September 3, 2026 Change is Good...?

 It's time for us to get things in line; simplified, convenient, and for good.

We had both banked at the same place our entire adult lives.  When the branch closed, we still had the vestiges of a mortgage, two checking accounts, and a savings.  We also had a small ream of printable computer checks/deposit slips.  The cost alone of beginning anew was staggering, not to mention having to refinance what was left of the mortgage.  So, I learned how to do mobile banking.

Since that time, we are debt-free, and now faced with the reality of being in our seventies  So,  we decided it was time for a change.  With the prospect of one day our son having to manage things, it made sense to gather what was ours and make it more easily accessible, eliminating an hour and a half drive to the branch.  Then there is the issue of being able to access the accounts on my phone. I understand that's a nightmare of its own, if it came to that.

No one tells you how stressful changing banks really is!  It's not opening the new accounts, our new establishment couldn't have been nicer or more efficient.  I'd forgotten how nice it is to have a personal connection while doing business.  Closing out the existing accounts, well, that's another matter entirely. To date, it's been a three day ordeal.

Rather than attempting it all at once, I began with closing our savings, distributing those funds to open another savings and two checking accounts at our local bank.  With new numbers at hand, I spent hours, changing over automatic withdrawals, and payment options linked to the old accounts. I got some help from our insurance agent for a couple of our policies, was able to switch out all but one online.  For that one, there was a form to fill out that is now safely in the hands of the USPS.  It was a lot!

New checks and deposit slips have been ordered, and a new deposit stamp. Temporary debit cards were activated, the old cards turned off and disposed of.

The Social Security website was down so I wasn't able to divert our payments to the new account until late this morning.  I'd also had an issue signing up for online enrollment at the new bank.  That too was resolved this morning.  I was able to close the CD that matured today, so that makes two fully cancelled out of four.  I'll have to wait on closing the checking accounts until all the automatic activity is transferred and everything paid out has cleared.  I'm guessing a month for one account, the other as soon as all pending is posted.

I wish that was all, but we need to do pre-need planning (because I'm a control freak and I want it done ahead of time) and some fine-tuning with our attorney.  There isn't any real urgency to this, we just want to put it behind us. I can't help but think how well I'll sleep once all of this is in place.

For now, I'm still in my pajamas, not presentable to be in public, the headache I've had sporadically since Monday is showing signs of abating.  That said, now that I've done as much as I can for now, I'm cracking a can of beer even though it's only 1:30.  The beauty of being sober is having non-alcoholic options, any time of the day!

Celebrating the beginning of the -ber months!☘

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