At one of our recent presentations to a group of finance officers we took the opportunity to do some live polling. Although this was not a scientific poll, we thought you might be interested in what fellow finance officers thought about the following five topics.

Notice that 75% thought the value of their cash was under 0.50%. We put the value at greater than 0.50%. The opportunity is there when the information needed to make the decisions is at your fingertips.

From this poll we saw that most respondents didn’t have confidence that rates would be raised before year end. We do believe the Federal Reserve will make a rate adjustment in December. However, the markets will have anticipated that before the Federal Reserve makes its official move. You could receive the benefit before the day that becomes official if you position yourself now to do so.

Banks are not an ordinary vendor. They should be looked at as strategic partners! Be sure to have periodic conversations with your relationship manager. They can provide valuable insight and assistance, especially as technology changes the way your constituency handles its transactions.

When it comes to paying banking fees, it really is a simple math calculation. If rates on investments are higher than an ECR, you should invest and take the boost to your interest revenue. Remember that banking services are never free. Your bank always knows if your relationship makes sense within their profitability model.

Wasn’t that the great promise of technology—to save you money? Yet the cost savings with banking technology has been offset by the significant cost of new regulations. Though overall banking costs are not likely to go down, you can reduce your costs by using the right banking products. Doing so can make you more efficient internally, be viewed more favorably by those who transact with you, and save you money.