there is some confusion on what types of plastic are out there. You bank
sends you a card but what does it really do? Here is my definition of a few commmon types of plastic.
You might have a good idea about how your cards work, but it seems there is still a whole lot of confusion on what types of plastics are out there. Your bank sends you a card, but what does it really do?
Credit Card – Most Widely Understood.
This is not your money. You simply sign and present this card when you purchase something. You can use it interest free for about 30 days, then you must pay it off, or make minimum payments plus interest.
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