Back when our kids were little, Pam set up savings accounts with the local bank for them. After a couple of years, Pam got a notice that there wasn’t enough money in the accounts to pay the bank fees that were due. Pam asked what had happened to the money that she’d put into the accounts that were supposed to be accruing interest.

The bank person explained that the accounts had too little money to avoid the bank’s fees and the money had gone toward paying these fees. Unfortunately, the money had run out and Pam owed them money for the accounts. 

At this point, I was reminded of the villain from the Dudley Do Right cartoon, Snidely Whiplash. I thought of him taking a break from tying women to railroad tracks to steal from little kids as he twirled his mustache. From here, he’d probably go close an orphanage. 

Pam explained the problem to the bank person who was very sympathetic. The bank person said that there were special accounts for kid’s futures that the bank wouldn’t steal from charge fees. However, the kids’ money could not be returned because the fees could not be reversed. Apparently, a mustache cannot be untwirled.

Pam had set up these accounts to be a lesson for the kids about the value of money and banking. It just wasn’t the lesson that she’d had in mind. 

Beeping banks.