Ninja Money Masters

The first step to choosing the bank account that’s best for you is to make a list of the benefits you could get from having a checking account. Some things to consider:

• Convenience
• Cost
• Safety
• Money management tools

With these benefits in mind, look at the types of accounts you can open at several local banks and investigate Internet banks, too. Be sure to find out about:

• Location of bank branches and ATMs
• Hours of operation
• Checking account fees
• Transaction limits
• Minimum balance requirements
• Check printing costs and options
• Availability of direct deposit
• Debit card features, costs, rewards program
• Online banking and bill pay
• Account statements
• Interest bearing accounts
• Funds availability
• Insurance
• Other bank services

Decide which features are most important to you. Then compute the costs of the accounts and evaluate their features against your preferences.

P.S. Here’s a web site where you can learn more about Internet banks that have interest bearing checking accounts.