Comments on: Dedicate 7 Hours For Healthier Finances – Hour 3

By: NCN

NCN — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:41:45 +0000

@Kate… The series should be complete by the end of the week…

@Phil… I actually set up automatic payments on “my end”. In other words, all payments are “push” instead of “pull”. I do not give access to my bank account to the companies with which I do business. Instead, all payments are initiated on “my end”.

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:31:44 +0000

While I pay all my bills online, I hesitate to setup automatically recurring payments. My reasoning for this stems from the question “What if something drastic happens to me and I (or my family) need to put my money toward emergency expenses? In other words, how easy would it be for me or a family member to STOP the automatic payments if needed?

I may still be able to pay the phone bill on time, but may wish to free up funds and wait to make the payment closer to the due date rather than when the bill is posted (and automatically deducted).

The ease of paying online is wonderful, but I still like visiting my “Friday List of Bookmarks,” visiting those sites, and making the payment manually – when I’m ready – not when their billing system wants it.

By: Kate Kashman

Kate Kashman — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:06:57 +0000

Thanks for this simple series! I’ll be linking to it when you are finished. Even those of us who are pretty financially aware can always use some help focusing on the basics. I’m really enjoying your suggestions.

By: Grant Baldwin

Grant Baldwin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:04:34 +0000

I’m amazed at the number of people who miss out on the opportunity to pay bills online in a matter of minutes. A few mouse clicks and you can be completely done for the month. Great way to save time and money (i.e. stamps!).