What do financial institutions like to hide in the fine print?  If they keep "hiding the ball" there we better teach our students to "read the fine print!"

Here are a few leading banks and the "footnotes" (small print and bottom of page) that you can find on their Overdraft Protection pages:

Bank #1 [click to go to source]:

Bank #2 [click to go to source]

Questions:

• Click on one of the bank links above and analyze the overdraft services provided by the bank. Identify pros/cons of each of their overdraft options offered.
• Point out the key words used to market their services and persuade accountholders to sign up. 
• What does overdraft protection services protect you from? At what cost? 
• Which overdraft service would you enroll in? Why? 

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Fine Prints help your students become critical thinkers by having them analyze common disclosures for checking accounts, credit cards and a mutual fund fact sheet. 

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.