The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that consumers should try something new in 2017, like a new financial product from a company not associated with one of the big banks. The Globe's Rob Carrick writes that the big banks are among this country's strongest corporations, but the need to produce ever large profits warps them. This was sadly apparent in 2016, a year in which four banks and their investment arms reached deals with securities regulators in which they agreed to repay about $150-million in overcharged fees. The banks are Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia, CIBC and HSBC. TD Bank agreed to repay $13.5-million back in 2014. It is hard to understand how banks came to be taking millions of dollars in fees they were not entitled to. Changing banks is a huge hassle. Instead, choose one product you use at your bank and find a better replacement somewhere else. If you want better behaviour from banks, reward competitors offering a better deal with your business. A way to start is by setting up an account at a robo-adviser, which can build and run a personalized, low-cost portfolio for you with a level of transparency that should provide assurances you will not be unwittingly overcharged.