Be Smart About Financial Transactions

   An Addendum To My Earlier Post Today....
 
   I read an article today about several people in, I believe, NYC who tried to withdraw cash from - and close - their checking accounts. They were arrested outside the bank. As I understand it, the tellers told them they couldn't make the withdrawals, and the customers became noisy. They were walked outside by police and arrested. For trying to take their own money out of their own bank accounts.

     I didn't check the story elsewhere for confirmation, because that's not my point. We need to understand that we live in abnormal times ... and think about what we do and how we do it. These are not the good old days when things made sense, when the policeman was your friend, and when people were polite and no one considered not being about to draw their own money out of a bank. We are in a different place and time. Unless you understand that, you will go insane.

Assume trouble. Plan ahead to avoid it.

So here are a few banking tips. If you don't feel it's necessary to remove money, then don't do it. If you do feel it's necessary, then do it. Get accustomed to thinking and acting for yourself..

• Do not attempt to close your bank account. This will make the bank feel insecure - and it's not necessary or advisable. Simply withdraw the money. There's no need to make an issue of it. If the money is out of the account, closing the account is moot.
• If they don't want to give you your money, don't make a scene. Take whatever they give you, smile and leave.
• Then immediately use your debit card to withdraw cash. Write checks for cash. Your friendly grocer, gas station, etc., will give you cash over purchase, assuming you have had the foresight to be on friendly terms with the necessary people. Make a small purchase and pocket the rest in cash. You may need to do this several times over a couple of days.
• Do not pay for anything with cash. Use your debit card.
• If you have a credit card with the same bank, use the credit card. (Two can play at this game.)
• Make any necessary purchases that you would have made in the next week or two (and use your debit or credit card) - this is the equivalent of pulling out cash. You could also buy items such as a Big Berkey type water filter, non-perishable food items, fuels.
• My first recommendation is to buy silver.Or gold. The price is still low (believe it or not). Later on you can use the money to buy or barter.
• Stop any automatic deposits (payroll, etc) to your bank account. Make no more deposits of any kind. . Keep only enough cash in the account to pay monthly bills and house payment. Then, when you have all the rest of your cash out, take out more and start paying bills another way. Postal money orders. Paid bills are better than worthless paper that cannot be removed from your bank.
• If experience is any guide it won't take long to empty your bank account ... it never does.
• One more thing. It's getting dangerous to use debit and credit cards online; we have had our Visa numbers stolen and used twice within the past year. It will only get worse.

JUST DON'T MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT. 

     Personally, for our household, all of the above is not a tactic to be used. It is a way of life. We try never to have too much cash sitting around in the bank (not a problem!). We manage our checking account and credit card (with the same bank) so that should any emergency arise in the banking system, and we can't withdraw cash, the checking account will pay off the credit card off. Better yet, we don't use credit cards and try to handle cash in a better way than letting it sit around in an account. We try to have a limited amount of things around that we could trade (even services) in an emergency.

     The point is to think and plan. Things are not normal ... and they will never be normal again - in this life. You must be willing to cope with that reality, or you won't make it.

ROYAL HEIR

creyner@yahoo.com