Business loans are sometimes hard to get. In fact, a bank could be leery of giving your business a loan due to the risk of not getting paid back. You need to prove that your business is a successful and can turn a profit. Typically, you need to show cash flows and past performance to increase the confidence of a bank before they loan you any money. Before you do anything in regards to the bank, you need to create a professional business plan. Showcasing your business and the strengths are two things that any business plan should include. This...
Most of us can’t wait to get off of work so that we can relax at home. That is, until we get our monthly bills in the mail (especially during extreme hot and cold months of the year), we have to go grocery shopping or there is an unexpected purchase for the house that needs to be made. Then all of a sudden, “home sweet home” has a bit of a bittersweet feeling. There is a remedy for that, though. If lately your household expenses have been more than you would like to pay, we have five tips to help...
When you’re preparing to go to college or enter into some kind of post graduate program, one thing that is required is the ability to pass a few tests. For high school students, it’s the SAT and ACT tests while for college graduates, it could be anything from the GMAT to the LSAT to the GRE (for starters). And while there articles out in cyberspace that advise not “overdoing it” when it comes to the amount of test prep courses that you take (because it can be hard to cram all that you need to know in just a few...
A big reason why many people choose to invest their time, energy and money into a house instead of just simply renting an apartment is so they can redecorate without any limits. Your home is your castle, and you get to choose how the space develops when you hold the mortgage. One of the most important spaces of any home is the backyard. This is one of the things that makes homeownership worth it, a place where you can entertain almost every day, or just sit and stare and the natural beauty when it’s too cold to enjoy firsthand. But...
Neil Kremer / Travel Photos / CC BY-ND If you’re someone who is strongly considering putting your house on the market, the news that you’ve read about the real estate market, along with any advice that you may have received from experts in the field, have probably given you the impression that while the market is not as bad as it once was, selling a house can still be a bit of an overwhelming task; especially if you want to be able to make a substantial profit from doing so. The good news is that there are definitely some things...
When Valentine’s Day rolls around, the pressure can really start to feel like it’s on. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, sometimes it can just be tough to remember to set aside some time to shop for your special someone. We all lead busy lives these days, and finding a few extra hours can be a lot harder than one might think it would be. Sometimes this isn’t even the problem. You might have plenty of time to go and visit all the retail outlets in your area, but you might also have a significant other...
As more and more people are opting to do contract work, while there are many benefits that come with having the freedom to work from home (including having a more relaxed schedule), there are two major responsibilities that contractors have to stay on top of as well: paying their own taxes and finding affordable health insurance. When it comes to your taxes, it really is just a matter of making sure that you take out a certain amount (usually around 15 percent) for each check that you get, staying abreast of the deductions that you are eligible for and putting...
These days, there are a lot of options that are available to you when it comes to your education. You can pick from a variety of different paths when it comes to the type of degree that you want to earn when you’re in college. For many students, though, this decision can get to be a pretty significantly overwhelming one. We are living in a time when the United States’ economy has definitely seen better days. Over the course of the last several years, many individuals have realized that they need to be seriously scaling things back financially. Similarly, many...
Having life insurance is not something that people deem very important in many situations. The monthly cost is minimal and can be managed by people with even the most meager of resources. Life insurance protects you from all of the costs that may come from a loved one passing away. When you are mourning the loss of a loved one extra stress is not something that one will want to deal with. When You’re Young Believe it or not, buying your life insurance should be one of the most cost effective investments that you can make. By purchasing your life insurance when...
Who hasn’t dreamed of going on a luxury vacation at one point or another? Not only is it the opportunity to get some much needed rest and relaxation, but it can also provide you with a chance to see how the “other half lives” as you select five-star resorts, the finest of restaurants and places where you can be pampered throughout the entire trip. Now when it comes to the planning stages, the smart thing to do is to make sure that even if you take a vacation like you’re a celebrity that you don’t incur debt that you can’t...
When you’re in college, you’re usually pretty focused on your grades. It’s an important time in just about anyone’s life, and the grades that you earn while you’re working on your degree are going to have a huge impact upon what happens to you for the rest of your days. College can be a pretty big deal for most people, but it’s also usually a time when money is pretty tight. College students don’t typically have a lot of extra money lying around. When you do have some money in college, it can be tough not to spend it on...
Innovations in technology move so swiftly these days that it can often be tough to keep up. That laptop you bought a few short years ago is now a dinosaur compared to the current crop of devices, and even has an outdated operating system. The tablet you bought last year has already been replaced with the next generation. And the smartphone in your pocket is almost ready for retirement, as devices constantly pop up that are faster, equipped with more built-in memory and have cameras far better than yours. All of this change doesn’t mean you have to blindly follow...
Do you want to find the same (if not better) financial success as the “major players”? This means doing the work to make sure that you get the best return on your money as possible. If you want to get the most out of your money, you need to follow the example of successful investors like Principal Peter L. Briger and make sure that you invest it in the right place. This doesn’t always mean figuring out which stocks or mutual funds to buy into. It can be as simple as ensuring that you’re using the right bank for your...
We all know how difficult January can be, particularly if we have gone a little overboard with festive spending. With news that online sales increased by 17.8% compared with the same time last year, it’s not surprising that families all over the UK are reining in their purse strings and learning a little more about frugality. When it comes to tightening your money belt and being sensible with your cash, one of the first things you should do is retrieve any money that you have tied up in unadvisable places. Savings, premium bonds and investments are a fantastic thing to...
Financial experts urge consumers to check their credit reports and credit score at least once a year. This is the best way to stay on top of their credit. But sadly, many ignore this advice. In fact, some people don’t realize their bad credit status until they have trouble qualifying for a loan. Although having a low credit score doesn’t necessarily stop loan approvals, it limits your financing opportunities and results in higher interest rates. Is your credit score less than stellar? Fortunately, there are several ways to add points to your score and acquire better loan terms: 1. Apply...
There’s simply nothing worse than dealing with a client that owes you money and refuses to pay. This being said, anyone who has been in business for a fair amount of time knows that this is more common than most people would like to admit. Clients have a fair amount of reasons for avoiding making payments, and each one can make sense on occasion. For example, some clients fall under financial hardships, and simply need a bit more time to make a payment. When this occurs regularly, however, it’s fair to assume you’re being taken for a ride. Fortunately, there...
The economic recession of the past couple of years has been hard on people, especially those with families that they provide for. Those looking to make ends meet for their families have often run up credit card debt, because it’s much easier to go into debt than to allow your family to go hungry. However, if you have a family, and decent financial footing and like to travel, credit cards can actually end up saving you and your family a significant amount of money over the course of the year if used correctly. Here are the top 3 credit cards...
Smart couponing is an excellent way for you to save money. However, when you plan and organize how to shop with coupons, it not only increases your savings but you can do it easily and efficiently. With knowledge and practice, couponing becomes a way of life. Pretty soon, seeing great discounts online will become second nature! Coupons are everywhere and knowing where to look allows you to build a base of these money-savers, and the base soon becomes your supply. For example, look on the products container for a manufacturer’s coupon. For a store coupon, look on the shelf next...
Staying on top of your cash flow can mean the difference between struggling financially for the rest of your life or living the life you have always wanted to live. Whether you’re making a million a month or 30k a year, the choice is yours. By choosing to stay on top of each and every dollar coming in versus every dollar going out you will remain in total control of your money and ultimately be able to save up enough money for just about anything you may desire or require. Budgeting, by definition, means itemizing every cent that comes in...
The use of gadgets is becoming increasingly popular in the 21st century, so having insurance for gadgets might also become a household essential – but what’s the likelihood of this happening? How many gadgets do you carry on a daily basis? At the moment my bag, which I carry to and from work on a daily basis, consists of my laptop and eBook, not to mention my phone that I carry in my pocket. There are a some people, you’ve probably seen them, that have some sort of touchscreen tablet and maybe a second exclusive work phone to add to...
Most people understand that a family crisis can come at any time and wipe out the family’s checking savings and/or investment accounts. Many of the most common crises are often the ones that families do not plan for. These crises are often beyond the realm of insurance, or are notorious for stretching beyond the limits of the family policies. Other items create permanent damage to the family unit that prevents future recovery. Here are five family financial crises that every family should try an plan for, if they can. Marital Discord Divorce, child custody disputes and other issues between spouses...
Whether you are facing criminal charges or want to pursue a settlement for your negligence case, having the right lawyer working on your case can make all the difference. Simply hiring the first lawyer that runs across your TV screen could lead to disastrous consequences, including a high bill and no settlement. In San Diego, where many of my friends live, attorneys are a dime a dozen–but quality legal representation that is affordable can be hard to come by. However, with a little bit of know how, you can hire the right lawyer for your case: Assess Your Needs Before...
Everyone has a few dings from the recession, particularly in their FICO credit scores. The good news is that they’re not permanent. You can take action now to help bring those scores back up; it just takes a little know-how. If you haven’t looked at your credit report in years, it’s time to order one up and find out what your score is and what is on the report. Armed with this knowledge and a few smart strategies, you can start to undo all the damage left behind by the chaos of the Great Recession. What to Look For Treat...
Many times, it is just a better option to lease a car instead of buying one. Leasing a car has many benefits and just makes sense in some cases. If you are thinking about leasing a vehicle, think about all of the advantages. There is a reason why this is such a popular option and why there are more car lease deals than ever right now. To begin with, lease payments are usually a lot cheaper than the monthly payments to buy the same car would be. That means that you can afford to lease a more expensive or bigger...
During Barack Obama’s presidential run in 2008, almost all of the people of America were full of hope that finally, their knight in shining armor have come to rescue them from the financial crisis and economic turmoil that’s been crippling the United States of America and its residents. With a promising start with the Obama party’s campaign, people held on to that hope that through his administration, something, not everything, but at least something will change for the better. After the presidential stint of Bush, the people of America were looking for some sort of rectification that would again place...
