Posts by Paul Jackson61

I know exactly how this goes. A company accidentally wired a paycheck to an ex-employee because they shared a last name with a current staffer... they called the bank immediately to freeze the funds, and the bank reached out to the client to get a signature authorizing the reversal. Once the guy signed, he just went straight to the teller, withdrew every cent, and vanished. We never saw that money again. The bank had the ability to freeze the transaction pending investigation, but they didn't, so we were stuck. Ultimately, the company just had to eat the cost of one salary ☕ since a private lawsuit would have been a massive headache and likely a losing battle anyway. Ever since that mess, nobody at the office trusts banks or their employees 😁. Honestly, if I were in that position, I wouldn't be giving that money back either. I’m with silverfox91 on this one—it’s not your fault. Hold onto the cash; they can't do anything to you. That's the only reason they're calling you to get your signature to authorize the withdrawal
.

A little off-topic, but... every time I walk into my local Chase branch, they try to pitch me a credit card. When I tell them no, they start lecturing me about how convenient it is to pay in installments. I just look at them and ask why every single financial literacy book or debt-relief guide tells you to cut up your credit cards on page one if they're supposedly so great. If I need to buy something on credit, I use checks. They tell me not everyone takes checks anymore, and my response is simple: then I won't shop there. There are plenty of places that will happily take a 😉 or just straight cash. I spend what I have, and if I don't have it, I don't buy it. It might be an old-school way of thinking, but it works. I don't deal with financial stress or those mid-life ☕ questions about how I'm going to cover my bills. Look, some people clearly need cards because they can't manage money any other way, but using a credit card to finance a $30 shirt at the mall or a washing machine? No thanks. That's just a trap that leads people to overspend everything they have.