About Charter Finance

Advisory first.
Always.

Charter Finance was built on a belief that Australians deserve more than a loan approval. They deserve a strategic partner who helps them structure debt intelligently, build equity deliberately, and achieve financial wholeness, not just a mortgage.

600+
Clients across Australia

20+
Years of strategic advisory

$2BN+
Total lending settled
Dean Perlman
Founder, Charter Finance
30+ years in the financial industry
Education & experience in property, law, and commercial finance
Founded Charter Finance in 2010
Established multiple JV mortgage broking businesses for corporate partners
Creator of the Financial Wholeness Journey™ framework

Our Founder

Built on a different
kind of advisory

"Most brokers focus on getting the loan approved. We focus on what the debt can actually do for your future."

I've spent more than 30 years in the financial industry, first as a lawyer, then in commercial finance, before founding Charter Finance in 2010. And throughout all of it, I kept seeing the same thing.

People worked incredibly hard to build their income and acquire assets. But very few were ever shown how powerful well-structured debt could be in accelerating that process. Debt was treated as a burden to manage, not a tool to use.

Aussies would secure a loan, purchase a property, and move on, without any clear strategy for what came next. Equity sat idle. Cashflow was absorbed by repayments. The opportunity to build real, lasting wealth was quietly slipping by.

I founded Charter Finance to change that.

Our role has never been transactional. Broking implies a moment in time: a loan written, a deal done. That's not how we think. We partner with our clients for the long term, helping them structure debt intelligently and continuously improve their financial position as their income, assets and ambitions grow.

The goal isn't simply to arrange finance. The goal is to help our clients become financially whole.

Our Ethos

Clarity, confidence,
and control

Financial wellbeing is about more than rates and repayments. It's about understanding your relationship with money: where it comes from, where it goes, and how to make it work harder for the life you're building.

We combine education, empathy, and structure. We take the time to understand each client's story: from their current position to their long-term aspirations, and then design a strategy that connects debt structure to wealth building, not just the next loan approval.

"Our measure of success is seeing how much closer a client is to financial independence than they were twelve months ago."
Dean Perlman
Founder, Charter Finance

Integrity

We act in our clients' best interests, always. Every recommendation we make is tied to your financial strategy, not our margin. When the right answer is to wait, we tell you to wait.

Partnership

We build enduring relationships with clients, referrers, and peers who share our commitment to financial clarity. We don't close transactions; we open long-term partnerships.

Accountability

We hold ourselves and our partners to the highest standards of service, discipline, and follow-through. Progress is measured, tracked, and reported. Not assumed.

How We Work

From first conversation
to lasting wealth

Every client relationship follows a structured process. Not because it's convenient for us, but because the structure is what creates results.

1
Discovery
We start by understanding your full financial position: income, debt, assets, and goals. Not just what you want to borrow, but why, and what comes after.
2
Strategy
We design a debt structure and a plan for how it reduces over time. We model the cashflow, the equity trajectory, and the tax position before you commit.
3
Execution
We implement the strategy: sourcing the right lending, coordinating with your accountant, conveyancer, and advisers, and making sure every moving part aligns.
4
Progress
We track your Financial Wholeness Index score over time, review your position annually, and adjust the strategy as your life changes.
600+
Clients trusted us with their financial strategy
$2BN+
Lending structured with purpose
20+
Years of Strategic Debt Advisory
5
Financial Wholeness pillars tracked for every client

"Strategic lending. Smarter debt. Lasting wealth."

Credit Licence
ACL 384875
Australian Credit Licensee
Dispute Resolution
AFCA Member
43848
In Practice
20+ Years
Strategic Debt Advisory
Clients Served
600+
Across Australia

Client Testimonials

What our clients say

Real outcomes from real advisory relationships.

"

"We recently engaged Dean and his team at Charter Finance to assist us with securing finance for both our new home purchase and an investment property. From the very beginning, the level of service we received far exceeded any of our previous experiences. Our financial situation is somewhat complex due to the structure of our earnings, yet this was handled effortlessly by the Charter Finance team.

Dean and his team demonstrated exceptional knowledge and navigated the complexities with absolute confidence, ensuring every aspect was properly understood and presented to lenders. They also provided clear, practical guidance throughout the entire process, including invaluable advice around buying at auction, giving us confidence during what can often be a stressful experience.

What truly set the team apart was their efficiency and attention to detail. They moved swiftly, communicated proactively, and ultimately achieved an outstanding result for us, with loan approval and loan documents issued far faster than we expected. We're incredibly grateful for the support, professionalism, and expertise shown by the entire Charter Finance team. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dean and his team to anyone seeking finance for a home or investment property."

RC
Ross Corcoran
Accountant and Director, William Buck
10+
Years of
partnership

"Dean and his team were able to put together an optimal package for me that consolidated multiple loans and simplified and reduced my overall interest and principal payments. I couldn't be happier with the result, the professional service, the efficiency and the constant follow up. Thank you Charter Finance!"

LK
Lance Kalish
Co-founder, Yoobi Global  ·  Charter Finance client since 2015

"Charter Finance has helped me with two mortgages, including one that was fairly complex involving buying a property with family. They do an excellent job of navigating the various options and explaining the process in detail. After the mortgage is settled they are proactive with advice and have since helped refinance my mortgages, saving me a considerable amount of time and money. I recommend Charter Finance completely."

KS
Kirk Symons
Retail Operations Lead, Google  ·  Charter Finance client since 2014

"I have been working with Dean and the Charter Finance team for more than 10 years for all of our property mortgage needs. They are a pleasure to work with and have always gone above and beyond to ensure that I fully understand the complexity of the financial arrangements I am entering into. I'd have no hesitation in recommending the team."

IF
Ian Flemington
Global HR Leader, Kimberly-Clark  ·  Charter Finance client since 2016

"The team at Charter Finance are incredible. Professional, knowledgeable and supportive throughout the entire journey of purchasing each of our properties. I can't recommend them highly enough. We are so appreciative of everything you have done."

AL
Dr Annie Lang
Charter Finance client since 2013
Read all our client reviews on Google →

Common Questions

What people ask us most.

The following is general information only. For advice specific to your circumstances, please speak with Charter Finance directly.

No. Charter Finance is an independent credit licensee and strategic mortgage advisory firm. We are not a bank, and we do not lend money. We work across a panel of lenders, including the major banks, regional banks, and non-bank lenders, to structure and source the most appropriate finance for each client's circumstances.

That independence matters. We are not constrained to one product or one institution. Every recommendation is based on what is genuinely best for your financial position, not what is most convenient for a lender.

For standard mortgage broking, Charter Finance receives a commission from the lender when a loan is settled. There is no cost to you for the broking service itself. Commissions are disclosed in full as part of every credit proposal, as required by law.

For clients who enrol in the Financial Wholeness Journey programme, a separate annual fee applies. This is a direct engagement for Strategic Debt Advisory, distinct from regulated financial advice, and is disclosed clearly at the time of enrolment. All remuneration is transparent, and Charter Finance holds an Australian Credit Licence (ACL 384875) as required by ASIC.

Charter Finance works best with clients who want more than a loan approval. Our clients are typically professionals, business owners, or property investors who carry real financial complexity and want a structured, long-term strategy rather than a transactional relationship.

That said, some of our strongest client relationships started with a first home purchase and have grown over ten or fifteen years into multi-property portfolios. The starting point matters less than the intention. If you are serious about building wealth deliberately, rather than by default, Charter Finance is designed for you.

The first conversation is a discovery session. No documents required, no application forms. Charter Finance's goal is to understand your full financial position: income, existing debt, asset position, goals, and any constraints such as timeline, entity structure, or income complexity.

From that conversation, Charter Finance can identify whether there is a structural opportunity, whether your current loans are optimised, and what the right pathway looks like. You leave with a clear picture of what is possible and what comes next. If Charter Finance cannot add meaningful value, that is said directly.

Yes. Complex income structures are where Charter Finance adds the most value. Business owners with income held in company or trust structures, professionals with variable income or equity-based remuneration, and investors with multiple properties and multiple lenders all require a level of assessment and presentation that most lenders and general brokers find challenging.

Charter Finance understands how lenders read complex financials, which institutions assess these situations most favourably, and how to present an application to achieve the best possible outcome. Getting this right can mean the difference between an approval and a decline, or between the right loan structure and a compromised one.

Yes. Charter Finance has offices in Sydney and Melbourne, and works with clients across Australia. Most of the advisory work is conducted remotely via video and phone, and distance has never been a barrier to the quality of the relationship or the outcome.

Property purchases in any Australian state or territory can be facilitated. Charter Finance's lender panel covers the full national market, and the advisory process works equally well whether a client is based in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, or anywhere else.

Ready to build a strategy
around your goals?

Have a conversation with the Charter Finance team. We'll start with your current position, understand where you want to be, and build a plan to get you there.