Help! I'm with 28 Banks

Hello Scott,

I am with 28 different banks (including credit unions). Some charge monthly, some are purely online. I was wondering what you would recommend as a single bank — who I’m probably with already — to consolidate it all together. I am also with MyBudget, who are helping me with my unpaid bills. I am 35 years old and earn $82,000. What should I do?

Brad

Hi Brad,

You seriously have 28 different banks?!

What do you use for a wallet — a suitcase?

People see you down the street: “There’s Brad at the ATM again, rifling through his suitcase of debit cards ... trying to remember which one has the money on it.”

Then again, some people collect stamps, or tattoos, or husbands, so whatever floats your boat.

Now you can have 28 banks if you really want … but one MyBudget is way too many.

MyBudget is just awful.

If you’re broke and can’t pay your bills, you sure as hell can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars a year on a glorified budgeting app. (I wonder if MyBudget suggests that their expensive ongoing fees are the most important bills that need to be paid?!)

Now, after years of promiscuous banking, you want my advice on being a banking bachelor?

Well, you should give your rose to whichever bank you want. After all, all authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) are covered by the Government’s deposit guarantee up to $250,000, and none pay any interest worth crowing about these days. Yet if you really want to get a handle on your money you need to focus: after you’ve chosen your one and only, set up different savings and spending buckets, and begin banking on yourself.

Scott