Category: Financial

Business Credit Line Funding On Remote Control Asset Based Lending And Funding Delivers

Business credit line funding needs can be achieved in more ways than one. The concept of having your funding needs on a ‘ remote control ‘ should be very appealing to most business owners / financial managers. Asset based lending via ‘ ABL ‘ credit lines is one way to put your company on cash flow auto pilot. Here’s how. Let’s dig in.

Businesses requiring SME COMMERCIAL FINANCE funding for cash flow are always challenged by the requirements of our somewhat monopolistic banking system in Canada. The strength, market dominance, and the regulated nature of our banks make it often difficult for companies who are even doing quite well to achieve some or all of the financing they need. Simply speaking they fall ‘ outside the box ‘ when it comes to requirements that include profits, cash flows, clean balance sheets, etc.

The banks requirement of covenants in cash flow, debt, profits, equity simply can sometimes not be always met, and these are typically a written part of your bank arrangements. Firms who fall ‘ out of covenant ‘ with their bank often find themselves feeling not so ‘ special ‘ when they are placed in Special Loans Default dept’s at the bank .

By utilizing your firms current and fixed assets asset based lines of credit allow you to leave your business on a kind of ‘ auto pilot ‘ for cash flow financing. That’s because the combination of accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets allow you to monetize those assets into one single borrowing base that revolves and can be drawn down according to your cash flow needs.

When properly managed and utilized (and structured in advance!) this type of cash flow funding allows you to”

Finance operations

Engage larger clients/ larger orders/contracts

Finance inventory which in many bank circumstances is sometimes not achievable

Typically you would never use your revolving asset based credit line as a mechanism to acquire new assets – this is typically done via equipment leases or bridge loans that sometimes are more applicable when a firm is in a financing transition.

By the way, in a merger and acquisition scenario the Asset Based Credit Line is an excellent way to successfully acquire a target company.

How does the ongoing access to liquidity work in Asset based lending? A/R is often financed at 90%, and inventory borrowing margins, while depending on the type of inventory class (raw materials, work in process, finished goods) can range from 25-75% borrowing power. Should a business choose to monetize fixed assets as part of their revolving credit facility typically a third party appraisal/valuation is required.

It should be noted that ongoing reporting requirements are typical of an asset based line of credit – in some cases owners/managers might find rigorous monthly ( sometimes weekly ) reporting as a ‘ downside ‘ of ABL cash flow financing . While 99% of the time pricing on these facilities is higher than bank credit the alternative is a liquidity crisis for ongoing operations of growth.

We’ve shown how not all business credit lines are not created equal. If you’re prepared to investigate the applicability of asset based lending to your business seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you with your funding needs.

Stan Prokop

The Main Advantages of Women Financial Advisors

During a forum back in 2010, then president of Citi Personal Banking and Wealth Management said that America would never have experienced the 2008 financial crisis if it was the Lehman Sisters and not the Lehman Brothers.

That being said, the financial services industry is still undoubtedly a man’s world. Based on a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 31% of financial advisors in the US are women, which means almost 8 out of 10 financial brokers and consultants are men. This is contraindicative to the recent findings of a research done by Pershing, a financial consultancy firm under the BNY Mellon group, which revealed a projected rise in demand for women financial advisors.

From the standpoint of financial advisor recruiters, this is a simple economic situation – high demand and low supply equals a lot of opportunities. If you’re a woman in the financial industry, this is a great time to look for better jobs and greener pastures. In doing so, it pays to know what your main advantages are over your male counterparts. This would allow you to strongly position yourself during job interviews.

So, what exactly are your key advantages as a female financial advisor?

Women Understands Women

Women-owned businesses account to trillions of dollars per year. According to the same report from Pershings, female investors are more likely to hire financial consultants than their male counterparts – 46% versus 36%. The study also shows that female clients are more likely to develop a long-term and loyal relationship with a consulting firm. Not coincidentally, most of these women entrepreneurs prefer to hire female advisors. Why do you think is that? For one, it is a consensus in the industry that women clients require more intensive consulting and they take more time than female clients. This is because female investors are more detail-oriented.

Also, the number of wealthy women who are not necessarily investors or entrepreneurs is rising. These are those who just got divorced, was recently widowed, etc. They have real money and they need help in managing their finances. According to financial services recruiters, this new breed of rich women are more comfortable working with female consultants because they are more patient, are typically good listeners and wouldn’t mind hearing about the personal stories of their clients.

Women Generate Clients in More Varied Ways than Men

According to the 2012 Fidelity Broker and Advisor Sentiment survey, 71% of female wealth managers attend industry gatherings and in-person seminars. This is significantly higher compared to the 36% of men who attend such networking events. The report says nothing conclusive about this information but it’s easy to draw an educated hypothesis – women develop more connections and therefore, more opportunities to acquire new clients. Also, women are more open to clients who are looking beyond the traditional investment platforms.

Experts also observe that female financial advisors are craftier in promoting their expertise. Carol Pepper, the woman behind the New York-based investment firm Pepper International wrote a book to promote her services. Chapin Hill Advisors president Kathy Boyle often gives speeches to create thought leadership for the firm. She also use blogging as a tool to reach potential clients.

Women have made and are continuously making their mark in the financial services arena and though they are still outnumbered, it wouldn’t be surprising if they equal or surpass the number of financial advisors in the future.

Financial Hardship Loans

Auto title loans have helped many people in a time of need. These types of loans are granted to people who own their car outright and use that car as a form of collateral. Depending on the type of car that you have, age, mileage and condition will depend on the amount that you can receive for the car. Interest rates and repayment schedules are based on the individual auto title loan company.

These auto title loans are a great way to get a quick fix to a bad financial situation. Many of us find that emergencies do not always happen on payday or at a time when they are financially secure. They happen when least expected and the need to fix the problem is urgent. You may not have the time, or the credit, to apply and wait for a conventional loan. In that scenario, if you own your car, you may consider a auto title loan.

Car title loans can assist you when you need it most. If you need to fill a prescription, visit the doctor or even buy diapers before payday comes, this quick fix loan can help. Many people have found that when they are in a crisis this is the fastest way to get through a problem without the hassles of trying to get a personal loan.

There are no credit checks with a auto title loan. If you own the car you can get a loan. This is very helpful to anyone with bad or poor credit. You do not have to wait for approval, you do not have to have the perfect credit score, you just need a clear car title in your name.

If you fail to repay the loan the car will automatically become the property of the loan company. You will forfeit all rights to that car and you may even incur penalties for the cost the loan company has to transfer the title and reclaim their losses. If you use this service in a time of need you really need to be sure you can repay the loan. Auto title loans can be a life saver in a bad situation and, if used right, the help you desperately need. When you apply for a title loan make sure you are aware of all the stipulations and can repay the loan.

Decorating a room with a personal photography canvas print

When it comes to decorating your home it can be a challenge, not only for budget but it also present a challenge with getting inspiration and ideas of how you would like it to look. Going online if you have a computer to hand is always a really great way to find out some ideas and get some colour schemes into your head as to what you want to decorate that room with, maybe you want a chocolate brow couch in that room or maybe you want to paint the walls all different colours like duck egg blue on one wall and then yellow on another. Whatever you choose to go with its always a good idea to keep your mind open and try and focus on a couple of different ideas and targets, especially if you’re looking to decorate that room with wall decoration like canvas prints or posters as they can tend to look really great if you get the colours and picture just right.

Let’s say your decoration your new born baby’s room and its going to be a boy. You could of course paint it blue and you could get some cream stuff in there to like a cream cot which would look lovely. What if you were to decorate the walls with some loving photos of mum and dad for your baby to look at wile it sleeps or while it sit and looks up in the mornings or at night before it goes to sleep. It would be such a wonderful thing for your baby to looking up and see mum and dad in a photo canvas print that was professional made and processional take taken by a talented photographer. That would be such a treat for your baby.

Lets fast forward a few years, once you baby is all grown up then it would be a lovely idea to get that same photographer to take some up to date photos of you and your little family and then you can change your canvas prints that you have hung up previously up in your baby’s room to new canvas prints, that’s a great idea if you’re looking to freshen up a room. You don’t have to go over board and decorate the whole room, simply by changing a few of the wall dcor or little ornaments can always to a room such wonders. You also have the option of printing art or Disney images or things like that on canvas prints for your little Childs room; whatever they are likening at that point in time would be a great idea to lift that room with colour and happiness.

If you’re decorating a room downstairs then there’s so much you can do depending on what style or look you’re going for. There are lots of interior magazines you can look at for ideas and there lots of website online that can help you achieve the looks that you want. Having wall decoration is a stunning way to not only brighten up a room but it also shows of personality and shines off the feeling that you went to a lot of effort to get the look you have.

If you’re in to a certain band or you really like a film star then getting photos of them to decorate your home with is also such a brilliant way to be happy with your home decoration. You could get wall murals of your favourite movie scene or you could simply have some really detailed photography canvas printing made from your favourite holiday destination. If you were to get your favourite holiday destination on a canvas print then it would simply remind you of that lovely holiday you had at that certain place which is just brilliant.

Card Customers Being Surprised By ‘trailing Interest’

Credit cards customers who are trying to clear their debts are being surprised with further charges even though they may think they have already cleared the balance.

An egg customer and Guardian reader brought the problem to the media attention, the problem can occur when a customer is paying debt carried over from the previous month.

This is what many credit card companies call trailing interest on any negative balance between the issuing of the last statement and the customer paying off the debt.

Some have a minimum fee and if interest does not reach, that amount it will be “topped up” the charge, so borrwers will be repaying no lower than the minimum fee.

Unfair minimum charges

In the case of Egg the minimum is 50p, while at MBNA and Barclays it is 1. For customers with Egg, the internet bank who pay off their debt via direct debit they could incur up to 18 days worth of interest on a balance that they think they have settled in full.

A spokeswoman for Egg, speaking to the Guardian newspaper, said: “Interest is charged on the outstanding balance between our issuing the statement and the payment being made. We request payment via your direct debit 14 days after the statement date.”

Direct debits cannot be called over a weekend so if a customer’s direct debit is due to leave their account on a Saturday or Sunday, we’ll move the payment date to Monday. The longest they’ll go between statement date and paying their account is 16 days – 18 if their payment date falls over the Easter weekend.

The spokeswoman added: “If the interest amounts to less than 50p we top up the charge so it equals that amount. She added that interest would be charged on the outstanding interest and top-up fee.

“All credit card contracts will mention trailing interest in the terms and conditions but more often than not it can be hidden away within the small print of the contract. In Egg’s case the explanation behind the charges has been described as virtually incomprehensible.”

The top-up fee

In the contract it says it will charge, “a top-up fee where the amount of interest charged to your account on any statement is less than 50p and the fee will be the amount required to make the top-up fee plus that interest equal to 50p. Where this applies, your statement will show a 50p minimum finance charge”.

Barclay card mentions on its website that interest is charged until the full date of repayment meaning that you may receive a further interest charge the second month, however there is no mention of the extra 1 pound charge.

Peter Harrison, a credit cards specialist at a leading price comparison website, said too often financial services companies include these wrinkles in their terms and conditions and it is important customers check the details before applying.

He added: “Whilst the sums of money involved are quite small, many customers who want to clear their full balance will, no doubt, find this irritating.”

The extra interest charges are not likely to send customers spiraling back into debt but there is no doubt that many would find it annoying receiving another statement after thinking that the balance had already been paid off.