Daedalus said:

Have you looked into applying for those positions for banks or stores or such?

Wouldn’t I have to work at a corporate headquarters or something like that?

On Nov 2, 2026, Cory said:

Wouldn’t I have to work at a corporate headquarters or something like that?

Not necessarily. My friend manages the servers for a company and he works remote sometimes and other times in a warehouse in an office.

On Nov 2, 2026, Cory said:

What do you do again now? I work at the arts and crafts store, Michaels. I’ve been in the retail and food industry my whole life. I have no idea what else I could do.

I work as a Financial Advisor for a large bank in the United States. I previously was with a couple different brokerages, but felt that banking was the way to go for me to be able to move up, instead of making lateral moves.

On Nov 2, 2026, prophet said:

I work as a Financial Advisor for a large bank in the United States. I previously was with a couple different brokerages, but felt that banking was the way to go for me to be able to move up, instead of making lateral moves.

A lot of banks here in New Zealand seem to be moving away from traditional banking and towards digital services. We're seeing quite a few branches close, which isn't always great for elderly customers who prefer doing things in person. Is that happening over there in the US as well?

On Nov 2, 2026, Gizmo said:

A lot of banks here in New Zealand seem to be moving away from traditional banking and towards digital services. We're seeing quite a few branches close, which isn't always great for elderly customers who prefer doing things in person. Is that happening over there in the US as well?

We have a lot of online banks, but in person customer service and assistance isn’t going anywhere (at least anytime soon) to my knowledge. My bank has closed some branches, but it’s mostly branches that were being leased instead of being owned by the bank.

On Nov 2, 2026, prophet said:

We have a lot of online banks, but in person customer service and assistance isn’t going anywhere (at least anytime soon) to my knowledge. My bank has closed some branches, but it’s mostly branches that were being leased instead of being owned by the bank.

I didn't realize but at some point the main traditional New Zealand banks signed a collective agreement to stop the closure of any branches until at least 2027. Excluding lease expirations, safety/earthquake requirements, or local closures outside this agreement. No idea what the plan is after that though.

I use an online bank called Revolut in addition to two traditional banks.

On Nov 2, 2026, Gizmo said:

I didn't realize but at some point the main traditional New Zealand banks signed a collective agreement to stop the closure of any branches until at least 2027. Excluding lease expirations, safety/earthquake requirements, or local closures outside this agreement. No idea what the plan is after that though.

I use an online bank called Revolut in addition to two traditional banks.

Now I will say, online banks generally give better rates than traditional banks, but there’s still a lot of customers that bank with paper (depositing/cashing/writing checks).

On Nov 2, 2026, prophet said:

Now I will say, online banks generally give better rates than traditional banks, but there’s still a lot of customers that bank with paper (depositing/cashing/writing checks).

The one issue with digital services is the identification process. I hate facial identification because no matter how many times I try, it still takes at least ten minutes for it to be happy with my ID checks. I put my face into the camera but apparently I’m either too ugly or it just doesn’t like me 😛

On Nov 2, 2026, Gizmo said:

A lot of banks here in New Zealand seem to be moving away from traditional banking and towards digital services. We're seeing quite a few branches close, which isn't always great for elderly customers who prefer doing things in person. Is that happening over there in the US as well?

I would be surprised if it did with the way a lot of loan services work.

On Nov 2, 2026, Daedalus said:

I would be surprised if it did with the way a lot of loan services work.

Buy now pay later services are really bad here and the companies do not assess the person’s credit whatsoever. In our country we have a welfare system and those on welfare get stupid credit amounts on Afterpay of like $3000 and then end up having to plead hardship when they can’t pay.

On Nov 2, 2026, Gizmo said:

Buy now pay later services are really bad here and the companies do not assess the person’s credit whatsoever. In our country we have a welfare system and those on welfare get stupid credit amounts on Afterpay of like $3000 and then end up having to plead hardship when they can’t pay.

It’s the same thing here. I see it all the time. Unfortunately, I also see a lot of people turn to Payday loans and pay 400% APR and are never able to get out of debt. 😕

Your comment made me wish there were more reactions @prophet

Daedalus said:

Not necessarily. My friend manages the servers for a company and he works remote sometimes and other times in a warehouse in an office.

I’ve always been a bit leery about applying for a remote job. How do I know I’m not working with scam artists?

prophet said:

I work as a Financial Advisor for a large bank in the United States. I previously was with a couple different brokerages, but felt that banking was the way to go for me to be able to move up, instead of making lateral moves.

Nice, you have a much more successful career than I do!

Cory said:

I’ve always been a bit leery about applying for a remote job. How do I know I’m not working with scam artists?

Well if it’s a reputed company and has a history with the BBB, I would hope they’re not. You genuinely don’t and it just comes down to what you do and don’t feel comfortable about.

On Nov 2, 2026, Daedalus said:

Well if it’s a reputed company and has a history with the BBB, I would hope they’re not. You genuinely don’t and it just comes down to what you do and don’t feel comfortable about.

I worked remotely/very seldom in office when I was with my brokerage company. I enjoyed parts of it but I struggled personally because my wife and first child were always in the living room distracting me. 😛