HSA, part 2
Nov. 10th, 2010 09:09 pmOne thing I noticed after doing yesterday's research on HSAs is that the insurance company itself offers a no-fee HSA with Bank of America as the trustee. There is a certain degree of lock-in though. The no-fee part of the deal applies only as long as I keep the same health plan. Also, there is a fee for closing the account. On the other hand, their HSA does offer a small selection of mutual funds from the Columbia family of funds, although not anything I find particularly interesting.
Anyway, I went to the bank this afternoon to open my HSA. This ended up taking most of the afternoon because the teller was new to this. This bank branch doesn't see very many HSA applicants and she had never done any HSAs herself. So she went down her checklist carefully and made sure all the forms were filled in. I made an initial deposit by transfer from my checking account and I should be getting a checkbook and debit card in the mail in about a week. One immediate benefit is I can lower my 4th quarter estimated taxes. However, there are also a few expenses I can use the HSA for soon.
After that, I had a Doublicious at the nearby KFC. Then I got 3 months' worth of breakfast cereal at BJ's Wholesale. (In-store coupon for an astonishing $15 off. How could I resist? :) ) Also, on the way home, I saw a new Big Lots store that is apparently opening the day after tomorrow. Great. I won't have to go to Dover any more, other than for geocaching, of course.
Anyway, I went to the bank this afternoon to open my HSA. This ended up taking most of the afternoon because the teller was new to this. This bank branch doesn't see very many HSA applicants and she had never done any HSAs herself. So she went down her checklist carefully and made sure all the forms were filled in. I made an initial deposit by transfer from my checking account and I should be getting a checkbook and debit card in the mail in about a week. One immediate benefit is I can lower my 4th quarter estimated taxes. However, there are also a few expenses I can use the HSA for soon.
After that, I had a Doublicious at the nearby KFC. Then I got 3 months' worth of breakfast cereal at BJ's Wholesale. (In-store coupon for an astonishing $15 off. How could I resist? :) ) Also, on the way home, I saw a new Big Lots store that is apparently opening the day after tomorrow. Great. I won't have to go to Dover any more, other than for geocaching, of course.