Banking is one of those life skills that we learn by doing. Unlike taking driving lessons or getting on the job training for a new job, there are few tutorials or courses available to most of us on how to do banking, what it s all about, or how it all works.
For most of us, we start with our first bank account when we are kids. Often, this first account is a savings account. As young people or young adults, we scrimp and save to put away a few bucks into our accounts, watching them grow over time.
Then, as our needs change, we open our first checking account. A checking account allows us to have a debit card to make purchases at retailers and merchants around town. And, of course, with a checking account we can actually write checks to other people!
But, as you progress in life, you may be faced with the question, Can I have more than one checking account at a time? This question can arise if, for example, you move far away and your new residence is not anywhere near a branch belonging to your first bank. Often, in this situation, you may find yourself having multiple connections to this first checking account, such as already established automatic withdrawals, direct deposit from your employer, etc. In this case, you may not want to close your first checking account just because it is easier not to. And yet, for convenience s sake, you will want to open a second account, as well.
The answer is: yes, you can have more than one checking account at a time. There is no law against having multiple accounts. Of course, to be efficient in your handling of two accounts at once, it is a good idea to differentiate them somehow. For example, you can use your first account for receiving your paycheck (via direct deposit), as well as for paying all of your monthly, automatic withdrawals. Meanwhile, you can use your new account as a source for cash (via the ATM) and for non recurring payments or for those that are not on automatic withdrawal.
There is no limit to the number of checking accounts you can have. Just make sure that you are mindful of any fees you are paying to maintain the various accounts. In some cases, to save money on fees it may be best to consolidate into just one account.
Note: if you are interested in opening a second or third account, make sure you shop around: your account should be FDIC insured. Also, look for an account that does not charge overdraft fees (banks offers these accounts are rare, but they are increasingly available).
Our banking system is set up to give you the maximum number of banking choices. There are thousands of banks to choose from, but they are not all the same. Make sure you carefully research your choices before opening a new account. You may just find you are pleasantly surprised by the options available to you, including the ability to conduct online banking and the need to never pay an overdraft fee again in your life!
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For more information about a checking account that will never, ever charge you an overdraft fee (no matter what), check out: http://www.escape-overdraft-fees.com/ .
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