Banking Pragmatism
Ask Bjørn Hansen, in response to this journal wrote:

Banks
Seven business hours after submitting my application for a credit card with a different bank, it's been approved. Only the bare minimum of information was requested. I'm amazed at how fast and painless the entire process has been.

Interesting Sports
While doing some research for my new flags site, I came across the description of a very interesting sport. Makes most other sports seem quite dull in comparison.

Banking Insanity
We have a credit card, and the bank charges an annual fee on the 1st July each year. Each year, I ring the bank and exchange some 'reward points' in return for having the fee reversed. Everyone is happy.

Today I called the bank to have the fee refunded, and met with what must be one of the most ridiculous constraints I have ever encountered. The conversation went something like this (<small>the date is fictious for privacy reasons</small>):

Tax Time, Part I
For those people wondering, I keep both my personal and business books in GnuCash. This makes me different from just about every other person in Australia, who either doesn't keep track of their finances at all (most of the population), or shells out an incredible amount for a properitary accounting package. I'm sure some businesses use the proprietary packages simply because that's what their accountants use.

I also have an accountant, but I use them for their knowledge, not for their book-keeping skills. I have no idea if they've ever heard of GnuCash, however they're more than capable of understanding the reports that it can produce.

In today's exciting installment, I've finished reconciling my personal accounts up until the 16th June. I'm almost at the point where I can close them off, prepare EOFY reports, and archive them. Oh, and fill out some 40 pages of personal income tax return.