http://www.financealley.com en-us editorial@financealley.com The good news is that Australians paid $19.82 billion off their credit card debt balances as of end October 2008, which was a significant 5.4% improvement on their December 2007 balances, and 9.2% better against their June 2008 debt balances. The bad n... http://www.financealley.com/article_742730_19.html 08th January 2009 In recent years all areas of the Australian finance industry have seen some increased competition but perhaps no area more than the credit card sector. In the past few years hundreds of Aussie credit card options have launched offering consumers with a hu... http://www.financealley.com/article_738240_19.html 06th January 2009 Recent years have seen a big increase in competition within the Australian credit card industry, a sector that only five to ten years ago was heavily dominated by the big four banks. Some of these new issues have neen local non-bank issuers while others h... http://www.financealley.com/article_734651_19.html 05th January 2009 Home loan rates are at its all-time low. Unfortunately, many people have not done comparison shopping with their current loan. Why the need for a comparison shopping? The good deal that you got back when you originally got the loan may no longer suit your... http://www.financealley.com/article_734289_19.html 04th January 2009 A number of credit card companies offer low interest in order to attract customers. Unfortunately, these cards are not suited to all people. At the end of the day, how you use your card determines which one is best for you. Low interest cards may be ap... http://www.financealley.com/article_726482_19.html 19th December 2008 Gold credit cards along with platinum and other 'precious metal' cards comprise the upper crust in the credit card industry. With so many credit card applications and offers stuffing your mailbox, credit card issuers need to find ways to attract your atte... http://www.financealley.com/article_698974_19.html 30th November 2008 Credit cards have become an indispensable part of modern living. The decision to get credit cards necessarily implies taking on some debt, so it pays to do a credit card comparison exercise to ensure that you get the one that best matches the lifestyle yo... http://www.financealley.com/article_698489_19.html 30th November 2008 Credit cards were born 50 years ago, on October 1, 1958, when American Express unveiled its legendary card. It was made of paper. The paper cards soon morphed into the familiar plastic credit cards, and today nearly everyone you know pays for purchases wi... http://www.financealley.com/article_682563_19.html 05th November 2008 Because of the intense competition in the credit card market, you may find your mailbox swamped with credit card offers of all kinds. The direct mail you receive and the advertising you see on various media all have a single goal: to entice you to take ad... http://www.financealley.com/article_682538_19.html 05th November 2008 Card issuers do not have a hard time marketing their credit card rewards program because people actually get thrilled with the thought of being rewarded for spending. The keyword, however, is planning. Be it a large purchase or a simple transaction charge... http://www.financealley.com/article_671334_19.html 21st October 2008 The best tool of convenience is a credit card. Having a credit card will give you such wonderful stuff such as introductory offers, good deals on balance transfer, and the rewards program.Due to tough competition, many credit card companies are offering v... http://www.financealley.com/article_668526_19.html 17th October 2008 Even at the best of times many of us struggle to keep on top of money issues. However, with the ongoing finance crisis it is becoming more important than ever to make your budget last and stretch further. Here are some easy ways to cut your budget and cut... http://www.financealley.com/article_662397_19.html 13th October 2008 We live in a debt driven economy and it is easy to find ourselves with multiple credit cards, loans and store credit accounts. When your debts are spread over so many places it's hard to know exactly how much you owe and debts can get out of hand. You may... http://www.financealley.com/article_659353_19.html 07th October 2008 Credit card offers are everywhere from your mailbox to the TV so how do you go about picking a good one? If your thinking they can't all be the best then you would be correct but the best credit card for you will depend on how you use the card and your fi... http://www.financealley.com/article_659333_19.html 07th October 2008 It makes sense that in today's volatile economy, the very best way to ensure your financial security is to protect your credit at all costs. But for some people, this can prove somewhat of a challenge, as their credit score is less-than-stellar. Let's f... http://www.financealley.com/article_653914_19.html 01st October 2008 At some point or the other, if you have a credit card, your credit card company must have definitely contacted you, inquiring if you would like to take up credit card insurance. If you haven't yet been contacted, chances are you'll soon be approached by y... http://www.financealley.com/article_653583_19.html 01st October 2008 There is a saying among economists, "When America sneezes, the world catches a cold". This means that if the US experiences an economic downturn then so does the rest of the world. This saying certainly seems true at current times with the ongoing global ... http://www.financealley.com/article_643788_19.html 22nd September 2008 Cash investments are considered the simplest and most conservative types of investment, and traditionally, too, they reap lower albeit more dependable returns. In the last few years, investors eschewed cash accounts and turned to the share market which ha... http://www.financealley.com/article_643008_19.html 19th September 2008 It's always very exciting to buy a new car. Other than a house it's one of the biggest purchases we make and therefore one that you should carefully about. Billboard, direct mail and TV bombard us with messages for cars and how to get finance for them. Ho... http://www.financealley.com/article_642698_19.html 19th September 2008 Credit cards provide us with easy access to money, the problem is that it can make things too easy. Used in the right way a credit card can be an excellent tool and can even help your cashflow but if don't learn how to manage and take control of your cred... http://www.financealley.com/article_630818_19.html 09th September 2008 More purchases are made through credit cards than any other consumer payment method. Literally billions of dollars every month is being loaded onto credit cards across the country. While it can be an excellent way to manage cashflow if your very disciplin... http://www.financealley.com/article_628405_19.html 08th September 2008 Regardless of the income you earn you should think about the use of a high interest savings account to safely store your extra funds and make your money grow. It's a fact that many people leave their excess money in their main bank account that does not e... http://www.financealley.com/article_628019_19.html 08th September 2008 Anyone that has ever struggled under the mountain of stress that debt provides swears they will never put themselves in this situation again. Having too much debt can impact a range of areas in your life. You can suffer from the additional stress of havin... http://www.financealley.com/article_626229_19.html 08th September 2008 Type in the words "credit score" into any major search engine and you will quickly realize that knowing your credit score - and improving it - is big business. There are a number of companies out there that specialize in teaching individuals about the imp... http://www.financealley.com/article_622317_19.html 05th September 2008 Every month figures show that credit card is on the up and up. In a buy now - worry about it later society it is all to easy to end up in serious debt that seems out of control. But the options seem limited; you probably think that it's almost impossib... http://www.financealley.com/article_607343_19.html 22nd August 2008 Many people are now dabbling in online share trading as a way to lower their commission fees and experiment with the stock market. While this can prove financially rewarding those with little experience in the stock market could find this a risky strategy... http://www.financealley.com/article_595683_19.html 13th August 2008 If your likely to need a loan, credit card, store credit or even insurance then your access to these products and the rates you pay will be determined by your credit rating. There are many factors used to calculate the rating but as most banks and issuers... http://www.financealley.com/article_595196_19.html 12th August 2008 It's hard to miss the endless media stories on the current global credit crisis. With the price of oil soaring higher and higher along with other basics such as food and electricity there are many factors to the crisis. So what has been causing the crisis... http://www.financealley.com/article_582915_19.html 22nd July 2008 With the subprime crisis hitting banks very hard, access to credit is becoming tough. Having good credit is extremely important. Bad credit can come in the way of obtaining mortgage loans, auto loans, good insurance deals and can even make you loose your ... http://www.financealley.com/article_581833_19.html 21st July 2008 Fed up with payment credit card and loan repayments left, right and center? If you have a number of credit card debts and loan balances you can save yourself hours of stress and a large amount in interest repayments by taking advantage of debt consolidati... http://www.financealley.com/article_581480_19.html 20th July 2008 Over 50% of American adults don't have any savings. It's all to easy to buy what you want now with credit and loans within easy access to fund purchases. If your looking to get debt free and save for purchases or have a cash reserve for lifes unexpected c... http://www.financealley.com/article_577596_19.html 16th July 2008 Credit cards are complex items, and the best credit card for you may not be the best one for your neighbor or friend. When you compare credit cards, there are a lot of factors to consider, but the most important thing is the factor that's most important ... http://www.financealley.com/article_577205_19.html 15th July 2008 Cashback credit cards are popular to many credit card holders because they are forthright and simple to use: you spend on your credit card, and you are credited for the corresponding cash rewards. This is easier for you to manage because you don't need to... http://www.financealley.com/article_572992_19.html 10th July 2008 There are several types of savings account that you can open in banks or other deposit-taking institutions. They usually offer instant access savings accounts, term deposit savings accounts, and high interest savings accounts. Term deposits earn fixed ... http://www.financealley.com/article_523808_19.html 27th April 2008 While we are becoming an increasingly cashless society there are always times when cold hard cash is the only option. This might be particularly true if you are travelling overseas to a country with a money cash based economy or if you want to access ret... http://www.financealley.com/article_520822_19.html 21st April 2008 There is one fundamental difference between credit cards and debit cards. With credit cards, you can use the card issuer's money now and pay it back later. With debit cards, you use no one else's money but your own. What is the best one for you? Credit... http://www.financealley.com/article_518212_19.html 16th April 2008 The recent spate of rate rises made by Australia's central bank the RBA may be bad news for home owners facing increased mortgage repayments but they offer great opportunities for those with money to save. The federal rate rises has led most of the banks ... http://www.financealley.com/article_517411_19.html 15th April 2008 The credit card is one of the most dynamic products in the consumer finance market. It is always evolving and now offers so many variations to fit the wide range of cardholders' needs. If you are in the market for a credit card, getting the best credit ca... http://www.financealley.com/article_497473_19.html 27th March 2008 What is a Consolidation Loan? - Debt consolidation involves procuring a loan in order to clear or pay off other pending debts or loans. A debt consolidation loan usually comes outfitted with lower interest rates as well as a fixed interest rate on the con... http://www.financealley.com/article_482194_19.html 26th February 2008 A term deposit involves depositing an amount of money with a financial institution and making an undertaking not to make a withdrawal for a specified period in time. This time period or term is normally anywhere between 3 months and 5 years. Once the term... http://www.financealley.com/article_478198_19.html 21st February 2008 Credit cards can be a great tool but all too often we find we've spent more than we can manage to pay back. This is especially true when you have multiple credit cards and lose track of how much you owe on each of them. Credit card debts can seem like the... http://www.financealley.com/article_456491_19.html 21st January 2008 Over the past ten years online banking has increasingly become past of everyday life and is now used by more than 80% of internet using adults. Online banking has opened up major new opportunities to banking institutions to enter new markets. Online onl... http://www.financealley.com/article_190660_19.html 24th July 2007 Many credit cards have a APR of 18% or more. A new breed of low interest credit cards on the market is offering rates as low as half that of your average credit card. If you typically don't pay your credit card bill in full each month these cards can sa... http://www.financealley.com/article_190290_19.html 24th July 2007 Paying off credit card debt - 10 simple steps. Credit card debt is very easy to get into but can seem much harder to get out of. The good news is, it can be done. Follow these ten easy steps and start to take control today. ... http://www.financealley.com/article_131124_19.html 20th February 2007