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Smart Banking: Get More From Your Account

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Smart Banking: Get More From Your Account

Your bank account should feel like a well‑oiled tool, not a tangled obstacle course. Yet hidden fees, outdated features, and mismatched products still trip up millions of consumers. The good news? A handful of clear, proactive moves can transform an ordinary checking or savings account into a launchpad for bigger financial goals. Below are ten strategies, grounded in real‑world experience and forward‑leaning insight, to help you take control of your money today—and keep pace with the innovations coming tomorrow.

1. Match the Account to the Mission

Start by making your bank account fit you, not vice versa. If you consistently hold a four‑figure balance, an interest‑bearing checking account or rewards‑checking hybrid can pay you back every month. If you’re rebuilding credit or living close to the wire, seek accounts with no minimum balance and no surprise maintenance fees. Credit unions and reputable online banks often excel here.

Think in terms of purpose. A student juggling part‑time income and tuition needs very different features than a freelancer managing quarterly taxes. Lean on that purpose to narrow choices quickly.

2. Treat the Fee Schedule as Required Reading

Every account arrives with a disclosure. Inside are clues to future headaches: overdraft penalties, ATM surcharges, dormancy fees. Read it once, highlight anything unclear, and ask for plain‑language explanations. If a fee feels punitive, negotiate or walk. Remember, many institutions now offer truly fee‑free options—especially online banks competing for deposits.

3. Automate Habits That Build Wealth

Consistency, not willpower, grows savings. Arrange automatic transfers the moment your paycheck lands: 5 % to an emergency fund, 3 % to a travel account, whatever numbers align with your goals. Even modest sums snowball when you remove manual effort (and temptation) from the process.

Good banks let you nickname sub‑accounts or “buckets”—a psychological nudge that turns abstract dollars into vivid goals.

4. Harness Alerts and Real‑Time Tools

Mobile banking shouldn’t stop at balance checks. Activate:

  • Low‑balance alerts to prevent overdrafts
  • Large‑purchase notifications for fraud control
  • Weekly spending summaries that spotlight trends

These guardrails cost nothing but can save hundreds in fees and frustration. If your institution doesn’t offer robust alerts, that alone is a sign to explore alternatives.

5. Build Purpose‑Driven Buckets

Separate money by intention—vacation, home down payment, car repair—within the same platform. Most modern banks and credit unions let you open multiple savings sub‑accounts instantly, often without additional charges. Visual separation reduces the urge to raid long‑term funds for short‑term splurges.

6. Don’t Chase Rates Without Reading the Rules

High‑yield incentives can hide hoops: minimum transactions, direct‑deposit thresholds, balance caps. Run the math on your actual behavior. If you can’t realistically hit the hurdles, a lower posted rate with simpler terms may deliver more net dollars in the end.

7. Leverage Your Bank’s Ecosystem

Great institutions play both defense and offense. Beyond deposits, they may offer:

  • Low‑cost certificates of deposit (CDs) for short‑term goals
  • Competitive auto, personal, or home‑equity loans for larger purchases
  • Financial coaching or budgeting workshops—often free to members

Bundling services can unlock relationship perks—reduced loan origination fees, higher CD rates, or waived wire charges. Always confirm that bundling saves money rather than complicates it.

8. Schedule a Weekly Financial Check‑In

Treat money management like a standing appointment. Review:

  • All new transactions (catch fraud early)
  • Upcoming autopay bills (avoid overdrafts)
  • Progress toward each savings goal (celebrate wins, adjust when needed)

This rhythm turns financial surprises into small, manageable tweaks instead of budget‑blowing emergencies.

9. Consolidate When It Simplifies Life

Scattered accounts across multiple institutions can muddy your financial picture and dilute interest earnings. Unless each account serves a distinct, strategic purpose—say, business income segregation—move funds to the one bank that offers the best blend of cost, service, and digital functionality.

10. Advocate for Yourself—or Move On

Your deposits make you a customer, not a captive. Ask for lower fees, higher limits, or hardship accommodations if life throws a curveball. Banks compete fiercely for good clients; a polite request often opens doors. If the answer is no, your money can walk—usually in under an hour thanks to streamlined online account openings.

The Road Ahead: Banking in the Next Five Years

Open‑banking APIs, real‑time payments, and AI‑driven fraud detection are reshaping how money moves. Partnering with a forward‑thinking institution now means you’ll benefit from tomorrow’s tools—such as instant merchant refunds or automated micro‑investing—without scrambling to switch later.

Action Step for This Week

Download your current bank’s fee schedule. Highlight three charges you didn’t realize existed. Use that knowledge to negotiate, automate, or relocate your money where it’s treated with the respect you’ve earned.

About the Author

Picture of Rick Munster

Rick Munster

Rick Munster is a personal finance expert and author with over 23 years of experience in the credit counseling industry. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Financial Counseling Association of America and has published more than 250 articles on personal finance. Over the course of his long-standing career at Money Fit, a nonprofit credit counseling organization, Rick’s insights have been featured by several news outlets on topics such as credit counseling, debt management, and financial education.
Visit Rick Munster's Page

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You hereby authorize and instruct Debt Reduction Services, Inc. (DRS, dba Money Fit by DRS) and/or its assigned agents to:
  • Obtain and review your credit report, and
  • Request verifications of your income and rental history, and any other information deemed necessary for improving your housing situation (for example, verifying your annual property tax obligations and homeowner’s insurance fees)
Your credit report will be obtained from a credit reporting agency chosen by DRS. You understand and agree that DRS intends to use the credit report evaluate your financial readiness to purchase or rent a home and/or to engage in post-purchase counseling activities and not to grant credit. You understand you may ask any questions pertaining to your credit report. However, while DRS will review the information with you, the company is not able to furnish you with a copy of your credit profile. You hereby authorize DRS to share your information from your credit report and any information that you provided (including any computations and assessments produced) with the entities listed below to help DRS determine your viable financial options.
  • Banks
  • Counseling Agencies
  • Debt Collectors
  • Landlords
  • Lenders
  • Mortgage Servicers
  • Property Management Companies
  • Public Housing Authorities
  • Social Service Agencies
Entities such as mortgage lenders and/or counseling agencies may contact your DRS counselor to evaluate the options for which you may be eligible. In connection with such evaluation, you authorize the credit reporting and/or financial agencies to release information and cooperate with your DRS counselor. No information will be discussed about you with entities not directly involved in your efforts to improve your housing situation. You hereby authorize the release of your information to program monitoring organizations of DRS, including but not limited to, Federal, State, and nonprofit partners for program review, monitoring, auditing, research, and/or oversight purposes. In addition, you authorize DRS to have your credit report pulled two additional times to conduct program evaluations. You also agree to keep DRS informed of any changes in address, telephone number, job status, marital status, or other conditions which may affect your eligibility for a program you have applied for or a counseling service that you are seeking. Finally, you understand that you may revoke consent to these disclosures by notifying DRS in writing.

Client Privacy, Data Security, and Client Rights Policy

NOTE: This sheet is to inform new or returning clients about our services, records, fees, and limitations that may affect you as a consumer of our services. This form also discloses how we might release your information to other agencies and/or regulators. If you do not understand a statement, please ask a Debt Reduction Services (DRS) counselor for assistance.

Debt Reduction Services, Inc. (DRS) has put into place policies and procedures to protect the security and confidentiality of your nonpublic personal information. This notice explains our online information practices and how we use and maintain your information to conduct our financial education and credit counseling sessions and to fulfill information and question requests. This privacy policy complies with federal laws and regulations.

To provide our financial education and credit counseling services, we collect nonpublic personal information about you as follows: 1) Information we receive from you, 2) Information about your transactions with us or others, and 3) Information we receive from your creditors or a consumer reporting agency. We do not share this information with outside parties.

We use non-identifying and aggregate information to better design our website and services, but we do not disclose anything that could be used to identify you as an individual.

You hereby authorize DRS, when necessary, to share your nonpublic personal, financial, credit, and any information that you provided (including any computations and assessments produced) with the following entities in order to help DRS provide you with appropriate counseling or guide you to appropriate services: third parties such as government agencies, your lender(s), your creditor(s), and nonprofit housing-related and other financial agencies as permitted by law, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. We limit access to your nonpublic personal information to our employees, contractors and agents who need such access to provide products or services to you or for other legitimate business purposes.

Debt Reduction Services, Inc. complies with the privacy requirements set forth in the HUD housing counseling agency handbook 7610.1 (05/2010), including the sections 2-2 Mc, 3-1 H(2), 3-3, 5-3 F, and Attachment A.5. At all times, we will comply with all additional laws and regulations to which we are subject regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of individually identifiable information.

  1. Services: DRS provides the following housing-related services: counseling that includes Homeless Assistance, Rental Topics, Pre-purchase/Homebuying, and Home Maintenance and Financial Management for Homeowners (Non-Delinquency Post-Purchase); Education courses that include Financial literacy (including home affordability, budgeting, and understanding use of credit), Predatory lending, loan scam or other fraud prevention, Fair housing, Rental topics, Pre-purchase homebuyer education, Non-delinquency post-purchase workshop (including home maintenance and/or financial management for homeowners), and other workshops not listed above.

Please refer to DebtReductionServices.org for details of our services.

  1. Limits: Our services are limited to our normal weekday business hours. We do not provide individual counseling or education services after hours or on weekends, although our education courses are available 24/7.
  2. Fees: We do not charge fees for our financial management counseling and education. However, if you use them, you may have to pay for our Debt Management Program, Student Loan Counseling, Bankruptcy Certificate Services or certain financial education courses (homebuyer education, rental topics, fair housing, predatory lending, and post-purchase-non-delinquency including home maintenance and/or financial management for homeowners).
  3. Records: We maintain records of the services you receive, including notes about your progress or other relevant information to your work with us. You have the right to access and view your records by making a request to your counselor.
  4. Confidentiality: We respect your privacy and offer our services in confidence with the understanding that we may share such information with auditors and government regulators. Certain laws or situations may also lead to disclosing confidential issues, such as those involving potential child abuse or neglect, threats to harm self or others, or court subpoenas.
  5. Refusal of Services: You have the right to refuse services without any penalty or loss.
  6. Disclosure of Policies and Practices: You will be provided our agency disclosure statement.
  7. Sharing of Information: Sometimes we will need to contact other agencies or we may need to share your information, including your records, with other agencies or with regulators. We will do this only if you sign this form that gives us permission except for limited reasons; please see # 5 above for examples of such situations.
  8. Other: You have the right to be treated with respect by our staff, and we expect the same from you in return. We encourage you to always ask questions if something is not clear. We also encouraged you to express your thoughts and advocate throughout our services.

You acknowledge that this authorization will remain in effect for the duration of time that DRS serves as your housing counselor or financial education provider. You also acknowledge that should you wish to terminate this authorization, you will notify DRS in writing.

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Disclosure  Statement

NOTE: If you have an impairment, disability, language barrier, or otherwise require an alternative means of completing this form or accessing information about our counseling services, please communicate with your DRS representative about arranging alternative accommodations.

Program Disclosure Form

Disclosure to Client for HUD Housing Counseling Services

Debt Reduction Services, Inc. and its financial education arm, Money Fit by DRS, offer the following housing counseling and educational services related to housing, personal finance, and bankruptcy certificates to consumers:
  • Housing Education Courses: DRS offers many online self-guided education programs classified as Financial, Budgeting, and Credit Workshops (FBC), Fair Housing Pre-Purchase Education Workshops (FHW), Homelessness Prevention Workshops (HMW), Non-Delinquency Post Purchase Workshops (NDW), Predatory Lending Education Workshops (PLW), Pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops (PPW), and Rental Housing Workshops (RHW). These courses help participants increase their knowledge of and skills in personal finance, including home affordability, budgeting, and understanding the use of credit, as well as predatory lending, loan scams, and other fraud prevention topics, fair housing, rental topics, pre-purchase homebuyer education, non-delinquency post-purchase topics including home maintenance and/or financial management for homeowners, homeless prevention workshop, and other workshops not listed above relating to personal finance and housing. Course details are found below under “Housing Workshops.”
  • Home Equity Conversation Mortgage (HECM) Counseling (RMC): Via telephone and virtual platforms, we offer the required HECM counseling nationwide in addition to in-person counseling in Boise, Idaho. We also offer in-home counseling options in thirty counties across southern Idaho for an additional fee to cover our travel and additional staff time costs.
  • Home Maintenance and Financial Management for Homeowners (Non-Delinquency Post-Purchase) (FBC): Clients receive counseling and materials on the proper maintenance of their home and mortgage refinancing. Clients can find help and resources by phone, in our Boise office, or virtually on all topics related to stabilizing their long-term homeownership.
  • Services for Homeless Counseling (HMC): Clients receive phone, virtual, or in-person (Boise) counseling to evaluate their current housing needs, identify barriers to and goals for housing stability, establish a path to self-sufficiency, and connect with emergency shelters, income-appropriate housing, and/or other community resources (e.g. mental healthcare, job training, transportation, etc.).
  • Pre-Purchase Counseling (PPC): Clients receive counseling through the entire homebuying process. Assistance may involve creating a sustainable household budget, understanding mortgage options, building their credit rating, and putting together a realistic action plan to set and achieve homeownership goals.  Additionally, clients will receive materials and resources about home inspections and other homeownership topics relevant to successfully maintaining a home.
  • Rental Housing Counseling (RHC): Via phone, in-person appointments (Boise, ID), or virtual platforms, clients receive housing counseling relevant to renting, including rent subsidies from HUD or other government and assistance programs. Topics can also address issues and concerns having to do with fair housing, landlord and tenant laws, lease terms, rent delinquency, household budgeting, and finding alternate housing.
DRS also offers the following services:
  • A Debt Management Program (DMP) for consumers struggling to pay their credit cards, collections, medical debts, personal loans, old utility bills, and past-due cell phone accounts;
  • The Budget Briefing and Debtor Education Certificates that are required during the Bankruptcy filing process;
  • A Student Loan Repayment Plan Counseling and application service.

Relationships with Industry Partners

Through such services, DRS has established financial relationships with hundreds of banks, credit unions, and creditors such as American Express, Bank of America, Barclays, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, Credit One, Discover, Synchrony, US Bank, USAA, Wells Fargo, and others.

No Client Obligation

The client is not obligated to receive, purchase or utilize any other services offered by DRS or its exclusive partners to receive financial education or housing counseling services. Alternatives: As a condition of our counseling services, in alignment with meeting our client services goals, and in compliance with HUD’s Housing Counseling Program requirements, we may provide information on alternative services, programs, and products available to you, if applicable and known by our staff. Alternative DMP services include negotiating better repayment terms directly with your individual creditors, paying your debts as agreed, or, in extreme cases, filing for personal bankruptcy. Alternative credit and education services can be found through MyMoney.gov or the Jump$tart Clearinghouse of online financial education resources. Housing counseling alternatives can be found through HUD at www.hud.gov/findacounselor.
Finally, you understand that you may revoke consent to these disclosures by notifying DRS in writing.
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Housing Counseling and Education Fee Schedule

 

Online Education Program Fees*

Homebuyer Education Course: $59 per participant

  • Self-paced course available here, our online housing counseling and education center. Certificates will be automatically generated upon completion of the course (approximately 6-8 hours)

Rental, Fair Housing, Predatory Lending / HOEPA, Post-Purchase (Non-delinquency post-purchase workshop, including home maintenance and/or financial management for homeowners) Online Workshops: $49 per participant

  • Approximately 1 hour each

Other Self-Guided Financial Literacy Webinars (e.g. credit, budgeting, homeless prevention, debt prevention): $0

One-on-one Counseling Fees*

Pre-purchase Homebuying Counseling, Rental Counseling, Post-purchase Ownership Maintenance and Financial Management: $75

  • Session by the hour

Reverse Mortgage/HECM Counseling with Required Certificate:

  • $200†

Credit Report Fee: Paid Directly by Client

*Fees for all but our online education courses and workshops can be paid online by debit card, credit card, or PayPal or in person by cash, check or money order to: “Debt Reduction Services, Inc.” Registration fees are non-refundable 24 hours or less before the start of an in-person course or workshop. Certificates are non-transferable

*Fees may be waived for households with income of 150% or less of that identified on the US Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines Page

†Home visit counseling is available in 30 southern Idaho counties for potential HECM borrowers at additional costs to cover our travel (IRS reimbursement rates apply) and staff time ($50 per hour or fraction there).

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Housing Counseling and Education Fee Schedule  

Online EDUCATION Program Fees* 

eHome Homebuyer Education Course: $99 per household** 

  • Self-paced course available here, our online housing counseling and education center. Certificates will be automatically generated upon completion of the course (approximately 6-8 hours) 

Online Workshops: $49 per participant 

  • Rental, Fair Housing, Predatory Lending Post-Purchase, HECM Family Member  
  • Approximately 1 hour each 

Other Self-Guided Financial Literacy Webinars: $0 

  • Credit, budgeting, homelessness prevention, debt prevention 
  • Approximately 30-60 minutes each 

One-on-one COUNSELING Fees* 

Pre-purchase Home Buying, Renter Issues, Homelessness, and Fair Housing: $0  

Post-purchase Ownership and Maintenance, HOEPA or Financial Management $75/hr  

Reverse Mortgage/HECM Counseling with Required Certificate $200 per household†  

Credit Report Fee Paid Directly by Client 

*Fees for all but our online education courses and workshops can be paid online by debit card, credit card, or PayPal or in person by cash, check or money order to: “Debt Reduction Services, Inc.” Registration fees are non-refundable 24 hours or less before the start of an in-person course or workshop. Certificates are non-transferable 

*Fees may be waived for households with income of 150% or less of that identified on the US Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines Page 

**Household is an individual or a couple  
†Home visit counseling is available in 30 southern Idaho counties for potential HECM borrowers at additional costs to cover our travel (IRS reimbursement rates apply) and staff time ($50 per hour or fraction there)