Today I’m going to make a plea with you, please, please, please stop writing checks.
Checks have all kinds of problems that can lead to fraud on your bank account. And they slow everything down, it’s a very manual process and very costly when it comes to time, labor and supplies. So let’s talk about the fraud issue first, the biggest reason you should never write a check again.
If you’ve ever looked at the bottom of your check, there’s a routing number and account number. If anybody has that routing number and account number, they can go draft all the money out of your account in an instant. Now, today we even have same day ACH, anybody could lift that information and have access to pulling money out of your bank account. So please don’t use checks that indicate your routing and account number right there on the bottom.
No one would ever think about taking your social security card and putting it on t-shirts where everybody can read your social security number. The same applies to your bank account, let’s not give it to everybody. Secondly, on average, they’ve estimated to cost about $10 per check to issue a payment, that’s crazy. When you think about how many checks you write, it’s a needless thing.
We use a product or an application called “Melio” that is free to write all of your payments for bills. So you can send out the same kind of checks and do it automatically at your computer. And you set it up one time and it’s good to go. You just put in the amount and tell it when to pay and they will mail a check to your vendor for you. They’ll also notify your vendor via email that that check’s been sent saves you the hassle of having them call you and say, hey, when are you gonna pay me.
The other thing that can happen is when they get that email, that vendor will also be allowed to choose if they’d rather be paid by ACH, direct deposit, no fee to you or to them, it is free. This is such a bargain. I want all of you to stop writing checks, never, ever order or check stock again. It’s a waste of time and money, please not.
It also distorts how your bank information is held. When you look at your bank statement, all it says is check numbers 1, 2, 3. It doesn’t tell you who you bought that from. So if you’re ever looking back later on, guess what? You’ve got to have another set of records to prove who you paid and when.
So with Melio, what will happen is on your bank statement. It will say you paid ABC vendor and the amount, it will not show, just check number and you have to fix it and figure out who that was to. Most banks don’t give you easy access to your checks anymore. They used to mail them to you, they used to post them on statements. For most, they’re saying no, we’re going to make it even harder because we don’t want you to write checks. It’s a very time intensive process.
So drop that process today. We’ll go over, take a look at Melio and I will be happy to set that up for you. Just tell me, and we will have that done for you on the same day. Thank you.
I’m Donna Bordeaux with PYOPAccounting.com. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Make sure you check out our blog and our website in the link below, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and hit the bell to be notified when we post. To contact me, email me at donna@pyopaccounting.com
Donna Bordeaux, CPA with PYOPAccounting.com
Creativity and CPAs don’t generally go together. Most people think of CPAs as nerdy accountants who can’t talk with people. Well, it’s time to break that stereotype. Lively, friendly, and knowledgeable can be a part of your relationship with your CPA as demonstrated by Donna and Chad Bordeaux. They have over 50 years of combined experience as entrepreneurial CPAs. They’ve owned businesses and helped business owners exceed their wildest dreams. They have been able to help businesses earn many times more profit than the average business in the same industry and are passionate about helping industries that help families build great memories.
