The Australian, Wealth Qualifying is half the battle to be a customer of a private bank, Ed Charles reports | February 28, 2007 THE world of private banking consists of an exclusive club of retail bank clients and an elite club of global private bank clients. The level of personal service you get and what you pay will depend very much on how much money you have. At the very least for membership of this club you will need assets […]
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High-end bankers aim high
The Australian, Wealth IT isn’t possible to have too much money. But it is possible to have too little debt. This is one of the main differences between choosing private banking services from the private banks born on the shores of Lake Geneva and local retail banks born on the Yarra or Sydney’s harbour. Both kinds of banks cultivate an air of exclusivity but in reality most are open for business from the increasing number of high-net-worth individuals in Australia. […]
Private banking: personal service cost
The Australian, Wealth INTERNATIONAL banks are targeting the Australian market to provide high-end private banking services that don’t necessarily involve mortgages. Both HSBC and Citibank have launched private banking packages: Premier and Citigold, respectively. They have less stringent requirements than the local so-called private retail banks, but are nevertheless aimed at wealthy people. British banking group HBOS is also building its share of the local market through its BankWest brand, which is expanding on the east coast and offers private […]
The best Valentines advice you’ll ever get
Stay at home and avoid: – substandard overpriced fixed menu meals – overpriced sparkling wine masquerading as champagne. – overcrowded restaurants – wandering minstrels – gypseys selling roses – hype
In the trenches: marketing in China
IN THE BLACK: In the trenches Cool customers: the growing Chinese consumer goods market may give us the greatest lessons about understanding the customer. By Ed Charles Knowing your customer is essential to the success of any business enterprise. China is the market that many multinationals are concentrating on. So how does one begin to understand this rapidly expanding and complex market? The scale and the nuances of China are bewildering. Nearly 80 per cent of the country’s people are […]
Eating in ’08
Herald Sun, Citystyle Rising prices is the biggest news in food this year, writes ED CHARLES WHEREVER you eat this year, it will cost more. Stay at home and the basic staples of flour, bread, pasta and dairy will cost more. Eat out and it will cost more – and the standard of service might not be up to scratch because of a huge shortage of waiters, sommeliers and chefs. Even dishwashers (the human variety) are in short supply. “The […]
Lunch most popular:Movida
Spanish chef Frank Comorra is a laugh. When he sent me a copy of his sell out Movida cookbook he signed it as the CEO of Ikea. He’d read by blogpost where I’d complained Movida didn’t conform to the stereotypical Spanish restaurant and owed more to the Swedish superstore than dark oak, Pablo Picasso or Anton Gaudi.Of course, I’m nothing but inconsistent. Shannon Bennett’s Bistro Vue I complain is a French theme park with its beams, French furniture and a […]
Hot day. Cold soup
What do I miss most about home? It has to be the dear old Currant Bun. Today’s headline: Phew what a scorcher! Although they could be holding the front page to the Aussie cricketers a good firm kick in the bollocks. The last time I was home in England, en route to Spain, it was bloody hot. And when I landed in Seville it was 48C. A few seconds of heat melted my suitcase and my cricket bat wilted. There […]
Cover yourself before you travel
The Australian, Wealth TRAVEL insurance is one of those products that few travellers pay attention to, whether they are begrudgingly buying a policy or relying on cover provided through top-end credit cards. For that reason, travel insurance remains one of the most complained about financial products in Australia. “It’s about 18 per cent of all our work for what would be a small partner in the insurance portfolio,” insurance industry ombudsman Sam Parrino says. “That is a lot of work […]