General

General

Figuring Out Funding When Your Business Is Growing

Figuring Out Funding When Your Business Is Growing

Most business articles focus on financing and survival issues when trying to get a business up and off the tarmac when you first start out. Less is said about the financing issues you can run into once you are up and running. That ends now.

Being a small, growing company with little history places you in an odd area when it comes to commercial financing. You aren’t exactly new, but also aren’t established. This makes you a bit of a ghost as far as lenders are concerned. This is often bad news since you usually need financing to grow a business since you need to buy things like equipment, hire more employees and so on. When seeking such financing, there are many things to consider. Here are five important ones.

Business Plan

Look at it this way. You want a financial institution to grant your business a loan. They have no idea about your business and thus the onus is on you to provide them with as much information possible. It will need to describe your business, detail the start up, where you are now headed and why money is needed to make it happen. Put in facts, facts and more facts!

Credit Report

You might be surprised to learn you have business credit. Well, you do and you need to check it frequently. The lender is going to go over it with a fine tooth comb, particularly given the current lending environment. Make sure yours is buffed to a shine so it doesn’t cause you problems.

Investment Options

The bank down the street may be a financing option. Then again, it might not. You need to think big when it comes to financing. Spend a good bit of time researching the options available in your area. You might be surprised to learn that agencies that regulate your industry, such as the USDA, also offer loan programs. Your starting point should always be the Small Business Administration, an agency that is actually tasked with the mission of helping companies like yours. Imagine that!

Valuable Rejections

Rejection is a part of life as we all know. If your financing package has been rejected, don’t just head to the bar. Ask questions of the lender. Don’t be a jerk. Just try to find out why you have been rejected so that you can isolate the weak points of your presentation or business profile. Then fix them and apply with another funding source. In short, learn from your mistakes.

Commercial financing is a world unto itself. Treat it as such and you’ll find that getting financing is not only possible, but probable.…

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Gold Necklace With Ruby and Other Stones

Gold Necklace With Ruby and Other Stones

Keeping into account the contemporary world, when economic decline has been at its peak, and no commodity has retained its value, gold has been receiving immense amount of interest in terms of value and worth. Investors have started looking upon it as a stable source of investment through which they can gain a lot of profit without facing any loss in the long run.

Yet, the fact cannot be ignored that gold is, above all, a beautiful ornament. It has become a commodity in the world of today, yet there was a time when it was employed and purchased extensively for jewellery purposes. Even nowadays, people who have a lot of jewellery collection are considered as people with secured future. Yet, if you notice, for them, gold still stands as a beautification ornament. It is an embellishment of their personality and tends to enhance your outlook with a certain aura of dominance.

Therefore, you may find how much gold necklaces have been in demand for centuries. Traditionally speaking, gold has been very popular in Arabic and Asian Countries, where gold is considered as a compulsion to be worn on occasions and various formal events. Since it can be moulded into any form, you may see how gold is worn as necklaces, rings, earrings, bangles etc.

Focusing on gold necklaces, many stones have also emerged that can be blended together and give an altogether enhanced and attractive look. For instance, you may easily find gold necklaces studded with emerald, pearls, sapphire and rubies. These stones are highly precious yet you may simply find replicas all across the globe. Stones tend to be more prominent in a necklace. They serve as the colours that are added to a canvas. When it comes to stones, the value of gold and its weight is augmented.

Although these may look very attractive, but when u want to modify any change in the outlook of the necklace, the stones are not given any value until and unless they are original.

You may find gold in various forms. Some are labelled as designers, classic, modern and some fancy. They have different shapes and designs, but all inculcate a traditional look.

When you go to a jewellery shop, you shall see a wide range of gold necklaces that would include hand crafted harem, floral necklace sets that are usually studded with synthetic stones, and gold necklaces that are fitted with marquise-shaped emeralds. You may also find gold harem for brides, traditional hand-crafted gold necklaces, and rhodium coated ones and some are antique styled. You may also get hold of party wear necklaces that are studded with stones like emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

Lastly, you may also observe how Indian women tend to wear “mangalsutra” that are usually gold necklaces with various beads. Most are usually black in colour, but as the time is progressing, people have started showing some bent of interest towards other stones like rubies, emeralds, sapphires and pearls as well.…

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What You Need to Know About Selling Rental Property

What You Need to Know About Selling Rental Property

Selling rental property can be one of the most financially rewarding experiences any real estate professional can encounter during his or her career. Aside from maybe the residential mansions in Beverly Hills, apartment buildings are commonly sold at prices that exceed residential property prices and thus generate more commission dollars for both the listing and selling agent.

It is not unlikely, for instance, that in a market where the average sales price of a house is $250,000 that a ten-unit apartment building one block over will sell for two-to-three times that price. And when you do the math (assuming a six-percent commission) even conservatively, the result would be $30,000 verses $15,000.

Another advantage associated with selling rental property comes in the form of what I will simply call “the benefit of repeat business”.

Once you sell a house it’s probably safe to say (barring something irregular like a job transfer or change in finances) that the buyer is no longer a potential customer for about five years. On the other hand since it is “investors in real estate” who purchase income property you are always faced with the potential that your customer might want to invest in more rental property; or given the right set of circumstances may even want to exchange one investment property for something larger.

In other words, when you sell investment property, you work with investors by association and therefore are always in a position to acquire repeat business and reap the benefit of additional commissions.

This was true with the first investment property I ever sold to an investor and in most transactions I was involved during the years since just as true. Real estate investors by their very nature are always looking for a property (or another property) that will make them money and this means repeat business for you and as a result more commissions earned.

Fair enough, but you can’t enter the income property arena thinking like a residential real estate person. There are a few things you need to understand about real estate investing protocol to be successful at it.

When you sell rental income property, you need to present the numbers. It’s not enough to simply point out the on-suite bathroom and large walk-in closet because real estate investors are only interested in the bottom line: “How much money does it make me?”

You must present the cash flows, rates of return, and profitability numbers for every rental property to your investors otherwise you could merely “pound sand” and lose the opportunity. This is not difficult with good real estate investment software.

It is also a good idea to become familiar with some of the essential returns real estate investors look for in a property when making an investment decision. Otherwise you will appear less-than-capable of working with rental property and lose credibility with the customer. Amongst other things learn how to compute capitalization rate and cash-on-cash return and understand the role of an APOD and Proforma Income Statement.

The truth about selling rental property is that you can make money at it; what’s more, it is not really that difficult. Once you make the decision to get involved visit my website and read the free real estate investing articles and learn about my real estate investment software. These are designed to help agents like you to get started off on the right foot.…

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Investing in Foreclosed Homes

Investing in Foreclosed Homes

In this day and age we have the unfortunate situation of foreclosures across the US. But for some foreclosed homes are an opportunity for those want to buy investment property.

If your thinking about getting a loan for one of these types of properties you’ll need to know a few things. Getting a loan for a foreclosed property is like getting a mortgage for a residential property.

One key different for a loan for a rental property is you’ll typically pay a higher interest rate. You’ll also need to have specific information available to your lender in terms of rent that will be collected to make mortgage payments. Many of the programs that are available to residential owner occupied properties won’t be available to those looking at rental property.

Many foreclosed homes are in rough shape since many people do a number on the houses before they leave them. You’ll need to select a home that’s in decent shape otherwise most lenders will pass on them. You’ll have to have all the information for the lender available cause they will want to see that you’ve done your homework and not just the home but the market as well.

In order to get prequalified you’ll need to know what the guidelines are for investment property, you’ll lender will give you all the details. If you’re going to attend an auction you’ll need to have a significant amount available for a down payment to secure the property while you set up financing, just food for thought.

Auctions can be a gold mine in terms of investment properties but keep in mind you are not the only guy that’s showing up with a big checkbook. Many pros have all the tips and tricks of the trade and you’ll get no time to inspect the property before you buy so you’ll need to know what to look for in terms of information. If you’re starting out it’s probably best just to wait for the properties that don’t go at the auction and are on the open market available for all. You’ll get more time to have the property inspected and uncover whether or not is a solid property fit for an investment.

Investing solo can be very scary so if a friend or family member has an interest in starting out in real estate investing and the fit is right joining forces and minimize any losses. Combining the due diligence effort will help with whether or not you’ve found a solid gem to invest in.…

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Stay at Home Mom Job Description

Stay at Home Mom Job Description

A lot of mothers that stay at home to raise their children are looking for a stay at home mom job description.

Affiliate marketing offers a wide variety of opportunities to earn income from home.

With affiliate marketing you can earn money online by promoting products or services from other companies via your website. When a customer clicks on a link on your site and then buys something, you earn a commission. A commission is a percentage of the total cost of the product that is sold. All you need to do to get started is sign up with an honest and legitimate home business program. This can be done for less than 25 dollars including setting your new website up. It’s also important that the home business program you sign up with offers free training and support. This way you can learn all you need to know to make your home business successful. Another good thing to look for in a home business program is to find out if they can set your new website up for you. In this case you only have to come up with a domain name for your new site and they will set your new income generating website up for you. This can be done within 24 hours.

The things you don’t want to look for in a stay at home mom job description are the numerous scams that claim to make you rich overnight or require a lot of money to sign up for without even offering free training and support or a free website. Those home business programs are only after your money.

When you do find an honest home business program that suits you, you can have your new website set up for you within 24 hours. Once your website is set up, you can get creative and customize your site until it has the look you desire.

The great benefit of this type of home business is that you only have to put in a few hours a week and then your website does the work for you the rest of the week. Another benefit is that customers from all over the world can buy products via your site, so your site can make money 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Finding a good stay at home mom job description isn’t difficult, just keep these few tips in mind and you can successfully start your own home business.…

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ETFs Versus Mutual Funds – Which is Right For You?

ETFs Versus Mutual Funds – Which is Right For You?

In recent years more and more investors are selecting Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) over mutual funds. But what exactly is an ETF, and how do they differ from the mutual fund? The two have some similarities such as allowing investors to diversify their assets among numerous sectors of the market. However, there are several important distinctions worth noting.

Tax-Efficiency

If you own a mutual fund, then you have probably experienced a year-end capital gains distribution (even if your mutual fund had a negative return for the year) because trades made by the fund sponsor throughout the year flow to its shareholders. Depending on the size of your portfolio, this can create unwanted and unpredictable tax consequences at year-end. ETFs, however, do not have capital gains distributions because ETF sponsors do not transact with their shareholders. ETFs are traded among other investors. Hence, capital gains/losses are controlled by the investor making them highly tax efficient.

Liquidity and Transparency

While mutual funds investors can only buy or sell their shares directly from the fund sponsor and only at the end of each day, ETFs can be traded throughout the day just like stocks. Investors not only can actively trade ETFs, they can also employ the same trading strategies that apply to stocks (limit or stop loss orders, short-sales, and options). In addition, it’s easier to “look under the hood” of an ETF, because unlike mutual funds, ETFs report their holdings daily, giving investors up-to-date information.

Cost

Mutual fund companies, regardless of size, incur significant record-keeping expenses to keep track of all their shareholders. ETFs, however, are low-cost and do not have such expenses because they are traded among investors just like stocks. Unlike some mutual funds, ETFs do not have sales loads or require minimum investments; investors only have to pay a commission to their brokerage firm to trade ETFs. In addition, most popular ETFs are extremely liquid, as millions of shares are traded each day. This allows investors to easily trade their shares with minimal impact on price.

Based on this information, you may assume mutual funds are no longer good investment options; however, is not that simple. There is no hard and fast rule, but here are some good rules of thumb to determine which is right for you:

• Many mutual fund companies have low minimums to start (as low as $25), but commissions to trade ETFs make such small purchases very cost prohibitive.

• If an investor plans to dollar-cost-average (buy a fixed dollar amount every month) or reinvest dividends, then a mutual fund is a better option.

• Mutual funds are effective for gaining exposure to a very specific sector of the market. For instance, it may be more appropriate for an investor interested in investing in international high yield fixed income or a specific country.

The growth in ETFs has exploded in recent years, and according to estimates by the Financial Research Corp. of Boston, ETF assets will most likely reach $1.4 trillion by 2011. And while mutual funds still remain the dominant investment vehicles in individual retirement accounts where the bulk of investor assets are held, it is important to determine which, mutual funds or ETFs, is right for your unique circumstances.…

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3 Keys to Getting the Best Home Investment Program

3 Keys to Getting the Best Home Investment Program

Today there are several different stock programs on the market which will generate analytically picked stocks which are set to go and profitable trends so that you can invest accordingly without needing the experience or time to invest yourself. These programs are modeled after programs which professional traders use to anticipate market data but are available on a home based scale.

All you’ve got to do is invest in the corresponding picks which they generate to make reliable money. Not every home investment program is as good as the next, so here’s what to look for to get the best stock program for the money.

First, look for the home investment program you go with to focus entirely on cheap stocks. Penny stocks perform with much more volatility than greater priced stocks as it takes virtually little trading influence and send them skyrocketing value. Some home investment programs exclusively target cheap stocks for this reason, because if you can find a cheap stock which is set to go on a profitable jump you can make far more money on it than an initially greater valued stock.

Next, go with a home investment program with a money back guarantee on it. Most importantly for the reason for doing this is the fact that it enables you to test the program first hand. This entails getting the program, receiving a handful stock picks, and following their performances along in the market accordingly. I’ve done this with every home investment program I’ve ever used and find it to be the best indication of whether or not this program is worth your money.

You can also check out a user review site or two to learn a thing about the most popular, not to mention the least popular, stock programs on the market. You can learn interesting insights about these programs which you likely never learn from the publisher themselves.…

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How to Make US Government Spending Habits Work Toward Your Investing Process

How to Make US Government Spending Habits Work Toward Your Investing Process

We are better than most world economies only because we are sinking slower. We are however still going under. I see the direction of the U.S. government as something we, as its citizens better off not fighting but joining.

Here are some musings/observations about our economy that we as investors can use to our benefit.

1. There is no reward for savers anymore. We punish people who do everything right. Savers earn nothing on their bank deposits, and the purchasing power of their savings falls further every day. When the interest rates are lower than the rate of inflation, simply saving or investing in low risk instruments such as treasury or municipal bonds doesn’t work.

2. The Government DOES however reward indebtedness. My financial plan now includes going into as much debt as I can. The Government rewards people who take on more debt than they can manage. I watch people who haven’t made a mortgage payment in years and still live in their house, which never gets foreclosed.

3. The Government devalues our money by printing more whenever it’s convenient to cover its ever increasing debt. Therefore what seems like a large amount of money today will amount to nothing in the future with the inflation of the dollar.

4. Many Americans believe they are entitled to something. The lower income populations feel entitled to Government handouts and the rich are entitled to lower taxes than the rest of us. Middle income people pay the fare and don’t expect rewards.

5. Government insurance of banks assures them they can’t fail, no matter how many bad loans they make. We created a penalty-free environment for stupidity. Use this to your advantage.

You’ll lose when you play against the Government. Don’t play against the Government, play with them. Don’t work hard to pay off debt. If you really want to go all the way, skip a few house payments every year, and invest that money.

Before you start skipping house payments however, be sure to refinance your house and get as much equity out of it as you can. Remember, the Government doesn’t reward you for having equity in your house. You don’t get to deduct anything on your taxes for home equity, but you can deduct a second mortgage interest.

Once you’ve borrowed to the limit at long term and low interest, pay back the loan with as little of the principle as you can manage. If you can get an interest-only loan, all the better. If you can get a thirty year loan at under 3% interest, you’ve got the best of all worlds.

The plan is to pay back as little principle as possible. Emulate your role model, the U.S. Government. After 30 more years of inflation, the annual income of the average household will be $500,000 a year.

If you managed to borrow a half million dollars during that time for example, go ahead and pay it back. It will be like having a $50,000 loan today. It’ll be chump change. Retire the loan and thank the Government for the continued devaluation of the dollar.

You could invest the principle for 30 years and get rich using their policies, while paying practically nothing for the money. This is my retirement plan. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.…

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5 Necessary Advice for Investors In Stock Trading

5 Necessary Advice for Investors In Stock Trading

Investing in the Internet is a new huge trend and it’s worth to know for beginners some basics. So, I would like you to have a look at the following stock trading advice for the novices.

I need to say, the people who want to be involved in stock trading need to know much. This is the knowledge about different situations on the market, security of types of trades. Of course, nobody is perfect about it. But certainly some tips exist about making the inputs more beneficial

Where Should You Invest

Today so many sites exist for online trading, such as TradeKing, E-Trade, Scottrade. All of them may be used by newbie for advice and they help to find a brokerage firm with attractive rates of commissions. These sites also have free courses and important tips for successful trading. Plus they may offer deals, as free accounts for trading for a special gap of time.

The Investment Advice: Learn the Basics.

The Ropes for novice investors is understanding the utilities and the operations in trades. The basis orders, fro example stop-loss and limit and other more complicated operations are available.

Initial Tools for Stock Trading

Learning the stops and limits are vital for successful trades on the initial stages. Direct purchases and sells or orders they all require permanent watch, however other exchanges let investors to make safe nets for purchases and sells that helps to create better trading. And it doesn’t have to be viewed all the time.

Making Inputs to Learn Trades and Orders

The novices in investment have to practice to use the limit of stop orders and will make fell free to invest. Free trades are available at and at related sites. Though, real trades are to help newbie to understand the importance of trades and real risk.

A good experience may be received through handling small amounts of money. One of the clues to success in trading is the low buying and higher sale that is attained by variability in a security. Novice in investment can use the tools at online companies and it will help them to be good at trading.

Looking for Indicators

There are indicators that can aid the investors to foresee the next move according to the security. But it doesn’t give the whole picture, as there exist different techniques to make an analysis of the presented course within the particular time. The tips here are: days of success or raising/falling tendency of the market.

The above mentioned tips and advice can undoubtedly help newbie in investment to understand the mechanism and tendencies in order to gain a return from that. First, they need to choose a good site, study the orders, search for potential indicators and then practice, of course. That will help a new investor make a notable progress in his online trading.…

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Easy Tips to Start Investing Tomorrow

Easy Tips to Start Investing Tomorrow

Most people know that they should invest their money. Over time, well thought out investments can out-perform most simple savings accounts. But the idea of actually starting an investment can be paralyzing.

What should you invest in?

How much money should you invest?

Where do you even start?

First things first – do you have a broker?

A broker is a person or institution which facilitates the sale and purchase of investment vehicles such as equities (stock) or mutual funds. Now, if you’re just starting out, you’re probably not going to get much interest from the big investment firms. Instead, consider using a simple online discount brokerage. The fees are generally smaller and the initial monetary commitment that is required is lower.

After you’ve set yourself up with a broker, you need to transfer money into the brokerage. How much you start with is entirely up to you – but remember, many brokerages will have a minimum amount that is required to open an account. When you first start investing, it’s often easiest to begin with the minimum amount and contribute more as you grow more comfortable.

Next comes the tough part – what do you invest in?

When you’re first starting to invest, there are generally two options that people consider: equities or funds. Equities generally refer to the purchase of stock while funds, such as mutual funds or ETFs, refer to collections of investment vehicles, some of which may be equities. While the choice is yours and you should certainly research it further, most people often find it easiest to start investing in mutual funds or ETFs because it gives them exposure to many companies at once, rather than taking a risk on a single stock pick.

Then – just get started and make a purchase! While some people might feel tempted to wait for the “best” price, in reality, no one can predict what the economy will do with 100 percent accuracy. You might not get the best price, the stock might go down, and it might go up – but as long as you intend on holding it for the long term, you’ll be able to weather the storm. In fact, many people find it advantageous to contribute regularly to their investments. Over the course of a year, this “averages” your purchase cost – at times you’ll pay the best price and at times you’ll pay the worst, but on average, you pay something in the middle.

Finally, always remember that a simple savings account is an investment as well.

It’s a very conservative investment and it won’t make you a huge amount of money, but if you are uncertain of how to proceed, it’s never a bad idea to simply stash that money away in a savings account.…