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Banking without the fees: the slides.

A 15-slide deck with speaker notes, for a 60-minute session. Present it from this page, or print it to PDF with one slide per page. The run sheet says when to show each slide.

While presenting: → or Space next, ← back, Home and End, S speaker notes, F full screen, Esc to stop.

Moraph for Good · Fluent

Banking without the fees

A Fluent session from Moraph for Good

A free session kit · moraph.org/commons/sessions/fluent/banking-without-the-fees

Moraph for Good · Fluent · Banking without the fees1 / 15

Speaker notes

Welcome people and make sure everyone has a worksheet and handout. Introduce yourself briefly.

How today works

Before we start

  • Nobody shares where they bank or what they pay
  • General information, not advice
  • We don’t recommend any bank, card or app
  • The worksheet and handout go home with you

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Speaker notes

Say clearly that you won’t recommend any institution, so people don’t wait for a name.

The idea

Fees fall hardest on people with the least in their account.

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Speaker notes

A fee is a bigger share of a small balance. Most fees can be avoided once you know where they hide.

Where fees hide

The usual suspects

  • Monthly account fees, and the balance needed to avoid them
  • Overdraft and returned payment fees
  • Using another bank’s cash machine
  • Cashing checks or getting cash advances outside a bank
  • Paper statements and foreign currency purchases

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Speaker notes

Ask which of these people have heard of, not which they pay.

Choosing an account

Questions to ask any bank

  • Do you have a basic or low-cost account?
  • What are the monthly fees, and how do I avoid them?
  • What happens if I spend more than I have?
  • Which cash machines are free? Can I get alerts?
  • What ID do you accept?

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Speaker notes

These questions are on the worksheet checklist. Banks don’t always offer the basic account first, so ask for it by name.

Banks and credit unions

Two kinds of place to keep money

  • Both take deposits and offer everyday accounts
  • A credit union is owned by its members; you join to use it
  • In many countries both are covered by deposit protection
  • Compare both with the same questions

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Speaker notes

Don’t suggest one is always better. Some credit unions have membership requirements, such as where you live or work.

Overdrafts

How an account goes overdrawn

  • A payment goes out before the money comes in
  • Automatic bills come out on dates you forgot
  • Payments don’t always clear in the order you made them
  • A fee can be charged for each transaction

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Speaker notes

Reassure people that careful people get overdraft fees too. It is usually timing.

Overdrafts

Ways to avoid the fees

  • Ask whether payments can be declined instead of overdrawing
  • Turn on low-balance and transaction alerts
  • Know the dates of every automatic payment
  • Link a savings account, or keep a small buffer
  • Ask whether a bill date can move to after payday

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Speaker notes

The rules on declining payments differ by country. The country block says what applies where you live.

Activity

Try it: fee detective

  1. One made-up month: monthly fee 10; two overdraft fees of 30
  2. Three fees of 3 for another bank’s cash machine
  3. Two check-cashing fees of 15 at a store
  4. Add them up, multiply by 12, and decide how each could be avoided

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Speaker notes

Print this slide for each table. Allow 13 minutes, calling time at 5, 10 and 13. The month comes to 109 in fees, or 1,308 over a year if it repeats; let groups find this themselves.

Cash and checks

Getting at your own money

  • Check cashers and cash advance shops charge for each one
  • Depositing into an account usually costs less over a year
  • Some countries give a right to cash government checks free
  • Prepaid cards can carry their own fees; read the fee list

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Speaker notes

Be respectful: people often use check cashers because they need money the same day or have been refused an account.

Payment apps

Fast, convenient, and not a bank account

  • Good for paying people you know
  • A balance left in an app may not be protected like a bank deposit
  • Move money you receive into your account promptly
  • A payment is hard to get back: treat it like cash

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Speaker notes

Don’t name any app. The country block explains the protection rules for app balances where you live.

Protection

What protects your money

  • Many countries protect deposits if a bank or credit union fails, up to a limit
  • Check that the institution is licensed
  • Investments and crypto are not deposits and aren’t covered
  • Your country’s limits are on the handout

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Speaker notes

Read out the scheme name and limit for your country from the country block.

If something goes wrong

Complaints and mistakes

  • Report money missing from your account straight away
  • Complain to the bank first, in writing, and keep a copy
  • If that fails, a free ombudsman or regulator can help
  • You don’t need to pay anyone to complain for you

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Speaker notes

Point to the complaint service in the country block. Deadlines for reporting unauthorized payments can be short.

Your next step

One thing this week

  • Find one fee on your statement you want to stop
  • Turn on balance alerts
  • Write down every automatic payment date
  • Ask your bank one question from the checklist

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Speaker notes

Ask people to circle their choice on the worksheet privately.

Thank you

Questions?

  • Take the handout and worksheet home
  • Your country’s official services are on the handout
  • More free guides at moraph.org/commons

This kit, the worksheet and the handouts: moraph.org/commons/sessions/fluent/banking-without-the-fees

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Speaker notes

Take questions, keeping answers general. Thank the host.