The bank

I have an account at the local TD Canada Trust branch.  There's a woman working there called Rosa who always remembers my name. (I try to say hello to her.) A month or two ago I got a new access card, but the ATM kept rejecting it!  They just issued me a new one.

I recently had to shift most of my money into term deposits that won't come due till I'm 65.  That allowed me to qualify for Ontario Disability Support Payments because of my Asperger's Syndrome.

When I lived in England 22 years ago, opening a bank account was a pain in the neck! (They seem to think that by letting you entrust your money to them, they're granting you some big privilege!) Also, while Canadian banks will give you an automatic readout of your balance, with British banks--at least back then--you had to keep track of it yourself.  I'll bet they had a lot of overdrafts!  I can only hope they've changed since then.

There's a really funny Stephen Leacock story, "My Financial Career," about a guy opening his first bank account.  At one point he mistakenly walks into the vault!