Not all banks are created equal. If you’ve shopped banks at all to find the best deals, you know the offerings can be very different depending on where you go. Fortunately, the personal finance magazine, Kiplinger’s, has taken a deep dive into the nation’s banks to determine which institutions make sense for you. Miriam Cross, staff writer for the magazine, helped comb through the data and research to decide which banks are the best fit for different categories of consumers, from retirees to millennials.
Here are the takeaways
1) If you’re a millennial, Kiplinger’s chose Ally Bank for the second year in a row as the best option, because it requires no minimum deposit to open an account and no maintenance fees. It’s rates on even low balances are attractive compared to competitors.
2) For small business owners who need convenience and easy access to nearby branches, Kiplinger’s recommends TDBank. For those whose personal and business account balances total at least $1,500, monthly fees of $25 are waived for their Business Convenience Checking Plus accounts. Plus, they get a combined 500 free checks or electronic transactions deposited and paid per month.
3) High net worth families demand a lot from their bank and Kiplinger’s says Citibank delivers. Minimum account balance requirements are $200,000, but customers that do that get unlimited reimbursement of out of network fees, free standard checks, incoming wire transfers and money orders. International travelers with the Citigold account will appreciate the free next-day delivery of foreign currencies to your home.
4) USBank is Kiplingers’ choice for retirees, delivering no monthly fee for premium checking for their customers 65 and older, free paper statements and copies of checks, and no charges for the use of out of network ATMs.
