Recently, my niece (a clean cut, straight-A high school student) was asked for a hair sample for drug analysis before being hired to bag groceries part-time at a large supermarket chain. Doesn't that seem outrageous?

On a side note, my current employer, a large retailer, recently started requiring detailed background checks for some employees. The consent form requires you to agree to allow them to check anything they want to about you at any time during your employment, and failure to sign it will get you fired. Under the current economic situation, I signed it, but I fear this is very much a growing trend.

... All the more reason to be self-employed!

There is no way for a company to set up an online account and change addresses the way an individal can, so that option is out for anyone thinking about.

The reason a company cannot do that is because an online account requires your DMV customer number (which should accept the EIN, I'm told) AND your birthdate, which is non-existent for companies in the DMV database.

... I repeat my previous question:

... Have any of you Virginia drivers titled your vehicle in an LLC WITHOUT having an EIN?

After ordering the e- report Invisible Money, I headed on up to Canada to open an account with BMO. I made an appointment about 2 days before making the trip. I visited a small branch in southern Saskatchewan and they were very accommodating.

When I sat down with the bank rep she asked why I wanted to open an account with them. I told her that I met a girl in town and traveled up to Sask. several times a month to visit her. I was tired of dealing with my banks exchange rate so I wanted to open an account with them to use locally. She didn't bat an eye at my story. We made small talk about it for a minute while she did up the paperwork.

I showed her my passport for ID and no other documents were requested. I told her my ghost address in a far away state when she asked where I lived. She asked for no other information from me such as a local address, etc. Moments later she handed me a debit card and 4 blank checks for my account and thanked me for coming in - that was it, no SSN, nada! Easy as pie.

I funded the account with canadian cash I brought with me. Because I don't travel up to Canada frequently enough to make the deposits I wanted to make on the account, the rep I met with told me just to stick what ever money I wanted posted to my account in an envelope and just mail it to the branch with instructions to deposit it to my account. Every few months I mail an envelope with Canadian cash in it to my branch and a week or so later - bingo, there it is in my account! It couldn't have been easier!

Even using the opt-out forms included with Invisible Money worked just fine. My rep accepted them without any issues at all. I hope this experience helps anyone out there that may be nervous about taking this step to open an account in the great white north.

First, you can take the check to the issuing bank and usually get it cashed there without a fee.

Second, Austin is filled with check cashing stores and just about every other gas station cashes checks for a 1% fee. We're lucky because it's about 3% to 6% in most parts of the country.

Another option is Wal Mart. I've heard they cash checks for a flat fee of $3.00.

The process did not go as smoothly as I'd hoped. I opened an account at RBC in 2007, with their full knowledge that we were US Citizens and did NOT have a residence in Canada.

Even though I called BOM ahead of time to ask about any requirements, ("oh no problem at all.") once we sat down with the agent she said it was required that we HAD A RESIDENCE in Canada. I gave her the Canadian maildrop and phone I procured a few weeks ago.

She asked me how much we paid in rent there! I gave her a number and she put it in the field in the computer.

She asked a lot of questions and I could tell she knew that we weren't actually living there. It seemed like she bent some rules for us to open the account and I left feeling uneasy.

For this reason, I would recommend RBC. Maybe these are new rules, or maybe we just got the wrong clerk. Still, she said it was a requirement.

In addition, she ran my wife's credit... of course, nothing came up. She accepted a credit card for the 2nd form of ID without asking for a DL. She entered the complete card info into her computer as well. RBC only required one form of ID.

Lastly, we've probably been to Canada 30+ times via Peace Arch. The border guard we got this time asked more questions than ever before. This is why I always take my wife with me. Always. I've always felt that it looks weird to drive through as a single man, or even with a friend. Husband and wife, up for a leisurely getaway - totally normal IMO. JJ, maybe that's why you had an issue? Also, I've never been asked how much cash I had - that's really strange.

Thanks for all you do.

... I think you got the wrong person at the wrong branch, John, because I've not heard of similar complaints from anyone who's opened an account at BMO.

Do exactly as JJL says, dress well, speak well, cheerful and relaxed in your request... a complete snap. If you do not open an interest bearing account, they won't need any social ID number, which was fine with me. I can do without the meager 2% interest for now.