How do you balance your checkbook? Your roommate, Brian, has never before had a checking account, but he finally opened one last month. Brian is standing in the doorway of the kitcher with the check register in one hand and the recently arrived bank statement in the other. Admitting that he doesn't know what to do next, Brian asks for your help in reconciling, or balancing, his checkbook. Being both a good friend and a student of personal finance, you've agreed to waik Brian through the process. BRIAN: Thanks for helping me with this bank statement thing. So, where do we start? YOU: Let's start with some preliminary questions. 1'1 ask and you answer, and well agree on some fundamentals about reconciling bank accounts. So, why is it a good idea to reconcile your bank account or baiance your checkbook? BRIAN: According to my personal finance book, reconciling my account will he me spot potential errors in the bank statement or my own records, and it will verify my account's actual balance as of the. YOU: You're absolutely correcti Now, according to the experts, how frequently should a bank reconciliation be performed, and how frequently should ongoing or between-statement deposits and withdrawals be verified with the bank? BRIAN: That's an easy one. I remember reading that I should reconcile my bank account but I should verify my ongoing deposit and withdrawal transactions online every couple of days. You: That's rightl Now that you've got the fundamentals under control, let's go through the actual process of balancing the checkbook. Now, with Brian's latest bank statement and his check register or ledger in hand, you can examine the documents. Use the grey slider along the right-hand side of each of the following bokes to see Brian's bank statement and check register (account ledger)