Bank of America

[hipsterdoofus]

I've been on the Dave Ramsey kick for just over a year and am debt free already. Good stuff!

[Easy180]

isn't he the envelope guy??

What does he teach other than to save more, spend less and pay off your smallest cr card first kind of thing...always wondered why he is so popular...not trying to be snotty just wondering

[hipsterdoofus]

Easy180, you are exactly right, what he teaches is not rocket science, and he points this out very frequently. He claims only to teach common sense.

I think he is so popular because a lot of people have lost their common sense when it comes to money and he is someone that truly cares about helping people out of those situations.

[traxx]

Easy,

Yes, he is the envelope guy. And you're right, he doesn't teach anything revolutionary and he'll be the first to tell you that. He describes it as good old common sense that grandma would have told you, or something like that. The thing about common sense is, if it were so common then everyone would have it.

So, as far as getting out of debt it's very straight forward and common sense. On his radio show though he answers debt questions as well as many other and is very knowledgable especially when it comes to real estate. He has knowledge of business, startup business, bankruptcy (personal and corporate), how to get stuff cheap and lots of other stuff.

[Easy180]

So he is similar to Suze Orman then...same kind of deal

My budgeting usually only lasts a couple weeks so wouldn't do me any good, but there are several people in my office that swear by him...hey if it works!

[keving]

I don't think Dave Ramsey likes being compared to Suze Orman... I believe they disagree on a lot of things. However, they both help people get out of debt. Personally, I like Dave's personality and approach better.

[traxx]

Budgeting does take time and diligence but I think it's worth it. It's kept my finances running clean. I do mine at the first of the month for the entire month which I think makes it easier. I can imagine if you did it every week it would get tiring. But hey, not everyone can do it a month at a time either, that may be too big of a chunk to bite off. After you do it for a while though, you get into a groove and it gets easier and quicker.

[Redneck Cabbie]

I remember when overdraft charges were around ten or fifteen bucks. Thirty three bucks a pop is a bit of a ripoff considering the technology available to the banks for screening out those who habitually write bad checks before they're allowed to open an account.

[Midtowner]

Redneck.. you're placing the responsibility on the shoulders of the bank, and not the people actually writing bad checks. I think there's somethign wrong with that.

If people are going to complain about fees for bad checks, then maybe they ought to keep better track of their finances.

[Redneck Cabbie]

Huh..

That's not what I said at all. What I said was I felt the fee itself was too high.

Didn't Sooner say that this happened because another bank yanked funds out a week early? This scenario was not about writing bad checks.

I bank with BOA myself, and I have no complaints. The convenience of having nationwide availability far outweighs the impersonality of a large institution. Hell... most of the transactions I do are on-line or through an ATM.

I still say over 30 bucks per item is far too much. If the account holder is that much of a habitual bad check writer, then the bank should just close the account.

[Midtowner]

It was a one-time event though.

[Easy180]

redneck..Most banks in the US now offer free checking...I think the ATM and O/D fees were raised to offset that to some degree..Most checking accounts just 5 years back ranged from $7 to $15 a month...Lot of income lost that needed to be offset somehow

I did feel bad for many who came in down on their luck and were staring at $150 in O/D fees though...one of the low points for bankers

One word of warning...many banks are now paying your larger amount checks first as opposed to check sequence as they used to...They say this is to benefit the customer so their high dollar mortgage will get paid, but it's easy to see it is just to make more money...so the one big check clears while 4 smaller ones get charged O/D fees

[ultimatesooner]

I have everything I can set up on autopay to my american express and pay it once a month online. Makes everything real nice & simple

[traxx]

I have everything I can set up on autopay to my american express and pay it once a month online. Makes everything real nice & simple

Do you also check your bills to make sure that you're being charged correctly? This is one of the big ways that companies aren't being held accountable. In an effort to make everything convenient people set up autodraft from their account or roll thier bills onto one account neglecting to look at the individual charges only to find out later that they've been overcharged, maybe for months and it's more difficult to have recourse after time has passed.

[ultimatesooner]

Do you also check your bills to make sure that you're being charged correctly? This is one of the big ways that companies aren't being held accountable. In an effort to make everything convenient people set up autodraft from their account or roll thier bills onto one account neglecting to look at the individual charges only to find out later that they've been overcharged, maybe for months and it's more difficult to have recourse after time has passed.

yes, I get statements for each bill emailed to me as well so I know what I am going to be charged before the charge actually goes through