so i havent looked at a check stub in years

should i even bother or continue living in blissful ignorance of how much less i have received?

1/17/2013 12:56:20 PM

Do you not notice that you had more in checking than you did the previous check?

1/17/2013 12:57:46 PM

as long as your bills are paid, especially to the gov't.

those bitches will just come in and take their shit.

1/17/2013 12:57:58 PM

I setup an auto-alert to let me know if it doesn't get deposited for some reason, I never check the stubs though

1/17/2013 12:59:31 PM

honestly i saw my balance and i was happy with it so i left it at that.

[Edited on January 17, 2013 at 1:01 PM. Reason : d]

1/17/2013 1:01:02 PM

I set up auto-alert too

I almost have a heart attack when I don't notice the text message came thru when they deposit my monies

1/17/2013 1:01:55 PM

I get paper stubs and scan them in. Come in handy for certain banking, etc. activities.

1/17/2013 1:02:12 PM

i have an auto alert also, set up for anything over 500 dollars being deposited

1/17/2013 1:03:17 PM

Oh I keep the stubs, I just don't open them unless I need to


I did review stubs when I was on contract and got paid by hours billed, but now its just the same amount every 2 weeks.

1/17/2013 1:03:55 PM

My alert is set for $5,000.

1/17/2013 1:04:04 PM

Paperless direct deposit, but I can access up to, I think 2 years worth of stubs online. I can also save them as PDFs if I were so inclined.

1/17/2013 1:04:12 PM

You keep $5k in your checking account? That's silly.

1/17/2013 1:05:04 PM

Not really. Autodrafts come out and direct deposit come in there.

It's an interest (pittance) account, plus some other good features, but there is a minimum balance required, easy enough to meet so I do.

[Edited on January 17, 2013 at 1:07 PM. Reason : .]

1/17/2013 1:06:25 PM

^^what do you recommend? I've always been taught to keep a safety net at your disposal in case of an emergency and I need quick cash (some sort of travel disaster, car repairs, etc).

if it's tied up in investments or an IRA or something might not be as easy. plus, it's not like a savings account is really yielding much right now.

1/17/2013 4:02:38 PM

There is an entire range of things between long term investment that takes time or a penalty to withdraw from and a checking account

1/17/2013 4:19:53 PM

not sure why that amount is silly though. I guess it depends on what your definition of "keeping" is.

Between expenses and investing, ~$5000 flows out of our checking account each month (both our direct deposits go there so all expenses including the mortgage and all credit cards are paid from that account). So depending on the incoming and outgoing schedule and having a small cushion so there is never an overdraft (ie the mortgage paid on the 1st of the month before paychecks come in) we probably average somewhere around $5000 in the account. However it's not "keeping" $5000 in the account because while the average below the line may remain the same, in reality lots of money is moving in and out of the account so we aren't parking a lot of money somewhere that isn't earning anything. Anything beyond the small cushion and expenses is moved into the money market or invested.

^^ You do want a safety net but I wouldn't keept it in a checking account. We have a small direct emergency fund in a savings account, a bit more in a money market, and then the last bit of it in CDs. (that's in order of ease of access and no to minor penalty). I don't keep anymore in my checking account than I have to for safety and so I'm not blowing off even minor additional savings from other avenues.


[Edited on January 17, 2013 at 4:27 PM. Reason : ]

1/17/2013 4:23:33 PM

paperless direct deposit. sometimes i'll check the "stubs" online. i can see them all the way back to when i was a summer intern with the company 4 years ago.

1/17/2013 4:37:58 PM