Checks and checking accounts
Checks come in a variety of types: personal, business, cashier's, electronic, and traveler's, and then there are the methods of making payments, such as demand drafts (also called remotely created checks). Checks order a bank or credit union to pay a definite sum of money to an individual or company in exchange for goods and services. If checks are accepted as a form of payment, they may be used to pay for anything that may be purchased with cash or credit.
Read about checks and related instruments below (see "Related Definitions").
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/check.asp
In order to use checks, there must be a checking account, "[a] transactional deposit account held at a financial institution that allows for withdrawals and deposits" (Investopedia, n.d.). For an overview of how a checking account functions, click the following link.
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/checkingaccount.asp
Find an owner's manual for a first checking account at the link below and learn about direct deposit, electronic fund transfer, ATMs, debit cards, how to reconcile a bank account, and more.
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/07/checking_account.asp
Additional resource for further exploration
The Hands On Banking program offers courses for kids, teens, young adults, seniors, and military personnel at
