Looking at my phone notifications this morning, I spotted the latest ING interest rate announcement. They’re dropping their savings rate to 5.40% from February 28th. While this isn’t exactly shocking news in our current economic climate, it got me thinking about the increasingly complex dance we’re all doing with our banks these days.

Remember when having a savings account was straightforward? You’d deposit money, and the bank would pay you interest. Simple. Now we’re juggling multiple accounts, tracking transaction counts, and planning our spending patterns like some sort of financial choreography.

The news about ANZ’s CEO Shayne Elliott voluntarily forfeiting his $3 million bonus has sparked quite a discussion in business circles. It’s refreshing to see a top executive actually taking responsibility for their company’s performance, even if some skeptics suggest there might be more to the story.

Let’s be real here - when was the last time we saw an Australian corporate leader genuinely own up to their mistakes? Looking at you, Qantas and Telstra. The standard playbook usually involves blaming external factors, market conditions, or some other convenient scapegoat while pocketing massive bonuses regardless of performance.