It’s no wonder that the majority of homeowners dream of one day being able to pay off their home loan and live a life free from the shackles of interest rates, home finance and worries about meeting the monthly mortgage payments because the largest expense the majority of us take on in a lifetime is our mortgage and each month our home finance payments take a substantial chunk out of our take home pay. Read the rest of this entry »

For all of the bailout money being given to banks, it seems that more credit should be available to potential borrowers or, at the very least, huge Wall Street firms should not have gone out of business or converted to a different type of bank. But this has not been the case — despite hundreds of billions of dollars directly handed over to the banking system, the only result has been fewer loans being made and more insolvent banks.

One reason for this seeming contradiction (taxpayers forced to make investments in banks, while lending is down anyway) is that Read the rest of this entry »

Not having a marketing plan

Not planning or understanding the marketing approach that your listing agent will use when promoting a home. When selling your home there are no guarantees that the ultimate buyer of your home will have simply walked through the front door. In many cases you may have to bring your home to the buyer. Effective marketing will help ensure that your property receives maximum exposure to attract a ready, willing and able buyer in the shortest period of time. Ask your Realtor to list for you all of the ways he/she intends to market your home and on what time-line. Also, be sure to ask if your home is being posted on the MLS listing service and advertised on the Internet. Read the rest of this entry »

One additional thing is as certain as death and taxes. As politicians and bureaucrats struggle with how to prevent the financial de-leveraging that is underway in the global economy, each and every strategy they attempt has failed and will fail to stem the tide of economic depression that is headed our way.

First is was a plan to purchase the toxic assets of failing banks. That strategy was already dead in the water when a new idea was touted – for the government to purchase shares in the troubled banks in an attempt to shore up their capital bases. The idea here was once the banks and the interbank financial system was liquid again, then much-needed funds would begin to flow.

Not so fast though. As the banks have been injected with billions of dollars of additional capital it has not unlocked the financial markets. Rather, instead of banks re-starting their lending they are holding on to their newly-available cash in an effort to fend off their own insolvency. The plan to inject money directly into banks has not delivered what was intended and now new, more aggressive, measures are being planned. Read the rest of this entry »

Many people in the United States today have bad credit, and the numbers have continued to rise. It isn’t just those who are lazy who end up with bad credit. Many hard working people who are well meaning end up in situations where their credit is ruined. The best way to avoid this is to look at the different warning signs that can indicate that you’re headed towards a situation where your credit can be destroyed. Read the rest of this entry »

You have seen those ads on TV. Companies specializing in bad credit debt consolidation. These companies claim that they can help you consolidate your debt in spite of your bad credit, no matter how much debt you have or how far behind you are. Yep, they claim to have the magic answers to your financial problems. After they’re done with you, you’ll be left with, ” just one easy monthly payment!”

There are some companies who legitimately want to help people with bad credit consolidate their debt. These companies usually charge a reasonable up-front fee, avoid making extravagant claims and will offer professional references upon request. Read the rest of this entry »

Since its launch, Root Capital has provided more than $120 million in credit to 235 grassroots enterprises in 30 countries in Latin America and Africa with a 99% repayment rate from our borrowers and a 100% repayment rate to our investors.

Root Capital provides grassroots businesses with capital, financial training, and connections to these emerging ethical supply chains. This creates economic incentives for poor rural producers to engage in environmentally sustainable and socially responsible practices.

Finance: Innovating Rural Finance

We lend to small grassroots businesses that are locked out of the local banking system and have few alternatives for affordable credit. We provide financing for both short-term working capital loans and longer-term investments.

For many of our loans, we use future sales contracts from companies like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Marks & Spencer, Starbucks, and Whole Foods as a form of collateral. When natural products are shipped, the buyer pays Root Capital directly for interest and principal payments. Because of this factoring model, we can be confident that a loan will be repaid (indeed, our repayment rate is over 99%.) By moving beyond traditional approaches to collateral, we are proving the business case for lending to the rural “unbankable”.

See More of Root Capital Here

Consumer advocates and members of congress are both upset and annoyed by credit card companies that are scurrying to raise their interest rates and fees whilst lowering their cardholders’ limits before new laws take effect, just seven months from now.

Looked at from a lender’s point of view however, it’s easy to see why they are in such a rush to both protect and to increase their profits.

The new law when it’s enacted will prevent card companies from raising rates on existing balances unless the borrower is at least 60 days in arrears, and will require the original rate to be restored if payments are received on time for six straight months.

Under the present law, credit card companies are not obliged to get permission from customers who’s spending will take them over their limit, but since customers who exceed their limits are charged a fee, the new law states that their permission must be given. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a constant debate over the use of the twp main types of small business loans and which is more useful. In truth they both have their place, and rather than argue over the attributes of each, businesses are wise to use a combination of both at opportune times during their growth.

Small, or new business owners may not fully understand what the differences are, and some, new to the business financing realm may not even know what equity financing is. The term equity is bandied about in personal loans regarding the value of assets versus outstanding loan amounts placed on it, and equity is acquired much the same way in businesses. However, equity lending is not done on a personal level so understanding how the equity can be used to fund a business is something all newcomers should understand. Read the rest of this entry »

Because we live in a society that is dependent on credit, having credit that is bad can make life very difficult. Many high paying jobs won’t hire you. Lenders are unlikely to give you a mortgage. Getting an unsecured credit card will also be hard, if not impossible. It is not a secret that many people have less than perfect credit. But why is this, and what can be done about it?

Many of the credit problems people experience is a self-inflicted wound. This means that most people are their own worst enemy, and hurt themselves. They are caught up in having the latest gadgets, clothes, shoes, or electronics. Few take the time to read articles like this to find out ways they enhance their personal finances. Because of this, many people don’t try to change until they’re in debt that may take years to get out of. The best way to avoid debt is to change your lifestyle. Statistics show that the average American household has almost $10,000 in credit card debt, and this should tell you something. Read the rest of this entry »

There are 2 sides to the changes in bankruptcy rules. It will be a lot harder to file bankruptcy under chapter 7 and get a totally clean slate.

For businesses, relying on issuing credit, the new personal bankruptcy law is doing great, reducing personal bankruptcy claims from the thousands to double digits.(In the short run).

However, lawyers working with the actual people filing for bankruptcy say that the new law is seriously flawed because it puts more financial burdens on already broke clients and reduces potential debt repayment to small businesses. Read the rest of this entry »

Historically, economic downturns and financial crises, were nearly always boom times for debt collectors, because their earning are usually based on the amount of money that they regain. This recession is entirely different however, due to its severity, and what was previously almost inconceivable, is now taking place.

Credit card companies have finally realized that due to the depth and breadth of this recession, that a huge number of Americans are so hard-pressed, that they can’t, and won’t be able to pay their bills.

The consequences of this depressing realization mean that the number of troubled borrowers that are now getting payment extensions, has close to doubled in the last six months, and borrowers that are having major problems are frequently being offered hard to believe deals, that release them from 20 – 70% of their credit card indebtedness. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve seen it a thousand times; a good, solid business being turned down for a business loan because they have made a few mistakes in the past. Let’s face it; bad credit happens sometimes…especially in this economy. So if you are a business owner who has less than perfect credit, and you need money to either expand your business or to even save it; you are going to need to figure out another way to get financed.

A growing trend among business owners in need of financing is a merchant cash advance. For those that don’t know; a merchant cash advance (or merchant loan) is a funding alternative that doesn’t require good credit or collateral. To qualify for a merchant loan, you just need to own your business for at least 6 months, and process at least $2,500 in credit card sales each month.

Another key benefit to this type of funding is that you get your money in a fraction of the time it takes for a bank to process your loan. A typical provider can get you funded in less than a week from start to finish. This is extremely beneficial for any business that needs money in a hurry.

What makes this type of funding possible is that they base the advance amount on your businesses credit card sales and use your credit card processor to pay it back. This helps to illuminate some of the roadblocks between you and your money.

If your business needs working capital and you’ve been turned down by the banks; you might consider leaning more about this business loan alternative.

Author: Chris Ronk writes articles about business loans and merchant cash advances for http://www.merchantcashadvanced.com

The Ms. Foundation for Women, a social justice foundation, delivers strategic grants, capacity building and leadership development to over 150 grassroots and national advocacy organizations throughout the U.S. Ms. Foundation support enables groups to create connections across issues, constituencies and policymaking levels to strengthen social movements and ignite change on behalf of women, families and communities. Since 1973, the Foundation has granted more than $50 million to organizations in rural and urban areas nationwide.

The Ms. Foundation supports the efforts of women and girls to govern their own lives and influence the world around them. Through its leadership, expertise and financial support, the Foundation champions an equitable society by effecting change in public consciousness, law, philanthropy and social policy. Read the rest of this entry »

Types of Small Business Administration Lenders

Getting a loan from the SBA can be extremely beneficial to your business. In order to minimize your time and energy spent on receiving a loan however, it is important to be informed about the different types of lenders that assist you in receiving SBA loans.

The SBA itself does not participate in the lending process to individual business owners. Instead, it has created a network of banks and lenders in your local community that offer SBA loans. These lenders fall into three distinct categories which will turn out to be important in choosing one of the 22,500 lenders associated with the SBA. These lenders are General lenders, CLP lenders, and PLP lenders. Read the rest of this entry »