On a rare humid and overcast day here in San Francisco, I used my lunch hour to take Julia to Wells Fargo Bank here in the Mission District near where we live.
We were immediately greeted by a friendly Latina woman.
"My daughter is moving awy to school and I want to open a linked bank account for her," I said. She gestured for us to sit down, and we did.
Then, over the next half hour or so, we accomplished our purpose. I transferred to her account an initial $100 (which becomes official tomorrow) and she was given her very first ATM card.
She also has a new savings account.
I could tell this was one of those grown-up moments for Julia.
"Now I never again will have to sign over a check in order to get it cashed!" she said. She also smiled a lot.
Being a teenager can be so hard at times, you just have to cherish moments like these.
A week from tomorrow she moves to boarding school in Napa.
I loved what the head banker said to her when he was called over to meet her and greet her as the latest WFB customer in our family:
"Your next steps may be establishing credit and buying a car. We can help with those!"
She just nodded; he obviously did not know he was talking to a 16-year-old who does not yet have a driver's license (or a credit card.)
But such is capitalism. And such is life. For Julia, I suspect this was a big day.
For me too. It is the sixth time I have done this. Learning to manage your own finances, as I mentioned to her afterwards, is a big part of growing up. I look forward to going on that adventure with her.
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