As a society, we are more wired and mobile than ever. Thankfully, our banks are becoming more wired, too! These financial institutions are setting the standard in mobile and account connectivity. Check out this list and be sure to educate yourself with your specific bank’s offerings. Most of these tools and resources are free and available for the asking…so go on, ask!
Remote Check Deposit
As the industry and younger generations rapidly embrace online banking, it is easier and easier to transact business without the need of ever stepping foot into a branch. But what about those pesky checks? If you happen to be the recipient of one of these little bill-shaped, scribbled-on conundrums, what are your options? Well, if you are lucky enough to qualify for membership with USAA (restricted to military families only), you can simply snap a photo of the check with your smartphone and the funds magically appear in your account. This Texas- based bank was the first major financial institution to introduce the service and the big banks are rapidly innovating to keep up. USAA will also let you deposit checks at their ATMs, as well as Bank of America, Citi, and others, so be sure to ask about your bank’s services.
Facebook Integration
With Facebook surging toward 700 million users worldwide, companies are clamoring to find ways to interact with their customers while also not breaking the ground rules: social media is meant to remain social and not overtly corporate. One of the most cutting-edge social experiments on Facebook has to be the Zecco Wall Street App. It brings all the traditional investing tools to the Facebook experience including quotes, charts, graphs and news. But what makes this platform even more powerful is the ability to dig deeper and “like” and share investments and comments with your community. How do you round out the experience? The ability to place trades while re- maining on the Facebook page. The app and the integration are so superslick and easy, the only drawback I see is that it could become more of a game and steer novice investors away from long-term investing strategies that are core to retirement and wealth planning.
Not to be left behind, credit card companies are jumping full force into Facebook, as well. Major players such as American Express and VISA not only have a presence on Facebook, but they have multiple pages designed to appeal to each specific audience. From the VISA Fans for Life for NFL Fans to Ameri- can Express Open for Small Business, credit card companies are working cleverly to deliver value to their Facebook fan base. One of my favorites of these Facebook pages is the Venture Stories tab, which is where card users have the ability to share their unique experiences on how they applied their Venture Reward Miles.
So the next time you are looking to contact your bank, credit card company, lender, investment manager or the like, think outside the branch. As this is nowhere near a comprehensive list, we would love to hear more about some of your favorites, so be sure to share them with us on Facebook or Twitter!
Story by Lynn Yeldell
L Style G Style – Storyteller of the Austin LBGT Community.
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