• How often will you need to stop at the bank?  If this will be a regular part of your daily or weekly routine, you’ll want to choose one that has a convenient location for you.
• Do you travel often?  If so, is it necessary for you to be able to access your bank in person?  You might want to choose a bank with locations covering the entire country.
• Do the bank’s hours fit your schedule?  If not, do they offer the right online banking options for you to use after hours?
• Most banks do offer online banking.  You can check your current balances, transfer money between accounts, and even pay your bills.  Most often, this service will be free.  If not, you may want to avoid using that particular bank.
• You’ll want to compare available interest rates; they will differ across the board, and there will be different requirements to meet in order to qualify for the offered rates.  For example, most banks require a minimum balance of $10,000 to receive the best interest rate for a money market account.  The bank that I use only requires $2500 to get the market rate.  Quite a difference.
• Does the bank offer interest-bearing checking accounts?  These ones typically require a minimum balance just like most savings accounts, but if this is a priority for you, look for a bank that provides this service.
• Does the bank charge service fees?  What is their overdraft fee?  How much do they charge if you go below a minimum required balance?  Do they charge you for using a different bank’s ATM (in which case, you’ll pay that bank’s ATM fee and your bank’s fee as well)?  If you’re likely to end up in these situations, you should find the bank with the lowest fees.
• Will you be opening more than one account, such as a checking and a savings?  Is it important for them to be linked together?  Or do you simply prefer the ability to easily transfer money between them online?  You’ll want to choose a bank that offers the best rates across the board so you get the most out of it.  You may have to sacrifice in a few areas; for example, you might accept a couple points less in interest on your savings than you’d get at another bank if the checking benefits are better at this bank.
• Is the customer service good?  How were you treated when you asked for information on accounts?  How did the other customers appear to be treated?  Ask for people’s opinions to help you get a better view of the overall picture.
• Is the bank FDIC insured?  If so, your deposits are protected up to $100,000.  If the bank is not, don’t bother.

You’ll be doing a lot of reading and asking a lot of questions.  Don’t be afraid to take your time and explore every option before you choose a bank—you want to be sure you’re getting the best benefits to meet your banking needs and wants.

If you’re like most people, you’re admittedly afraid to see your spending habits written down.  It’s scary, and seeing any negative habits on paper can give you that uncomfortable sinking, twisty feeling in your stomach.  Well, too bad!  You have to do it.  Get someone to hold your hand or offer you a shoulder to cry on or fix you a drink.  You’re going to make a financial checklist so you can get on the right track, right now.

Check Your Spending

Start with your income.  Next, write down all of your monthly expenses.  Include all of your bills, groceries, gas for your car, and yes, even the random but common little expenses like eating out, going to the movies, your weekly magazine, and your daily cup of designer coffee.  You’ll see right away how much of your extra cash is being spent on unnecessary items.  You can make dinner at home, join a movie rental service like Netflix for cheap, read your magazine online, and brew your own coffee for less than $10 a month.

Invest Your Finances

Once you figure out where to cut back, you’ll see a little bit more wiggle room with your money.  Take that money and start a savings.  Invest in an IRA, your 401(k), a CD, a Money Market, etc.  Even a few dollars a week saved can add up quickly enough to come in handy when an emergency arises.

Plan to Get Out of Debt

Make a plan for getting yourself out of debt.  You’d probably have even more extra money if you didn’t have to pay those darn credit cards that keep accumulating interest.  Take some of the extra money you found from cutting back and put it toward your debt.  Start by paying off your smallest debts first, then take that amount you were paying to that account and add it to your payments for the next smallest.  If you follow a plan like this one, you’ll slowly but surely climb out of the hole.

Check Your Future

Don’t forget about your future.  Set some financial goals, and write those down on your checklist, too.  Writing down your goals has been proven to increase your chances of actually achieving them.  Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years?  Even better, where do you SEE yourself in that time?  Don’t dream it, do it.  It starts by being honest with yourself and writing it all down.  What are you waiting for?

• Have your paycheck direct deposited into your checking account.  It will save you a trip to your bank and you’ll have access to your money sooner.  You will still get a stub for your records showing the deposited amount, taxes taken out, etc.
• Go a step further and arrange to have a certain amount or percentage of your paycheck direct deposited into a savings account.  You won’t have to consciously think about saving money because you’ll automatically be paying yourself first, and if that money never passes through your hands, you won’t be tempted to spend it and probably won’t miss it.  Even a small amount can be helpful by time you need to access your savings.
• Sign up for online bill payment or even automatic payment.  If you opt for automatic, make sure you trust yourself to have available funds in the account you attach to your bill on the due date.  If you have a creditor that doesn’t offer you the option to pay online, most banks offer bill pay programs.  You simply enter your creditor’s information and your bank will send them a check.  With this option, you’ll want to allow yourself an extra couple days before the due date, as your bank’s check still needs to reach the creditor by mail.  In all cases, you’ll be saving yourself the time of writing out a check, as well as saving money on envelopes and postage.  You’ll be more likely to avoid late fees, too.
• Consider transferring high balances on your credit card to one with a lower interest rate (visit BankRate.com for best deals).  Some companies may even offer you a no-interest deal for a certain period of time.  I personally took this option because I knew that interest was the factor preventing me from paying down my balance as quickly as I could.  If you’re confident that you can pay off the debt within the time frame and refrain from adding extra charges to that card, this can be an option for you.
• If your immediate financial future is looking bleak, but you know that you can get yourself back on track with minimal help, try contacting your credit card companies or other lenders and asking if they have a financial hardship program.  If they do, you can potentially have your monthly payments and/or interest rate reduced for a short period of time.  They might even waive your monthly payments completely for a couple months.  (Be careful, though.  Those charges might be tacked onto your next set of due payments, so read the fine print.)  Your credit rating will mostly likely take a hit, but if you can get back on track right away, your score will improve right along with your financial situation.
• If you know you need more help to get out of debt, consider a debt consolidation service.  They essentially pay off your old debt for you and approve you for one large loan to cover the cost, leaving you with only one monthly payment.  The good news is that you could owe less overall than before, as these services are able to negotiate with your creditors to lower your payments.  The bad news is that all of those accounts will be closed, leaving you with no emergency credit cards, the interest rate on your new loan might be high, and your credit score will definitely drop.  However, if this is your only way out, you have a better chance of getting out of debt quicker and redeeming your credit score faster than if you opted to file bankruptcy or simply stopped paying your bills and got sent to collections.  Just beware of scammers that claim they can completely eliminate your debt right away (usually if you pay them a large sum of money) or secure a low interest rate for you.

You can keep track of your own finances with a budgeting program, as well.  Knowing exactly where your money is going can help you get a good idea of how much money you might be wasting.  Renegotiate as many debts as possible to save money.  Even simpler things like adjusting your cell phone bill can help.  (For example, do you text a lot?  Add a feature to cover x amount of texts for x amount of money to save, etc.)  Consolidating your finances in these ways will allow you extra time and money to enjoy the more exciting parts of life.

• When it comes to real estate you often hear location, location, location.  In the world of personal finance the key word is automate, automate, automate.  That is right, if you simply establish an amount that you can reasonably put aside each week or pay period, and have it automatically transferred into a savings account you will probably never miss the money.  Even as little as ten dollars per transaction will begin to grow and build a foundation for future savings and growth.
• Participate in employee sponsored retirement accounts.  If your employer offers a 401(k) or other retirement program you would be foolish to not participate.  This is especially true if your employer is willing to match contributions you make.  These types of programs literally offer the closest thing to free money that you will find.  Make sure when setting up your account that you select an amount that you can afford to contribute.  Obviously the more money you invest the better the opportunity for growth, however it is important to make sure you are not socking away money that you could be using to pay down high interest debt or other expenses. Carefully review your budget to determine a contribution amount that will fit in with your household budget.
• Keep paying your debt after it is paid off.  That’s right, whatever amount you were paying toward credit cards or other debt should be moved to your savings account once the debt is paid off.  You already are accustomed to not having that money as “disposable” cash so moving it to your savings account before it becomes absorbed in your daily spending will guarantee future savings.
• Bank extra money.  There are so many ways to save money.  As more people jump on the “spending less” bandwagon, you may find yourself cutting coupons or eliminating unnecessary spending.  All of this “extra” money should go directly in a savings or investment account.  Do the same thing with raises, bonuses, refunds or extra pay checks and watch your savings grow!
• Put yourself on the list of people to be paid.  Simply changing your mindset about saving money can make it easier to begin making sure you get paid.  Consider yourself as another bill or financial obligation and determine an amount you have to be paid out of each check.  Then when your pay check hits your bank, pay yourself just like you would the cable company or your mortgage note.

These are just a few of the things you can do that will help you find extra money each day to fund your savings.  Most people who think they cannot pay themselves first are surprised at the many ways they can funnel their money into accounts for better use.  Get started today to reach your financial goals.

Trisha Wagner is a freelance writer for DepositAccounts.com, where you can compare rates of checking accounts from dozens of banks in one place. Trisha writes regularly on the topics of personal finance and savings accounts.

Let’s get the negative side out of the way.  Be open about your credit score and current debt before entering the marriage.  Many couples have divorced after discovering their spouse had unmanageable debt, or been denied a home loan because one spouse didn’t tell the other about their bad credit until the moment they were denied.  Lies in a marriage are always a bad idea, but lies about money (especially by omission) can be disastrous to both your financial future and your marital union.

Were you to divorce, the only way you could be held responsible for your spouse’s bad debt is if it’s tied to a joint account.  Even if a judge rules that your ex must pay off the debt, the creditors are not bound by that ruling-they can still come after you.

On a more positive note, when it comes to marriage and money, marry you want to be prepared for your future together.  You should know about any pensions, 401(k) accounts, Social Security benefits, IRAs, investments, etc.  Keep record of wills and trusts, and make sure you understand how your spouse’s health and life insurance policies operate when the time comes for you to use them.  You don’t want to be stuck because of a technicality or small loophole you didn’t know about.

You also want to make sure you have power of attorney for each other when it comes to marriage and money, in the event that one of you must be declared unfit to make decisions about your health or finances.

If your spouse owns a business, you want to know all about the loan-terms, amount, current status, etc.  If the business isn’t profitable enough to pay back the loan, you personal assets may be on the line.

Talk about your financial dreams as well.  Where do you envision yourself in five or ten years?

• Does one or both of you want to start a business?
• Be self-employed?
• Go back to school?
• Buy a bigger house or take a month-long vacation to travel Europe?

Whatever your goals are, talk about them together so you can plan together.  You don’t want the spender to constantly use up the savings, but you also don’t want the saver to prevent any of the goals from being reached by refusing to spend.  If your goals differ, figure out a plan that will allow you both to be happy and financially successful.

Have talks on a regular basis about your marriage and money.  Any untruths can be harmful, but lying about the cost of a new pair of shoes or a car stereo system is different than lying about enormous credit card debt health coverage.  Of course the small lies can have negative side effects, but leaving larger issues hidden can have severe side effects.

If money talks generally lead to arguments regardless of the topic, consider involving a professional consultant.  Not tackling the little issues now will lead to larger issues later that could put you deep in debt, break up your marriage, or both.