* Ask yourself, and your bank, if you're getting the best deal - About once a year, talk to a customer services representative at your bank to make sure you're signed up for the right banking programmes to meet your needs. Maybe a simple adjustment to your banking practices - such as having your paycheck automatically deposited into your checking account - can get you a higher interest rate or reduce or eliminate certain bank charges. Perhaps a change in your banking habits will help cut your bank fees. Maybe your good track record at the bank will qualify you for a lower interest rate on a loan or credit card. Or maybe there is just a new or better bank account that you did not know about.
* Simplify your life. Your bank can arrange for the "direct deposit" of your pay and benefit checks and other regular income into your bank account/checking account. You also can have your bank automatically make some of your regular payments directly out of your bank account/checking account, such as your mortgage, health insurance premiums, utility bills and investments.
