Earlier this month I took a look at Bank of America's saving plan, called Keep the Change, which didn't live up to the hype, due mostly to the abysmally low interest rate that your saved change earned.

One of the commentators shared why they thought Bank of America's plan was worthwhile, including the fact that they thought the match made up for the low interest rate as well as the program being an easy way to save. This comment got me thinking that there had to be a middle ground that provided a good upfront match as well as the potential for growth over time that comes from a good APY.

While watching the news this morning I found out that Wachovia stepped up to the plate with Way2Save, its own automatic savings plan, which seems to meet my criteria for a good savings program.

My first indication of trouble was a flurry of overdraft fee notices from Chase. I knew the balance was low, but nowhere near zero, so I checked my recent transactions. I found that they had cashed a check that I had postdated three days early. To avoid any troubles, I send in my rent check early, but postdate the check with the date my rent is actually due.

I called them with a smug but calm demeanor of someone who knows they have proof of an injustice. But I was in for a shock. Postdating a check is meaningless, the Chase rep explained. Chase looks at it as an informal agreement between the person who writes the check and the person who cashes it. I've found similar stories online. More people are running into trouble because of Check 21, which clears checks much faster.