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richard
Paper checks or Direct Deposit-- which do you prefer? Mark Unseen   Dec 29 21:17 UTC 2005

Interesting wire story:

"NEW YORK (AP) - A new survey suggests that baby boomers are more 
reluctant to embrace direct deposit than their parents, an attitude 
that could force the government to continue paying millions to mail 
checks. The study, underwritten by the Treasury Department and the 
Federal Reserve banks, found that 59 percent of baby boomers - those 
born between 1946 and 1964 - take advantage of direct deposit of 
paychecks and government checks, compared with 72 percent of those 65 
and older."


Interesting that younger people are more wary of direct deposit than 
older people.  Which method of getting paid do you prefer?  Direct 
Deposit or the good ol'fashioned paper checks.  I guess some people 
just dont FEEL like they're getting paid unless they see a paper 
check.  
67 responses total.
tod
response 1 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 21:22 UTC 2005

CASH
jadecat
response 2 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 21:34 UTC 2005

This may sound bad but... perhaps more people over 65 have direct
deposit because they don't drive. Thus it's easier for them to have
their money deposited directly rather than having to try to find someone
to take them to the bank. 

Whereas baby boomers are still mobile, or at least have a better
liklihood of driving. 
tod
response 3 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 21:38 UTC 2005

Or maybe baby boomers are too stupid to realize what compound daily interest
is.
marcvh
response 4 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 21:55 UTC 2005

Most people with direct deposit have their checks directly deposited into
checking accounts, which either pay no interest or pay something like 0.25%
per year.
jadecat
response 5 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 21:59 UTC 2005

Depends if they have their money in credit unions or not.
klg
response 6 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 22:01 UTC 2005

When you get survey results reported like that (omitting the wording of
the questions that were asked) you often have strange results.  And the
fools always rush in to believe them.
marcvh
response 7 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 22:33 UTC 2005

Re #5: true.  Credit unions pay more like 0.5%, or at least that's what
the one I'm eligible for pays.  If you're getting a thousand dollar
check, and direct deposit gets you the money 4 days sooner, then you
could earn an extra 5 cents, or 3-4 cents after taxes.

I agree with klg (!) on this one.  There are tons of possible explanations
other than "boomers don't like direct deposit."
bhelliom
response 8 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 22:41 UTC 2005

Perhaps it's the impersonal nature of it?  We're quickly becoming a
society where you can spend a great portion of your day never
intereacting with a real person.
naftee
response 9 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 22:42 UTC 2005

i used to like cheques better.
now i believe they're equivalent since bank statements are available online.
naftee
response 10 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 22:42 UTC 2005

slip !
richard
response 11 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 22:48 UTC 2005

Another reason might be that not all young folks have checking 
accounts.  You need one for direct deposit.  For some, a checking 
account at a bank is dreadfully old school, like having a regular (non-
cell) phone line at home.  Some kids dont have checking accounts, they 
just have paypal accounts and etrade accounts.  That doesnt make direct 
deposit all that practical.  
edina
response 12 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 22:50 UTC 2005

Wait a second - do you mean "kids" or "baby boomers"?  Because who doesn't
have a checking account?
gull
response 13 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 23:07 UTC 2005

I like direct deposit for convenience.  It also means my payment gets 
in at the head of the line.  I've liked that ever since I waited a few 
extra days before cashing a paycheck and it bounced. 
marcvh
response 14 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 23:08 UTC 2005

Maybe some boomers are housewives or otherwise don't receive any form of
regular check, and therefore don't use direct deposit.  Or maybe people
are more willing to accept direct deposit from the government (which
most over-65 people get checks from) rather than from their employer,
presuming the government is more trustworthy.

I knew a guy whose prior employer had a payroll screwup where they
processed the payroll with negative numbers -- thus, on payday, every
employee got his paycheck amount *deducted* from his checking account.
Much confusion and bounced checks and other problems ensued. 
gull
response 15 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 23:09 UTC 2005

One interesting question might be how many people get their *tax 
refunds* direct deposited.  I wonder if people have different opinions 
about direct deposit by the government vs. direct deposit by an 
employer. 
richard
response 16 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 23:12 UTC 2005

This response has been erased.

marcvh
response 17 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 23:12 UTC 2005

Probably, but it might be confounded by the distinction between direct
deposit for a one-time payment and a recurring one, and the fact that
with tax refunds there can be a significant time difference whereas
with private payrolls you normally get the check or deposit on the same
day.
richard
response 18 of 67: Mark Unseen   Dec 29 23:12 UTC 2005

re #15 what if your tax "refund", once the IRS did their own math, 
turned out to be a "tax owed"  You have given them permission to make 
the transaction, whatever the transaction is negative or positive, to 
your checking account.


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