This is a great example of why choosing a payment method (debit or credit) can have important consequences. This resource will be a useful bell-ringer for your checking account lesson.

I was up in Sacramento this weekend for a volleyball tournament and saw this at the Hotel Reception desk:

Ask your students to review this disclosure and discuss (1) what it means and (2) which method they would use to pay their hotel room bill.

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.