Is Your Checking Account Saving You $$$$ or Costing You?

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September 2004

All checking accounts are not created equal. Depending on your personal financial needs and habits, selecting the right checking account can save you up to several hundred dollars annually. Select the wrong account, and even a “free” account can cost you big bucks. The following questions can help you take a look at your current bank or credit union checking account.

Is the “free” checking really free? Some financial institutions promote “free” checking accounts that may have no “monthly service charge” but milk a customer’s account for lots of per-service fees every time you use a service. Such fees include ATM fees (including balance inquiry fees), bounced check fees, per-check fees (over a limited “free” number), check card fees, phone transaction fees, online banking fees, etc. In contrast, a checking account that has a small monthly service charge but then does not charge separately for a range of useful services can be a much better deal. CCU’s Value Account offers checking with no minimum balance and no monthly fees.

Read more: Is Your Checking Account Saving You $$$$ or Costing You?

Online Marketing—You’re a Target, and in Ways You Can’t See

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August 2004

Ads are everywhere—on the TV, in newspapers and magazines, in your mail, and especially online. We are so used to seeing ads that we tend to pay little attention to them. But the advertisers are always trying to change that—they want to make the ads more relevant. Now as you take advantage of the Information Highway, your use of the Internet offers advertisers new ways to target your interests and personal information, and, they hope, your wallet. In a nutshell, this report tells you how they are doing that online and what you can do about it.

Advertising fuels many websites by providing the revenue that allows them to pay the bills. The more effective the ad, the better the dollars. And the more the ad is tailored to specific individuals, the more effective the ad. So marketing and advertising companies are always refining their ways to gather and use information about you.

Here are several examples of how information is currently being used to target individual consumers for marketing barrages.

Read more: Online Marketing—You’re a Target, and in Ways You Can’t See

Is It Time to Update Your Phone Service to Get the Best Value for Your Dollar?

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July 2004

What phone services do you currently have? Local, wireless, long distance, international long distance? What phone services do you really need? There are lots of choices, but what services will best fit your family? By carefully reviewing your needs and the options available, you can get the best value for your telephone dollar. Here is a brief review of the options.

Read more: Is It Time to Update Your Phone Service to Get the Best Value for Your Dollar?

Managing Your Personal Finances on the Internet

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An Introduction to Electronic Financial Transactions

June 2004

Computers and the Internet allow us to have all of our financial information at our finger tips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We don’t have to wait for business hours to make transactions. Businesses and financial institutions also benefit. Among many possible activities, you can check account balances, receive statements, pay bills, and transfer money.

This brief introduction provides basic information and some tips on using these services.

Read more: Managing Your Personal Finances on the Internet

Ten Tips for Getting Good Automotive Service

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May 2004

Consumer Affairs agencies across the country get more complaints about poor auto repair service than almost any other area. Repair services and the skills of mechanics can vary widely. But in addition to selecting a service center wisely (see StraightTalk tips), using these ten tips can help you get satisfactory results working with automotive service centers and technicians.

Read more: Ten Tips for Getting Good Automotive Service