There was a time, not even 25 years ago, when getting paid didn’t require a bank account.

You could be paid by cheque. You could walk into the issuing bank, show ID, and cash it. No account. No monthly fees. No minimum balance.

Banks also used to accept Canadian currency without conditions. Today, try walking into a bank with a roll of quarters and no account and see how far you get.

Getting paid now effectively requires a bank account. And once you have one, fees stack up quietly. Account fees, overdraft fees, NSF fees.

Banks post record profits year after year, and this feels less like a service and more like a toll on earning income.

It’s not illegal. But it feels like an extra cost that doesn’t need to exist.