Matt Richardson is the senior managing editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com. He writes and edits content about personal finance ranging from savings to investing to insurance. If ...

Many Americans keep just a few hundred dollars in their checking account, making overdraft fees from mistimed payments a common concern. So, how much cash should you keep in your debit account?

When it comes to money, there’s something undeniably comforting about seeing a healthy checking account balance. You might think, “More is better, right?” But if you’re parking large sums of money in ...

Checking accounts keep cash easily accessible and are designed to cover short-term expenses, like rent and groceries. It's a common rule of thumb to keep one to two months' worth of expenses in a ...

I used to treat my checking account like a piggy bank. I'd let my balance build up and get super big because I didn't know where else to save money. But then I realized I was ripping myself off, ...

Checking accounts often earn little to no interest. Putting your money somewhere like a high-yield savings account can earn you a 400 times higher return than your checking account. The exact amount ...

Figuring out what an ideal checking account balance is can be tough. You don't want to keep too much money in your checking account, because often, these accounts pay no interest. And even if your ...

Many checking accounts that charge a monthly fee offer a way to waive the fee. In most cases, you’ll just need to hold a specific minimum balance in the account to avoid paying the fee. If your ...

Normally you build credit by responsibly using credit products such as installment loans and credit cards. But if you don't have access to credit products or refuse to take on any kind of debt, you ...