Do you get bank statements by mail or

[ZuZugal]

by email? We have a few joint accounts, kids have accounts, then there is the credit union, blah blah blah. I get statements in the mail EVERY MONTH, eventually open them, eventually file them, and it takes up so much space.

I am trying, SERIOUSLY trying, to scale down on all paperwork...and go through every room, closet, drawer and get rid of clutter. Just can't stand all the paperwork any more.

So, do you get email statement? Do you print them off? In the back of my head I just have this nagging feeling that I should have and keep hard copies of all statements. The environmentalist in me wants to get email statements, and my common sense tells me it is really ok to get them by email, check them over and let it go at that!!

Do you feel secure in all of your accounts without having hard-copy statements?? (please say yes!! )

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I don't like hard copies. In today's electronic age--they were out of date long before I got them in the mailbox.

All of our statements are online if we wish to review them. We don't even get it by email. We bank with USAA. We check our account "real time" very frequently.

 

[MIGrandma]

We get paper copies each month in the mail, as you do.

We prefer it that way.

They have their own separate slot in the receipt holder. At the end of the year DH bundles up all the receipts, etc. and puts them in a paper bag, staples it shut and writes the year in big, black letters on the front and stores it upstairs in the storage room.

We really need to go through them though, as we've probably got them for the past 20 years and I don't think we need to keep them quite that long.

 

[Northstar]

I am going through the exact same argument with myself.

I'm finding it really hard to give up those monthly paper statements. I think partly because I have a reliable "mail routine" and know that I will faithfully look at them and file them so I can find them again.

My bank just sent me a notice (in the mail, because I'm one of those backward folks without e-statements) that you can access your e-statements for 7 years! Wow, that is great!

But what about accounts you access less often than your basic bank account? I'm scared that I will just lose track of them, forget account numbers, forget passwords... or worse, my hard drive will go down taking the file where I've stored all those account numbers and passwords!

Everybody, please, please tell us it's time to let go of the monthly mailed statement.... I want to but I can't help clinging to my past.

 

[ZuZugal]

I should add that I do almost all of my banking online. Pay all my bills that way, transfer $ between accounts, check balances, etc.

But even though I do that so easily I just have this little voice in the back of my head (I know it is my dad because he is so darn careful with money) and that voice says "what if your internet banking site goes down? then what? you won't have statements to back up just how much money was in those accounts, or that X bill was paid 2 months ago!"

I guess I just consider the hard copy a "back-up" of sorts.

 

[cybrkitn]

Electronically. I was a bit sceptical at first, but I'm glad we chose electronic over paper.

The old snail mail paper way was too easy for us to lose (yeah, we're guilty of not having them in a filing cabinet). Electronic is so much easier to access when you need to go back and look. Something I had to do today as a fatter of fact. I needed to look at one of our statements from 2009 and it was so easy to do.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

No statements by mail. I go paperless for anything I can.

 

[Luvchefmic]

paperless not even email I just check the accounts on-line with our bank web site I click a link and can get a "mini" picture of whatever check I did mail after it was cashed (front & back) if I need to prove anything. I have also stopped the utility bills and insurance bills from sending paper..there's enough crap in this house

 

[ctinct]

I should add that I do almost all of my banking online. Pay all my bills that way, transfer $ between accounts, check balances, etc.

But even though I do that so easily I just have this little voice in the back of my head (I know it is my dad because he is so darn careful with money) and that voice says "what if your internet banking site goes down? then what? you won't have statements to back up just how much money was in those accounts, or that X bill was paid 2 months ago!"

I guess I just consider the hard copy a "back-up" of sorts.

I think almost exactly the way you do. I am very comfortable paying my bills online, banking online, etc. But I NEED that hard copy to keep. For my bills, I need the hard copy as a reminder to pay it; I file the bill when it is paid. I think I COULD be okay with electronic delivery, but I would still print everything out, and my feeling is, let THEM pay for the paper and ink. The companies sure want to go paperless, though. I get multiple reminders every month about the "convenience" of electronic delivery. Yeah, it may be convenient and cost effective for them, but if they want to get paid, they need to send me a copy of my statement or bill.

Just realized I do have a rather recent exception to this. I joined my work credit union a few months ago because they pay an awesome rate on checking, far more than any bank I've seen, but one of the requirements is electonic delivery of my statement. But, in this case, there is a big benefit to me for getting electronic statements, and I can check my account online any time I like.

 

[bumbershoot]

First, for papers...think about binders! Last year I took huge advantage of back to school sales and got a ton of cheapie binders and a bunch of subject separator things. Also got a stapler and 3 hole punch.

We get most things by email, but I do tend to print them out. Then I 3-hole-punch them, and put them into the proper binder. SO much more accessible and neat than my files, IMO.

However, with cable, I have a folder on my computer where I put the PDF bills. And I think I'm going to start to expand that. Guess I need to get a flash drive or an external drive to save those, just in case, but it's VERY convenient to have more than a year's worth of bills right there on my computer!)

 

[golfgal]

I suppose neither. I get an email that states my statement is ready online. I do all my banking online so I don't really ever balance my checkbook any more so I don't look at the statements very often but they are available online for the past 10 years if I need to look something up.

 

[skuttle]

I'm paperless as much as I can be. I never balance my checking account. I just check it online daily to make sure it the balance looks about right.

I don't print anything either. I'm still so mad that I can't pay my water bill online or with auto withdrawal!

 

[bookgirl]

I get mine online only I never hit the link to look at them because I tend to check it online a couple of times a month so I'm always pretty sure where my balance is.

My bank digitalizes my few cheques so I don't even get sent my cancelled ones.

 

[Silent1CB]

I had switched to paperless on a few bills & statements, but then I realized that if something ever happened to me, that DH or whoever was not going to be able to open my email, or it might be a good while before they do. And bills could go unpaid or accounts lost.

So, for that reason, I switched back to paper. At least in the period while they were still figuring things out, the bills would be arriving at the house, and seen.

I know I've read other people here who have done the same for the same reason.

I will be handling stuff for my parents when they are gone. I'm sure hoping there is paper to look at & mailed to the house, because the www is a really big place to search for bank accounts when the person doesn't want to give you any details ahead of time about what they have & where.

I do pay bills online though instead of mailing checks in.

I've also got a financial background, where its drilled into my head to have records. Paper records for a certain period of time.

 

[golfgal]

I had switched to paperless on a few bills & statements, but then I realized that if something ever happened to me, that DH or whoever was not going to be able to open my email, or it might be a good while before they do. And bills could go unpaid or accounts lost.

So, for that reason, I switched back to paper. At least in the period while they were still figuring things out, the bills would be arriving at the house, and seen.

I know I've read other people here who have done the same for the same reason.

I will be handling stuff for my parents when they are gone. I'm sure hoping there is paper to look at & mailed to the house, because the www is a really big place to search for bank accounts when the person doesn't want to give you any details ahead of time about what they have & where.

I do pay bills online though instead of mailing checks in.

I've also got a financial background, where its drilled into my head to have records. Paper records for a certain period of time.

So make a list of your passwords and put it in a file.

 

[Luvchefmic]

So make a list of your passwords and put it in a file.

exactly what we did

 

[Silent1CB]

So make a list of your passwords and put it in a file.

I have, but its also on the computer & password protected. He does know that password. But no one else would.

DH has enough to deal with. I handle the stuff at home. I could show him my system & where everything was, but I really don't think he would remember it in 6 months or longer if he needed it.

I'm happy with our system. It works for us. And if something happens to both of us, someone would be able to find what is needed to take care of things. Its very organized in a filing cabinet. Not buried in a computer. Everyone files things in different places in computers. Harder to locate immediately if its not your system & you don't even know what you are looking for in the first place.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

If something can be delivered to my email box that is where it is delivered. I do not trust the teenage kids around my neighborhood that like to play with my mailbox from stealing something out of it. So all my bills, statements, and any other important stuff is delivered to my email box. I usually just get junk mail now in my regular mail box.

 

[stichy]

Most of our accounts we get statements mailed every month. DH doesn't even bother opening the bank account statement envelopes. He just throws them in a cabinet with all the other important mail. He also does all our bill paying on line. Banks are soon going to be charging for paper statements.

 

[golfgal]

I have, but its also on the computer & password protected. He does know that password. But no one else would.

DH has enough to deal with. I handle the stuff at home. I could show him my system & where everything was, but I really don't think he would remember it in 6 months or longer if he needed it.

I'm happy with our system. It works for us. And if something happens to both of us, someone would be able to find what is needed to take care of things. Its very organized in a filing cabinet. Not buried in a computer. Everyone files things in different places in computers. Harder to locate immediately if its not your system & you don't even know what you are looking for in the first place.

I meant put them on paper and put that in your filing cabinet. I hate the amount of paper wasted with all the junk in the bills then keeping the bills themselves and storing them-it is just easier to have everything online.