I Finally Convinced My Elderly Parents...

[Chattyaholic]

to get a checking account!!! Dad is 70 and Mom's 65 and they have never had a checking account. Dad always drives all over to pay their bills. I've tried countless times to convince them that a checking account would be beneficial for them, but they steadfastedly refused...until yesterday!! I finally managed to talk them into getting one. It will be so much easier for them to pay their bills. I cannot imagine not having a checking account, can you???

P.S. They don't have a credit card either, and although I think they should have one they are still against getting one...sigh...

 

[Saffron]

Wow! No, I can't imagine being without a checking account. While I never used to pay for everyday expenses with a check, I now can't imagine what I would do without a debit card!

I'm sure they'll be so relieved once they start using their account. Good for them!

 

[perd]

I'm to the point of being past using checks - I use my Visa checkcard for everything and it seems like such a pain to have to write out a check for anything! Any bills that can be paid online or by credit card/check card, that's how I do it. I pay for groceries and everything I buy with my check card.

Your parents will probably get a checkcard with their account, won't they? That way they won't really have a credit card, but they will have the convenience.

A lot of Visa checkcards are covered just the same as a credit card. I think it depends on your bank.

 

[Kermit]

Oh my! I can't imagine driving all over town to pay my bills and buying money orders. Your dad must have a lot of energy. I'm sure they'll be grateful that you convinced them very soon.

 

[Chattyaholic]

No,Kermit, he doesn't have a lot of energy anymore....I think that is one of the main reasons he's finally agreeing to it. Mom has wanted a checking account for years, but he was stubborn about it. But now it's getting more difficult for him to drive all over to pay the bills, plus with "winter coming" and bad roads....I'm just so happy he finally agreed!!

Perd: No, I don't think they will automatically get one of those checking cards you mentioned. We've had a checking account for 27 years but no card like that. Not really sure I'd want one anyway, as you still have to remember to record the amount in your check book register, right? We had an ATM card for awhile, but we both would draw money out and forget to record it, so we always ended up with less money at the end of the month than we thought we had. So we finally gave that up.

They might go for "automatic payment" on some of their bills though like electricity, phone, etc. They're going to have their S.S. checks direct deposited, so could have some of their bills automatically paid and that would be even more convenient for them. We don't do that, as we don't deposit into our checking account on a regular basis, so we couldn't guarantee the money would always be there when they'd want to dip into it to pay some of the bills...so we still write 'em out each month.

 

[tedsmom]

Wow!!!

 

[Boots]

I am sure that they will enjoy it once they get used to it!!!

 

[PamOKW]

I was going to suggest skipping right past writing checks and get them paying their bills on-line! Having their SS# checks direct deposited is very smart. The government encourages that to cut down on mail theft. It would probably also be a big help if you could get some of their regular bills on auto-pay, too.

I chuckled a bit when I saw your "elderly" parents were 65 & 70. While the word is technically right, most of the folks I know in that age bracket would whack you for calling them elderly.

 

[SplshMtn99]

I was an asst bank mgr for 8 yrs. I've seen all types of bizarre money management from folks.

Don't be surprised if they go to the bank to cash a check so they can still go pay those bills in cash in person. LOL

I remember a time when my dad was go through his "cheap" phase & also went without a checking acct. My mom had to drive all over to pay utility bills.