Kylie has \$500 to open a checking account. She wants an account with the lowest fees. She sometimes writes a check for more money than she has in her account. She plans on using only her bank's ATM to deposit her paychecks and withdraw cash.



\begin{table}

\captionsetup{labelformat=empty}

\caption{Bank Account Terms and Conditions}


Minimum BalanceInterestOverdraft ProtectionATM FeesMonthly Fee

A
\$5000.1\%yes\$0 for all ATMs\$0

B
\$2500\%no\$0 for ABC bank ATMs\$5

C
\$500\%no\$2 per transaction\$10 or \$0 with direct deposit

D
\$1000.1\%no\$0 per transaction\$5 or \$0 with direct deposit




\end{table}



Which checking account would be best for Kylie?

Verified Answer :

  • Identify essential requirements: Overdraft protection is the priority, followed by low fees and ATM access.
  • Filter options: Account A is the only account providing Overdraft Protection.
  • Verify constraints: Account A's minimum balance requirement of \(\$500\) is met by Kylie's starting amount, and it charges no monthly or ATM fees.
  • Final decision: Account A is the best choice for Kylie.
  • Final answer: \(\boxed{\text{Account A}}\)

Explanation

  1. Analysis of Kylie's Needs

To help Kylie find the best checking account, we must evaluate the available options based on her specific financial habits and requirements:

  1. Requirement for Overdraft Protection: Kylie frequently writes checks for more money than she has in her account, which makes "Overdraft Protection" a non-negotiable requirement for her to avoid bounced check fees.
  2. ATM Usage: She plans to use the bank's ATM exclusively for deposits and withdrawals, so low or zero ATM fees are preferred.
  3. Budget and Balance: She has an initial deposit of \(\$500\), which must satisfy the minimum balance requirements of the chosen account.
  4. Goal: Minimize all associated costs, including monthly fees and transaction fees.
  1. Evaluating Account Options

Let us examine the options provided in the table:

  • Account A: Requires a minimum balance of \(\$500\), offers an interest rate of \(0.1\%\), provides Overdraft Protection, charges \(\$0\) for all ATM transactions, and has a monthly fee of \(\$0\).
  • Account B: Requires a minimum balance of \(\$250\), has an interest rate of \(0\%\), offers no Overdraft Protection, charges \(\$0\) for ABC bank ATM transactions, and has a monthly fee of \(\$5\).
  • Account C: Requires a minimum balance of \(\$50\), has an interest rate of \(0\%\), offers no Overdraft Protection, charges \(\$2\) per ATM transaction, and has a monthly fee of \(\$10\) (or \(\$0\) with direct deposit).
  • Account D: Requires a minimum balance of \(\$100\), has an interest rate of \(0.1\%\), offers no Overdraft Protection, charges \(\$0\) per ATM transaction, and has a monthly fee of \(\$5\) (or \(\$0\) with direct deposit).

Comparing these to Kylie's core requirement of "Overdraft Protection," it is clear that only Account A provides this feature. Accounts B, C, and D do not offer overdraft protection, which means they would not adequately support Kylie's habit of writing checks for more than her current balance.

  1. Final Selection and Conclusion

Since Account A is the only option that offers the essential Overdraft Protection, we check if it meets her other constraints:

  • Minimum Balance: Kylie has \(\$500\), which meets the \(\$500\) minimum balance requirement for Account A.
  • ATM Fees: She intends to use the bank's ATM, and Account A charges \(\$0\) for all ATM transactions, which is ideal.
  • Monthly Fees: Account A has a monthly fee of \(\$0\), which perfectly aligns with her goal of minimizing costs.

Because Account A satisfies her overdraft protection need, meets her balance requirement, and has no monthly or ATM fees, it is the clear choice for her.

Examples

Choosing the right bank account is a practical application of evaluating constraints against a set of options. For instance, when choosing a cell phone plan, you might prioritize a high data allowance while needing to keep the monthly cost under a certain threshold. By listing your essential needs—like data limit, roaming, and price—and comparing them against available plans, you can systematically filter out options and select the one that balances all your requirements most effectively, just like we did with Kylie's bank account search.