By Ed Charles COVER STORY Qualifying is half the battle to be a customer of a private bank, Ed Charles reports 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 of about […]
Tag: The Australian, Wealth
The new cards on the block: pre-paid or cash

They’re just the shot as a gift for travellers or for those who don’t have credit cards, Ed Charles reports THE pre-paid credit and cash-card market is barely nine months old, yet there are already more than six cards on the market, with more predicted to be launched this year. They can be used for internet transactions and telephone shopping by people who have traditionally shunned credit cards. “It is definitely an area of growth in the credit card market,” […]
ENJOY THIS … BUT READ THE FINE PRINT IN YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICY BEFORE YOU GO – DON’T FORGET TO PACK THE POLICY
By Ed Charles COVER STORY It pays to read the fine print of your travel insurance policy carefully, Ed Charles writes THE air tickets are paid for. The boutique hotel and spa resort is booked. And the designer label luggage is packed. But have you bothered to check whether you have the right level of cover for that once-in-a-lifetime holiday? The likelihood is not, as illustrated by the number of complaints going before the Insurance Ombudsman, Sam Parrino. He says […]
Loan gymnastics
The Australian — Wealth: With mortgage providers jostling for business in a highly competitive market, there is a loan to suit almost anybody, reports Ed Charles July 19, 2006 WITH low interest rates and competition among mortgage providers we are able to borrow more money than ever before to buy homes. In some cases it is possible to borrow four times one’s salary. The problem is that the median cost of a home in Sydney is 8.5 times the median […]
Which bank wants to sell you a package? Every bank
From The Australian: EVERY bank wants to sell you a package. The idea is that if, in addition to a home loan, they can sell you transaction accounts, credit cards, insurance and multiple mortgage accounts for investments they can make more money. And hopefully you can make more money too. This is the thinking behind professional packages which has been extended to the latest generation of portfolio loans. Portfolio loans are where wealth management meets packaged home loans. Typically, for […]
The Australian: Online trading
From the Wealth section. ONLINE TRADING – HOW TO MAKE MONEY AND AVOID EXPENSIVE MISTAKES NET TRADING: IT’S HIT OR MYTH By Ed Charles COVER STORY You need to shop carefully for an online share trading service, then use it wisely, says Ed Charles
The Australian: Car leases face price crash
From the Wealth section of The Australian 22 February.More from Glass’s Guide.
The Australian: Balance transfers
From the Wealth section of The Australian in December Be careful about the fine print in balance transfers, reports Ed Charles