Finance Supermarket | Credit Cards | Savings Accounts | Loans

Planning your Finances

2008-11-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

It is beneficial to know how to manage your finance and plan your investing to make the most of the situation. To know how to choose and open the ideal savings account for yourself and get high interest rates, you must be careful about a few things.

The first and foremost thing you must do is set a target for yourself in terms of your finance. So when you know what kind of returns is your goal, you can better choose what kind of savings account you need. The next step, often underrated but hugely essential, is market research. It is best to google out and have a comparison among all the websites which offer high interest savings accounts online and evaluate the information. You will be flooded by seberal providers of finance in the savings account field, but keep in mind that in the Australian market, the most reliable are BankWest Telenet Saver, HSBC Savings, St.George directsaver, Member Equity bank etc.

Once you have made a shortlist of the optimum institutions, you need to choose the perfect one by checking out who offers the highest rates of variable interest and make sure you go only for those with 24X7 so as to cut down your administrative costs. While it is advantageous to choose an account with no minimum payment and that does not require you to make initial or ongoing payments, make it a rule to go through the terms & conditions thoroughly, as they are not standard and vary from one institution to another. If you find your needs and lifestyle suit the scheme only then sign up and get your ideal high interest savings account.

Looking for the Right Investment for your savings

2008-11-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

In order to give an edge to your Australian investment and get advantageous returns on your savings, there are few establishments that offer such lucrative offers such as the world leader in finance, HSBC.

If you opt for the HSBC Online Savings Account scheme, your need to carry hard cash around with you becomes unnecessary with this HSBC banking product giving you free unlimited ATM transaction access besides combining all your products. The greatest benefit of this scheme is perhaps that you would not have to pay any charges to the bank on a monthly basis for keeping your accounts even as you enjoy a generous daily interest rate. And the good news does not stop at that your HSBC ATM transactions are free and unlimited, you also get five such free transactions with any bank’s ATM in Australia every month. The Gold winner of Money Magazine's Best of the Best Award - Best e-Transaction Account (Bank) for the successive second year, HSBC's Online Savings Account answers your day-to-day banking needs ideally.

However, you can also link your current bank account by HSBC Serious Saver scheme where internet banking can be done 24X7 and you get a fantastic monthly interest rate by not withdrawing your savings. Your advantage in this investment plan is that you need not keep any minimum opening or ongoing balance nor pay any monthly charges to keep accounts. The scheme’s recommendation also comes from the Money Magazine who awarded it the Bronze for 2008 Best of the Best Award - Best Online Savings Account (Bank).

There are many deals to be had when opening an Australian savings accounts, it's just matter of searching Google and comparing the current offers.

How to Maximize your Australian Saving Potential

2008-11-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

To earn good money by judicious investment of your financial resources is possible in Australia and many institutions like St.George and RaboPlus have come forward to realize your dreams.

If you are looking for a good all-round savings account, then an excellent choice for you would be to go for the St.George Directsaver scheme. So don’t wait and sign up for it today and avail the rewarding offer of earning a high 8.10% per annum interest rate. You can avail the high variable bonus rate of interest by applying to the bank’s conditions and it would be applicable to your full balance that you keep with the establishment. You have the additional benefit of having to pay no fees and thus maximize your financial returns on your savings. So that your account gets properly updated, St.George promises you instant funds transfer facilities with your account and the interest is credited monthly and calculated daily. So the bottom line remains that go for St.George Directsaver at the earliest and you also get 24X7 unlimited toll-free phone banking service in addition to e-banking facilities via internet.

However, if you choose to invest in RaboPlus Savings Accounts, for a minimum deposit of as low as $1000, you can choose from a wide range of advantageous terms and rates with the high at up to 8.25%. Moreover, RaboPlus assures maximum online security and with their collaboration with BankWest Telenet Saver, you can get 24X7 online banking service. And if it is not personal finances you are looking for then also you can avail the same high rates for your businesses, DIY super funds and trusts.

Read the full article: http://www.savings-accounts.com.au/finance-articles/maximising-your-savings-potential.php

Australian Savings Accounts

2008-11-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

Australia is a growing economy. The savings account market in Australia is undergoing a rapid change. According to Reserve bank of Australia, household savings has declined in recent years, if stock market wealth is excluded. Government has instructed all the financial institutions to come out with a slew of measures and campaigns to increase awareness of savings among Australian citizens. For first timers, the most common savings accounts, on offer, are:

Savings accounts: these operate with an interest rate that starts with a base rate paid. A bonus interest rate can be earned, if you adhere to the conditions attached to these accounts, which include leaving the bonus interest if you make a withdrawal or if you fail to deposit a set amount of money every month.

Online savings accounts: As the name suggests, these accounts can only be accessed via the internet, which are offered by many financial institutions. They offer a great rate of interest, have the least conditions attached and are required to be linked to a transaction account.

Children’s savings accounts: these accounts function like a traditional bonus savings account paying high interest rates comprising mostly of bonus interest rates. Children can have real life banking experience by utilizing branch access facilities.

Cash management accounts: these accounts are often used to park cash for deposit account holders who want the basic transaction facilities as well as a good interest rate.

Before opening a savings account, there are a number of things you should look for. First of all, try to find an account with a good interest rate, and no account keeping fees. Ask if the account has a minimum balance and also make sure you compare the interest rate to other savings accounts, to get a good deal.

Read more Finance Articles at: http://www.savings-accounts.com.au/finance-articles/index.php

Maximising Your Savings Potential

2008-09-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

To earn good money by judicious investment of your financial resources is possible in Australia and many institutions like St.George and RaboPlus have come forward to realise your dreams.

If you are looking for a good all-round savings account, then an excellent choice for you would be to go for the St.George Directsaver scheme. So don’t wait and sign up for it today and avail the rewarding offer of earning a high 8.10% per annum interest rate. You can avail the high variable bonus rate of interest by applying to the bank’s conditions and it would be applicable to your full balance that you keep with the establishment. You have the additional benefit of having to pay no fees and thus maximise your financial returns on your savings. So that your account gets properly updated, St.George promises you instant funds transfer facilities with your account and the interest is credited monthly and calculated daily. So the bottom line remains that go for St.George Directsaver at the earliest and you also get 24X7 unlimited toll-free phone banking service in addition to e-banking facilities via internet.

However, if you choose to invest in RaboPlus Savings Accounts, for a minimum deposit of as low as $1000, you can choose from a wide range of advantageous terms and rates with the high at up to 8.25%. Moreover, RaboPlus assures maximum online security and with their collaboration with BankWest Telenet Saver, you can get 24X7 online banking service. And if it is not personal finances you are looking for then also you can avail the same high rates for your businesses, DIY super funds and trusts.

Saving the Australian Way

2008-09-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

In order to give an edge to your Australian investment and get advantageous returns on your savings, there are few establishments that offer such lucrative offers such as the world leader in finance, HSBC.

If you opt for the HSBC Online Savings Account scheme, your need to carry hard cash around with you becomes unnecessary with this HSBC banking product giving you free unlimited ATM transaction access besides combining all your products. The greatest benefit of this scheme is perhaps that you would not have to pay any charges to the bank on a monthly basis for keeping your accounts even as you enjoy a generous daily interest rate of 5.10% per annum. And the good news does not stop at that your HSBC ATM transactions are free and unlimited, you also get five such free transactions with any bank’s ATM in Australia every month. The Gold winner of Money Magazine's Best of the Best Award - Best e-Transaction Account (Bank) for the successive second year, HSBC's Online Savings Account answers your day-to-day banking needs ideally.

However, you can also link your current bank account by HSBC Serious Saver scheme where internet banking can be done 24X7 and you get a monthly interest rate of 7.50% p.a. by not withdrawing your savings. Your advantage in this investment plan is that you need not keep any minimum opening or ongoing balance nor pay any monthly charges to keep accounts. The scheme’s recommendation also comes from the Money Magazine who awarded it the Bronze for 2008 Best of the Best Award - Best Online Savings Account (Bank).

There are many deals to be had when opening an Australian savings accounts, it's just matter of searching Google and comparing the current offers.

Credit Cards Australia

2008-07-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

Credit cards are now serious business; choose the wrong one it could cause you problems, but choose the right one and you could gain great benefits. Credit Card Offers gives you the best advice and allows you to compare all credit cards with ease.

There has never been a better and easier time to go online, review and compare credit cards. Within 5 minutes you could have filled in an online credit card application. Australia currently has one of the best financial markets available giving you, the customer a better choice.

Used correctly the right credit cards give you added benefits including saving on bank fees and free rewards. i.e. if you use a credit card to pay large bills, mortgage etc. you could utilize this payment method by gaining a large number of frequent flyer points along the way. Each dollar you spend can earn you up to 2 and half frequent flyer points. This is just one example of many.

Another benefit would be to find the best credit cards with the best balance transfer option. Many credit card providers offer you the option of transferring an owing amount from an existing credit card to a new credit card offering 6-12 months interest free period. This can be excellent way of buying something without the need of a personal loan

Whether you choose balance transfer, frequent flyer points, low interest or even no annual fee, you will find plenty of varying options available in the current market.

Once the desired attributes of the credit card have been decided it’s time to compare Australia’s leading credit card providers. There are many providers in the Australian finance market including home grown banks to large multinational finance groups. Comparing and visiting all these websites can be very daunting and time consuming. It’s therefore best to search and find a leading credit card comparison website e.g. www.credit-card-offers.All information can be viewed and compared with ease, and at a simple glance.

Some of Australia’s leading credit card providers include: ANZ Credit Cards, Virgin, HSBC, St.George Credit Cards, Comm Bank, GE, National Australia Bank (NAB), Citibank Credit Cards and American Express.

Due to the amount of providers and competition in the Australian finance market it’s best to find out which companies specialize in what options, and what promotions they are currently running.

For more information and for a stress free comparison service visit www.credit-card-offers.com.au or simply search www.google.com.au

The Basics of Savings Account

2008-07-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a way to make a financial investment, among the simplest ways you can do so is by opening a savings account. Among the best things about this option is that you are sure that you will not be scammed out of your hard earned money. The problem with some financial investments is that they tend to make sweeping statements and use hard sell marketing to lure in customers. But in the end, they will simply turn out to be a scam which stripped you off the money you have seriously worked hard to earn.

However, opening a savings account instead is very safe not to mention truly rewarding as well. The most important thing you need to keep in mind is that a savings account is opened in legitimate banks so from that point forward you can be sure that you are on the right track. A savings account grows interest rates and this is how you get to maximize it as an investment. Usually, there’s a minimum requirement that must be in possession of the bank before you can gain interest. This is helpful because it assures the bank that they can make your money cycle.

So how do savings accounts work if you don’t do anything with them? Do they automatically spur out profits just because they rest inside the bank? Well the answer to that is yes. What actually happens is that banks use these savings accounts for investing in other financial ventures. They may choose to buy various shares and stocks or venture off into other businesses. You might think now, so how do they get to maintain all those money if they use it for other purposes? Well, of course these ventures do work out and they work out well. As the banks accumulate more and more revenue and profits from these ventures, they share those off with their customers via interest rates. This is the reason why the longer you deposit without touching it and the bigger the amount of money you deposit and leave untouched, the bigger the interest you accumulate.

A savings account comes in different form. The most typical perhaps is the ATM or debit cards. These ATM cards work by depositing a specific amount into your account which you can freely withdraw anytime you need it. But since ATM cards tend to be frequently used, they have minimal interest rates attributed with them. Another type of savings account comes in the form of passbook. This is the little booklet where all your bank transactions are being recorded. A passbook savings account can have bigger interest rates than ATM cards because they usually require a bigger maintaining balance.

Online savings accounts are currently very popular offering a service that has less restrictions and more benefits including high interest savings accounts. Leading Australian banks including BankWest Telenet, HSBC Saver and St.George directsaver are offering up to 8.50% APR

The biggest earning savings account in terms of interest is the time deposit accounts. These time deposit accounts are also known as dormant savings accounts because they remain literally untouched over a specified period of time. Even if you already need it, you cannot easily withdraw money from a time-deposit account because of specified reasons.

The Indispensible Credit Card

2008-07-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

Credit cards have almost become indispensable today. With too many commitments to fulfill and limited time on hand, it’s not always possible to rush to bank or ATM to fetch money for every single transaction. The biggest advantage credit cards offer is the flexibility and ease of making purchases and payments without having to carry cash everywhere you go. Unlike Debit cards, credit card gives you the benefit of using the cash without deducting the amount from your existing bank accounts. Though at times the word ‘Charge card’ is used to describe credit card, the difference is that the charge card requires the card holder to pay the money borrowed/used on charge card to be paid in full by every month ending. Whereas the money used through Credit card can be termed as a loan that the user takes from the lender bank and hence the money borrowed can be revolved and the payment can be delayed for a fee in the form of rate of interest payable. The rate of interest on credit card used would vary depending on the amount used, the time gap between the usage of credit card and the payment of loan and of course the type of credit card one has taken up.

If you are disciplined enough to pay the amount spend on credit cards on time and have managed to maintain good credit throughout then the credit cards are one the best utilities to invest in. Recent competition in the banking sector has resulted in many competitive interest rates, offers and advantages on credit cards. Its worthwhile studying credit card offers by some of the known and reputed banks before you apply for your own. Have a look at some of the advantages one can avail with the Credit card -

* There are number of options while applying for credit cards. Depending on the requirement one can apply for any of these categories: Business credit cards, Gasoline credit cards, Prepaid credit cards, Airline Miles and Travel rewards credit cards, Low interest rate credit cards etc

* Places where the cash is not accepted as a mode of payment, credit cards becomes your rescuer. Even for purchases like Hotel bookings and car rentals one needs a credit card. Though at times payments are accepted in cash, credit card is required as safety deposit.

* Most of the credit cards, offer purchase protection on it. So if you buy anything precious and loose it on way or find it faulty you have 100% insurance on it.

* High interest rates are considered as one of biggest and probably the only disadvantage with credit cards. But with Balance transfer facility you can transfer your loan amount from the high interest rate credit card to a relatively low inters rate credit card with 0% interest rate.

* In case you loose money and or it’s stolen you have no other option but to let go that loss but in case your credit is lost, stolen or damaged you can report the issuer and get a new card.