Simple Ways to Manage a Checking Account
Common Trust Financial Tips
Updated: May 30, 2025 • 5 min read
Proper checking account management helps you avoid fees and maintain financial health
While you might not often find yourself writing out an actual paper check, you still need a checking account. Having a checking account makes it much easier to get paid and pay your bills. Your debit card enables you to access money through ATM withdrawals and online transfers.
At some point, everyone will need to open a checking account, so it's important to know how to use one. Here's a few easy-to-follow tips and rules to keep in mind when opening and managing your checking account.
What to Know Before Opening a Checking Account
Most banks offer a variety of checking account options, so it's worth having a clear understanding of exactly what you intend to get out of your account.
Key Considerations:
- • Is there any minimum balance required to open an account?
- • Are there any limitations on checks or debit transactions?
- • Do you want a checking account with or without overdraft protection?
- • How much does it cost to use this account on a monthly, yearly, or per transaction basis?
- • How much money is needed to open a checking account that pays interest?
Take Charge of Your Records
Because it is a transactional account, funds can flow in and out quickly. It can sometimes be hard to keep track of them all, and if you don't know what's going in and out of your account, it will be difficult to manage it.
Pro Tip: Use our mobile app's expense tracking feature to automatically categorize your spending and create monthly reports.
Balance Your Account Regularly
Balancing your account helps you stick to your budget and helps you avoid unnecessary charges resulting from bounced checks or overdraft fees.
You can do this by manually comparing your monthly statements with your own records to make sure they balance. This also helps you spot any errors in the system, such as incorrectly charged fees.
Security First
Remember: Common Trust will never ask for your sensitive account information via email or phone. Always verify the source before sharing any personal details.
