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mark-bristow

Mark Bristow

Personal Finance Editor

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Mark Bristow is RateCity's Home & Personal Finances Editor, and an experienced analyst, researcher, and producer. While primarily focused on Australian mortgage and home loan expertise, he has experience across energy, home and travel insurances. Mark has been a journalist and writer in the financial space for over ten years, previously researching and writing commercial real estate at CoreLogic. In the years since, Mark has worked for the Winning Group, Expedia, and has seen articles published at Lifehacker and Business Insider.

1018 articles written by Mark Bristow

Bank Accounts

Banking with your digital assistant

If you’ve ever asked a friendly disembodied voice to schedule an appointment, answer a trivia question, or just to tell a silly joke, then you may also be happy to ask your digital assistant for financial advice. With this in mind, National Australia Bank (NAB) has teamed up with Google to launch a new app for the Google Assistant platform.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

06 Oct, 2017 -

2 min read

Home Loans

New home sales not enough to reverse downward trend

Sales of new homes increased over August according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA), though this was not enough to undo the slowdown seen across the nation this year.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

05 Oct, 2017 -

2 min read

Home Loans

Dwelling approval figures back up RBA on rates

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that dwelling approvals rose in August 2017. According to the Housing Industry Association (HIA), these figures support the recent decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to keep rates on hold for the fourteenth consecutive month.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

04 Oct, 2017 -

2 min read

Home Loans

Could you be better off renting than buying in Perth?

A new index for the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) has crunched the numbers around renting versus buying in Perth, and calculated the rate of annual value growth that would be required to make buying the more financially viable option.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

29 Sep, 2017 -

2 min read

Bank Accounts

ATM usage surges after fee removal

Just days after eliminating withdrawal fees from its ATMs, Commonwealth Bank has recorded a significant increase in usage of its machines by customers of other banks.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

28 Sep, 2017 -

2 min read

Superannuation

New disclosure rules risk misleading Aussies

Upcoming regulatory changes could make comparing the fees and charges of different superannuation funds much more difficult in the future, giving some funds a substantial advantage over others, and potentially misleading Australians.

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Mark Bristow -

27 Sep, 2017 -

2 min read

Savings Accounts

Banks call for time on BEAR legislation

Australia’s federal government has released draft legislation for the Bank Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR), and the nation’s bankers are calling for more time to have their say.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

25 Sep, 2017 -

3 min read

Savings Accounts

Australia ranked second in Asia Pacific alternative finance

Australia’s alternative finance market grew by over 50% in 2016, outpacing Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and India.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

22 Sep, 2017 -

2 min read

Superannuation

Which Aussie postcodes have the most lost super?

Billions of dollars in superannuation are going unclaimed by their rightful owners, and the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has released which postcodes are missing out on the most money for retirement.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

21 Sep, 2017 -

3 min read

Home Loans

Vacancy rates hit record lows in Hobart

Australia’s national vacancy rates fell in August 2017, with the lowest being found in Hobart, according to the latest findings from SQM Research.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

20 Sep, 2017 -

2 min read