Staying out of debt is one way to maintain your banking freedom.

Keeping different kinds of accounts in separate institutions is another.

Here's why . . .

When you open a new bank account, most banks want you to buy a "bundle" of banking products. They even discount some products (temporarily) to make the option attractive. Banks want to get as much of your business as possible so that they can control it. It's not so important that the accounts be bundled as it is for the bank to HAVE them. Because somewhere in the fine print you signed a statement giving the bank the right to "rob Peter to pay Paul" if one of your accounts should fall short. (That means that if you stiff your credit card, they can dip into your savings account).

To avoid having that happen, I always make sure that Peter and Paul live in separate houses. I keep my cash savings at an online bank, my stock at a brokerage and my checking and credit accounts at a brick and mortar bank.

YES, YOU *CAN* HAVE THE UPPER HAND WITH YOUR BANK. YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW THEY CONTROL YOU.