The District Chronicles

Issue date: 8/16/09 Section: Business

Technology today can give you a lot of control of your money from anywhere

(ARA) - Life is hectic enough and in these economic times, it's all the more important to carefully manage your money in a way that fits into your lifestyle. Utilizing tools that offer easy access to and constant control of your cash can save you valuable time and hassle.

The first thing to consider is that today, banks are enabling you to manage your finances on the go. Tools like mobile banking, online banking, and your local ATM simply make doing the hard stuff a little bit easier by giving you more control, convenience and choice.

Use these tips to help you manage your spending and to save you time:

Simplify your life

If you know you're going to be a road warrior for the next few months or simply decide to go green, sign up for bill pay and e-bills through your bank. Utilizing e-bills means that you don't have to wait for the bill to come to you and instead, can pay all your bills online at once.

"Bill pay takes it one step further and gives you extra control," says Laurie Readhead, Bank of America eChannels and Customer Solutions executive. "By allowing you to set a schedule to pay any amount, bill pay can help you to avoid fees and simplify your life by knowing your bills will be paid on time."

Ease your mind

Keep yourself, your credentials and personal information secure. Always look for extra protection to provide you with peace of mind like Bank of America's SiteKey - an award winning online security sign-in feature that helps customers deter fraud. If Bank of America doesn't recognize the computer you're using, you will also be asked challenge questions to ensure only you can access your account. If you're an online shopper, use ShopSafe - another security feature that customers can log into to create a unique, temporary credit card number, eliminating the need to expose your real credit card number to online merchants. Be sure to keep your computer up to date with anti-virus software, and before typing in account or credit card information on a Web site, make sure the site is trusted and secure.

Stay alert

Stay current on your financial transactions by taking advantage of your bank's alerts, which can often be forwarded to your cell phone. Alerts can help you recognize any fraudulent activity on your account and can help you to avoid overdraft fees. Alerts also help you monitor your account balance to help decide if it's the right time for that last minute purchase. To keep life simple and stay in control of your finances you can sign up for alerts that inform you when your account balance falls below a certain threshold.

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