<prompt> Human: When I first opened a checking account, my mother was very insistent that I always balance my checkbook by hand. I did so for 2 years, then gave up because I never caught any errors online and very seldomly wrote checks. I still do not write very many checks.On the phone recently, my mother asked me randomly if I still balance my checkbook Im 23, got first checking account when I was 14. I told her that I dont because it is redundant with online banking. She was not happy and reiterated that its extremely important to keep a balanced checkbook by hand. Is she correct? Can you explain why or why doesnt it matter?  <response>: Its entirely dependent on how many checks youre writing and really has nothing to do with the availability of online banking. If I was writing 15 checks a month, you can bet Id be diligent about balancing the checkbook because there is no way of knowing when theyll be deposited. Personally, though, I cant remember a time when Ive had more than one check waiting to be deposited, so checking online balance was good enough for me.ETA: Your mothers insistence on always keeping a balanced checkbook comes from a time before debit cards and the ubiquity of credit cards, when people were far more likely to write checks for more common expenses like groceries and shopping. Weve pretty much moved passed that, but, as I said, it depends on how often you use checks. 