checking and savings
So, my partner and I do not currently have combined finances. In two weeks we’ll be married and it will be time to combine money — how strange it feels that we’re waiting until that point in time to do this. Anyways, what we need to do is get a joint checking and joint savings account.
Now, I’ve not bothered looking for a checking account in quite a while. We do both have accounts at the same credit union and I’m used to their online access. So, maybe we’ll go with them — but I’m not feeling it just yet. He has an account at another bank that seems like a lot of fees and effort and so I think we’ll skip out on them. Oh sigh, I don’t even know what to look for in a bank these days.
My spending habits — everything is spent on the debt/credit card. I write about 6 checks a year. I prefer to complete deposits in person. I hit the ATM about 4 times a year, I never take out cash. I do a lot of online banking and must have access to my accounts online. I don’t keep large balances in my checking account.
His spending habits — everything is spent through cash. He writes several checks a month, no online banking. He hits the ATM frequently the replenish the cash in his wallet. He has never had or wanted online banking. He keeps some in his checking account, though not a great amount.
What I want for checking — no fees. I hate fees! No fees for ATM withdrawals. No fees for electronic access or online banking. No fees for maintenance. I want a free box of checks a year, what I get with my credit union now, not necessary though. Easy bank access and no fees for talking to a person (I couldn’t believe some places charge for that). Easy access to ATMS, I refuse to pay ATM fees so I will only use my bank’s ATM to prevent all fees.
For savings — we’ll prolly stick with the online savings for the most part since their rates are the highest right now. Plus, we’ll both have individual savings, though I think I’m the only one with savings right now, in case of emergencies. Maybe we’ll get an HSBC account since they keep kicking up their rates, but I’m keeping my ING accounts because I just like them.