Don't Read! Top Secret!

A couple of weekends ago Wayne went to our bank and opened savings accounts for our girls. We had been putting their college savings into an online banking account and decided to transfer the money to where all the rest of our finances are.

The girls probably should have gone with him to sit down with the banker, learn about saving money and get these little banking marketing tactics in person. But they didn't, so he came home with two electronic piggy banks that count the change you put in, and two "Junior Agent Saver Club" portfolios.

A few days later Marissa finally noticed the portfolio sitting on her dresser, and walked into our room singing "Mommy," in a knowing tone of voice.

"This says top secret," she says. "And I'm going to open it and read it."

(You can hear that tone of voice, right? As if she has announced she is about to do something that I've expressly told her she isn't allowed to do, just to challenge me.)

"Okay," I say, "I just hope you aren't scared by what you read."

She opens the velcro very slowly and officially, and opens the front cover.

She begins to read about saving money, leaning over the document as if she's just discovered the Magna Carta.

She suddenly stands upright with a puzzled look on her face. "What is this? Some kind of joke?"

I laughed. "It's a guide to your savings account, honey. I think they just thought kids would be more interested to read it if it looked interesting."

"Hmmph," she says, shutting it firmly. "Some people think they are sooooo funny."

Someone clearly wasn't very impressed by Wells Fargo's marketing.