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Everyday Banking · session 2 of 6 · 30 min
The Fee Schedule Is a Price List
- Find the fee schedule for an account and read it like a price list.
- Total what an account really costs in a normal month.
Banking is a service, and services have prices. The fee schedule is the price list. It is public, it is a few pages, and reading it once can save you money every month for years.
| Item | Not watching | Watching |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Ⓛ12.00 | Ⓛ0.00 |
| Out-of-network ATM, twice | Ⓛ7.00 | Ⓛ0.00 |
| Paper statement | Ⓛ3.00 | Ⓛ0.00 |
| Total for the month | Ⓛ22.00 | Ⓛ0.00 |
The watching column is not a special account. It is the same account with the waiver met, in-network ATMs, and digital statements.
The not-watching month costs Ⓛ22.00 in fees. At that pace, what does a year of fees cost?
Work it out, then check
Ⓛ22.00 a month times 12 months is Ⓛ264.00 a year — paid for nothing the account did not already offer for free.
This week
Find your bank's fee schedule this week. Circle every fee you paid last month, and next to each one write the sentence from the schedule that says how to not pay it.
Next in Everyday Banking: Overdraft, Before It Happens →