Your Bank Works for You. Period.
No matter who you are and whether you travel or not - you deserve a real bank that cares about you and your money. What does this mean?
You should not pay fees. Ever.
Banks make money by holding onto your money - why should they get paid any extra? Whether its a monthly service fee or ATM withdrawal fee you should be exempt from either and all they try and throw at you. They're already making money off of you.
There are bank out there that are free - yes, truly free and secure and well-known. Federally insured, Member FDIC, and all that jazz.
My Favorite Traditional Bank
Charles Schwab! My checking account has no monthly or ongoing fees, includes a free stock trading account with no fees, and the very best part? It reimburses literally ANY ATM fee I incur, anywhere in the world! Even if the ATM itself charges a fee, Schwab will reimburse it. This is a massive savings no matter where you are in the world. I've found myself at casinos in the US with $8 withdrawal fees that were reimbursed. I've used this for several months of backpacking abroad - from China to India to Morocco to Portugal to Poland - this card has saved me hundreds and hundreds of dollars. A reliable company, reliable name, and reliable customer service.
My Favorite non-Traditional Banking Account
Robinhood. Yes, Robinhood the investing app. Even if you don't put your money into any stocks or securities, as of today (and it used to be higher) you earn .3% APY on your balance. I'm sure there are better ones out there but it also includes a Debit Card that enables you to withdraw money for thousands and thousands of ATMs all over the country. Keep your investments and savings all in one place with this account offer 100x or more "traditional" banking APY rates.
BudgetBrady Bottom Line:
Don't settle for anything but free. There are so many great banks out there with superb interest rates on both Savings and Checking accounts. Do yourself a favor in 2022 and upgrade how you manage your money and more importantly upgrade how hard your money works for you when you're sleeping. Cut the fees today. Check back as I will add to this list and update it with current offers.
