Wednesday, January 13, 2016

IT'S A MONEY THING: CHECKING ACCOUNTS




Our world has become full of technology. Everywhere we turn, we hear, “There’s an App for that.” But not everything has become digital. Take for instance your checking accounts, while there might be some digital components, like mobile banking, and even check capture, there is one other component to our checking accounts that seems to get forgotten… Checks. That’s right checks still exist.
You might think check writing is a thing of the past, but, check writing is an art, and it’s important to know and understand how to write a check as well as how checks are processed.
For me, writing a check allows me to see the true value of something. It allows me to physically write out the numbers and that makes me stop to think about my spending habits. If you are always out shopping and making purchases, it’s so easy to swipe your debit card and within a few hours you forget how much you spent. But, with check writing you become more aware of your spending habits.
Just like check writing makes you aware of your habits, so does balancing your checkbook. Balancing your checkbook has become a thing of the past… but it needs to be a thing of the future. Balancing your checkbook is all about keeping track of your financial transactions, it’s about writing down what you spend and what you make. This gives you a more accurate idea of your account balance and it’s also a great way to help you avoid unnecessary fees, overdraft fees and it’s an easy way for you to view errors or fraudulent activity on your account.

Check out this month’s “It a Money Thing” as Jen learns the art of check writing and tips to stay on top of her finances.

^Alysha