Acting Your Wage

Today I had a salutory lesson. I was just viewing articles in my local paper online and it had a link: "Compare savings accounts!" kind of thing.

I tend to transfer money that I'm not intending to spend in the next week out of my bank account into a linked internet savings account. It works for me--stops me spending money I need to spend on bills, puts any excess money in a place where I can't get to it easily for impulse spending. I can access it by two business days at the outside and it provides me with a bit of a buffer. So I'm all set, right?

Banks rely to a large extent on both customer loyalty and inertia to keep your business with them. The thing is, switching isn't that hard or stressful. Let me be perfectly clear: banks make money off you. Every account you have with money in it, they're making interest over and on top of any interest they pay to you. They have a perfect right to make money--and you as a customer have a perfect right to assess their services and take your business elsewhere if you can get a better deal. Don't let them rattle you. I can provide a number of helpful links for Aussies, at least, who wish to switch bank accounts (just ask in the comments).

What the hell. I was bored. I clicked on the link to evaluate savings accounts.

( Cut for length )