|
             
|
Another reason to have a computer connected to the Internet is to check your bank balance before you write a check at 5 a.m. when there isn’t anyone at the bank who can take a phone call. That service just became available to me with my hometown bank. I goofed a couple of weeks back, complaining that they weren’t with the program, but they are now in the 21st century and I am happy. The reason this is important to me is that I use this account both for direct deposit of my retirement and Social Security funds and for paying a lot of my bills by electronic transfers. The Postal Service is losing a lot of revenue at 37 cents per bill, plus I don’t have to worry about letters being lost in the mail. Though that has never happened to me, I tend to worry about such things. It helps to be able to log on to the account anytime without having to call and get someone to look at my account on their computer screen and tell me what is there. For example, I have my Veterans Insurance premium automatically deducted. I have kept that policy since World War II, and although they cut it in half (but kept the premiums the same) when I hit 70, I keep it for sentimental reasons. Every year they issue a refund on the policy by automatically depositing it to the same account. I didn’t know that it was in my account until the mail brought my statement the next month. Now I can check every day and prevent surprises on either side of the ledger. The other service the bank includes (all for free) is to let me download the information each month directly into my Quicken software where I keep records for the tax man. I have been doing this with my other accounts and my credit card account. I am now complete on my banking accounts. This doesn’t mean that I have all my tax records in perfect shape, but I can now wrestle with them with more confidence. You can e-mail your comments to me at car926@aol.com. |
 |
|
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? |
