Photo by: ajajulian (Stock Exchange)

Household savings is one of your first lines of defense against debt, but most people have more experience with credit than they do with saving cash. If you’re having trouble putting money away, use a little psychology and your bank account to help you out. Remember: it takes longer than a day or two to settle into new habits, and though resolving to save more and spend less is a good start, you’ll have to find a way to endure after enthusiasm starts to dry up. That’s where “Keep the Change” comes in.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind – And Into Your Bank Account

Several banks offer programs like “Keep the Change” which allow you to save an extra few cents from every purchase on your debit card; that is, the leftover “change”, rounded up. This amount is deposited into a savings account and you’re never aware of it; some banks even match it to some extent or offer extra incentives over time for leaving that money where it lies. Over a few months, this can amount to hundreds of dollars: enough to reach a small savings goal every year or find “extra” money for a vacation.

Big Things Come in Small Packages

Though this is only one savings tool, it is a powerful one. Since you never “see” that money, you can’t miss it, and it starts working for you right away. It may not seem like much, but think about this: every year the Treasury Department spends millions of dollars minting pennies and nickels – for, on average, more than their face value. Every time a coin is minted, that money adds up; and as taxpayers, we’re well aware of it. You won’t be making millions of debit transactions, of course, but there’s no reason the same principle shouldn’t help you reduce your debt.

Is Your Bank Working For You?

In a world of mounting bills and rabid debt collectors, this might seem like a strange question. But if you want to start saving from scratch, it’s an important one to ask. Take time to re-assess your bank and what it has to offer you. Value-added features like “Keep the Change” are useful, but they’re only one part of ensuring that a bank is really right for you. Look at your account features and things like overdraft fees, maintenance fees, and the quality of customer service. At a time when big banks are often re-instating monthly maintenance fees, smaller regional and local banks, as well as credit unions, are hunting for more business. You’re always entitled to move your money.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles …

Big, sudden changes in spending habits are like New Year’s resolutions: they start with a bang, but they’re not likely to stick. If saving is new to you, look for small things that add up to reasonable, but valuable goals. Most importantly, take action. Reading this blog is a good start, and there are two other things you can do right now: take a hard look at your bank, and take a hard look at the “other guy.” You might be glad you did.

Photo by: Sanja Gjenero (Stock Exchange)

In today’s tight consumer credit market, it’s harder than ever for someone starting out on the road to financial responsibility to establish strong credit; and even with new legislation intended to protect credit-holders, the stakes may very well be higher now than they were twenty, ten, or even five years ago. A few key credit facts can go a long way toward helping teens and young adults establish a positive credit history that works in their favor when it’s time to start making big decisions.

Here are some useful credit tips to help the youngster in your life avoid debt as an adult.

1) You Don’t Have to Use Credit Cards to Start a Credit History

To get credit, you have to have a credit history. This might seem like a baffling contradiction at first, but remember that keeping current accounts other than credit cards can also start the ball rolling on documenting your responsible financial behavior.

Credit cards offered to students and others with weak or nonexistent credit history are often fraught with hidden perils and predatory terms that might activate unexpectedly. Collaborating with responsible adults to put another account in a teen’s name, such as a secondary telephone, builds credit and good budgeting habits at the same time.

2) Student Debt is a Different Animal From Credit Card Debt

Student debt is the “other” major category of debt that’s most likely to influence a young person’s life. If student debt climbs out of control, it can’t be eliminated by bankruptcy, and may make debt consolidation more complex, as — from year to year and semester-to-semester — it may come from multiple creditors. Student debt can easily grow beyond expectations, as payments do not occur until after graduation, but interest continues to accrue as balances mount “behind the scenes.”

Be exceptionally wary of private student loans, and double-check all information from a university’s financial aid office; a few of these have been implicated in collusion with private lenders who advertise on campus. The old age “trust, but verify” applies here. A student should never sign a promissory note without the input of a responsible adult, and preferably not without consulting an independent financial advisor first. Neglecting this step (tempting when “everyone has student debt”!) can have decades-long consequences!

3) Getting a New Credit Line is a Double-Edged Sword

Opening a new credit line temporarily reduces your credit score, but when managed effectively, larger, value-added credit lines open greater opportunities and establish more trust. No matter the size of your overall credit holdings, you should strive to use only a fraction: the ratio of your total credit line to your current balance is one of the most heavily-weighted factors in your credit score. This leads directly to the next point:

4) You Don’t Have to Use Credit Cards to Grow Credit, Either

Once you have an established credit line, you do not need to actively use it to maintain a credit score. Most creditors will eventually close a line of credit that goes unused for a prolonged period of time (a year or more) but any transaction, no matter how minor, will keep the account alive; and, if paid off right away, it can only count in your favor.

Often, credit lines will grow without much use; but you should always be aware of this, and be aware you can refuse credit line increases and revert to your previous limit if you wish. If creditors make changes to your account you are not comfortable with, those with negligible balance have added clout for negotiating, refusing, or just going elsewhere.

The credit landscape is evolving along with the legislation that impacts it; but the basic facts about credit cards remain the same. Used responsibly, consumer credit can be part of an enriching financial strategy, and it’s never too early to start setting good habits.

Chip on Debit Card
Photo by: Declan Jewell (Flickr)

The only thing about as bad as fees you can’t afford to pay due to economic hard times is fees that you don’t even realize you’re paying. Thanks to declining returns on services customers do opt for however that’s exactly the kind of fees banks are starting to love. An easy way to rope you into fees is bank debit cards, and even if you have never had a problem with one you may want to take a look now.

The first way these lock you into fees is you pretty much require overdraft protection to use one. Many argue that if you manage your account well and treat a debit card transaction like a check you won’t get into trouble. Unfortunately this is not true at all. Banks use a number of tricks in how they process transactions that make it impossible to be certain when a charge will take place, or for what amount. One bank manager I talked to said he was frustrated because he honestly couldn’t understand how they process these transactions; he said he always leaves a couple hundred dollars just in case, even though he is very sure of what money comes out of his account. These cards are seriously designed to encourage Non-sufficient funds fees with balances that do not consistently update and a ‘courtesy’ of letting you overdraw your account by hundreds of dollars before they decline a charge. A courtesy that can result in hundreds of dollars worth of fees; a postage stamp could cost you more than forty dollars!

Another hidden debit card fee is annual membership to some ‘rewards’ program. Typically the rewards aren’t amazing, and the ‘points’ earned are no more consistent than the order in which debit card transactions are processed. In almost any situation you’d see a lot more rewards by opting out of this program and just saving the money in a savings account. A similar ‘rewards’ program is to acquire points for ‘being green’. In reality this one is more about saving the bank from paper costs than it is about the environment, but it can also keep you less informed about your account balances.

Frequently also these days there is a charge just to have a debit card, or to use one. If you receive an updated notice in the mail regarding your card make sure to see if there is a new annual or monthly fee, or even a new transaction fee. Careful management of funds can only happen when you know for sure what fees may post to your account. A new 35-cent fee for a specific type of transaction could have you literally seeing a bright red 35-dollar insufficient funds charge!

Many people, especially younger people who have grown up with debit cards, find it hard to manage without them. It does take getting used to but it’s worth the cash saved, and avoiding disastrous NSF fees. Keeping enough money on hand, and keeping a low fee credit card ONLY for emergencies makes a lot more sense then letting the bank borrow your money while you essentially pay THEM interest on it in subtle fees. If you really can’t live without the convince of a card then make sure you always know what fees are charged, opt out of high interest overdraft protection, and keep a safety net of at least a couple hundred dollars in your account in case an unsuspected fee posts to your account.