That's a very good question. I'm guessing most of your experiences with banks have been at a branch (in a building) with one of your parents.

Along with the regular things you can do at a bank branch, such as cashing a check, taking money from savings and making a payment on a loan, there are lots of other things that make up banking. Internet Banking or "online banking" makes many of these other "transactions" a lot more convenient.

For example, Internet Banking makes it easy for you to see what your balance (how much money you have) is in any kind of account, move money between accounts, view transactions that have shown up in your account and even pay bills electronically!

A big benefit to Internet Banking is that you can do it when your local branch is closed. This added benefit allows you to bank when it's convenient for you, not just when the bank is open. With Internet Banking, your parents could get up on Saturday morning and do their banking while still in their pajamas! Okay, don't think about that.

Another big benefit to Internet Banking is that it gives you access to the information you want anytime you want it. Your parents can log onto their account, can have access to recent account activity and current account balances. They can even see actual pictures online of all the checks that have been written and paid from their accounts.

If you're wondering about security, don't wonder! Banks take security very seriously. To access Internet Banking your parents must use their own User ID and Password. It's their responsibility to keep this information safe and not share it with others, even you! For added security, most banks use technology that scrambles all the data being sent between its computer and your computer to make sure only you can read it.

Now that you're an expert on Internet Banking, Conner, maybe you should check with your parents to see if they use it. If they don't, you could tell them that if they used Internet Banking, they'd have more free time to help you with your homework!

Did You Know?

A recent report said that about 20 percent of Americans use Internet banking or "online banking." It's estimated that this number will grow to over 30 percent by the end of 2007!