I know most people have been taught that banking is a matter of numbers. I believe that the way we are taught to think about money is a very big part of how we develop and take control over our lives. When I was in high school I was taught that an adult’s income is a direct function of her paycheck. To me it seemed like a self-denying, self-disciplined, self-destructive thing to do.
It’s a little different now. After graduating from college, I found that most people still think a college degree is a necessity for financial self-sufficiency. That was until I came across a book called “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith. I knew it was a great read, but I was still surprised by how much I found myself agreeing with it. In Smith’s world there were no banks, no savings accounts, and there was no credit cards.
In his book The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith explains to the reader how a small, privately owned bank could exist without any government intervention. He even offers the reader a way to do it yourself. And just think, if you have a great idea for a new project you’d like to pursue, you can actually do it. You don’t need a degree, and you don’t have to work for it.
So are banks, like all businesses, a good thing? Yes. Banks are needed for a variety of reasons. They help people save for the future, they help people avoid high unemployment, they help people avoid the risks involved in carrying large amounts of cash around, and they help people find jobs.
But banks are risky, and they can kill you in the short run. Some of the best bank robberies occur when the victims are not expecting it, and some of the biggest banks are among the most dangerous institutions in the world. Most people who use banks are not aware that they’re putting themselves in danger. It’s not just the bank itself that is at risk.
So how do we know for sure that the bank is a really bad place to be? One of the best ways to find out is to do a little research. Check out your local paper for the local bank or credit union. Visit a few of the banks that have been robbed, and look for tellers, teller windows, and vault doors that have been broken or are otherwise heavily damaged. Also look for signs posted on the bank’s wall that ask for your name and address.
When you get to these banks, look for signs that say “Safe Deposit Box” or “Credit Union Accepting Borrowers” or “Bank Accepting Depositors.” These are typically the kind of places that have been robbed and have been forced to close their doors. Even if they do have a sign that says “Credit Union Accepting Borrowers,” it’s likely that they have been robbed anyway.
It is important to note that any type of bank can be a target for thieves and that banks that have already been robbed frequently see security cameras and are often equipped with panic buttons. These banks usually have multiple entrances and/or are heavily guarded.
I have been in conversations with several depositors, and they all have a lot to say about their banking experiences. In many cases, these people found that they just had no idea what to do when getting a deposit. It is important to listen to them. As with any new situation, it’s important to put yourself in their shoes and assess the situation.
So the goal of conversational banking is to get the depositor to feel comfortable and get them to feel more comfortable talking to you about their circumstances. At this point, your goal is to make them feel more comfortable. If you aren’t comfortable, that’s okay. Just like with any new situation, its important to step back and assess the situation from both a theoretical and practical standpoint.