Archive for May, 2009

Equipment Financing


Truck And Heavy Equipment Financing – i80 Equipment

I-80 equipment sells used bucket trucks for many different industries. The trucks they offer are reconditioned and offered to their customers at pre-owned prices. The aim of I-80 equipment is to help companies find quality equipment for their business without all the hassle. The valuable resources that I-80 equipment offers have helped many companies get quality trucks at a low and affordable price.

Financing can be a difficult process when it comes to making a major purchase of industrial equipment for a business. I-80 understands the frustrations facing these businesses. Sometimes equipment is needed immediately in order for a business to flourish. If the equipment is not obtained it may result in a downturn for the company. That is why I-80 equipment has specialists that are always ready to walk a new or existing client through the finance process.

To provide their customers with better service and more options I-80 offers financing to its clients. All the client needs to do is find the boom truck, digger derrick truck, crane truck or bucket truck that suits the needs of the company. The next step is to fill out the finance application with the necessary information and I-80 does the rest. I-80 will consult with the client and find the financing that is right for them.

The service that a client receives is very important to I-80 equipment. The company is always ready to provide service and support to any customer who requests help. This one on one contact with companies and clients is essential to I-80. This kind of support is one factor behind the growth and stability of the company. A client can contact the company by email, phone or simply filling out a web form. The company will then get back to the customer right away to address any questions or concerns they may have. This kind of customer service reassures the client that they are making the right decision by purchasing through I-80 equipment.

The client can receive customer support before the purchase of a bucket truck or other special equipment. After the purchase of their equipment they can receive the same support they received prior to the purchase. Not only does this reassure the customer that they are receiving a quality product, but they will receive I-80 equipments customer service as well. With the financial service as well as the customer support that is offered by I-80 the client can be assured they have made the right choice in choosing I-80 equipment.



0 APR Credit Cards


APR, (which stands for annual percentage rate), is an important factor when deciding what credit card you want to sign up for. Specifically defined, APR is simply the rate of interest you will be charged by your credit card company. Credit cards offer a variety of approaches to APR. Some will offer you a fixed-rate APR, so you’ll be paying at a particular interest rate for the whole time you have a balance. Others will offer you an introductory APR. You start off with a very low interest rate then after a certain period of time, it would change to a higher rate. However, what you should try to look for are 0% APR credit cards. With 0% APR credit cards, you do not have to worry about an interest rate at all for a defined period of time. In fact, the average time period that most credit cards will offer a 0% APR is usually 6 months to 1 year. There are even a few 0% APR credit cards that may offer this rate for as long as fifteen months!

So, why do 0% APR credit cards exist? It’s simple. By offering 0% APR credit cards, companies hope that their customers are going to embark on a spending frenzy. When the phenomenally low APR rate ends, 0% APR credit cards turn into credit cards charging a normal interest rate. The customer has to pay at this rate until their balance is paid in full.

For this reason if you’re considering signing up for a 0% APR credit card, it is very important you do whatever you can to pay your balance before the 0% APR term is up. For example, if you get a 0% APR credit card that has a 0% APR for 1 year, you will have exactly 1 year to pay whatever balance you have before you get charged interest. To try and avoid having a balance that you can’t afford, it’s best to spend small and pay it off as soon as you can. You may even want to make your own personal payment plan where you set aside some money that’s to only be used for paying your credit card.

With that being said, if you’re still interested in obtaining a 0% APR credit card, you should look no further than the Internet. Of course, it may be tempting to use one of the offers that come in the mail, but if you do that you may not get the best 0% APR credit card available. This is because there are some 0% APR credit cards that, in addition to offering a non-existent APR, also offer additional rewards. These can include: special points that can be redeemed for merchandise, travel rewards or even cash back. This means if you spend carefully enough, a 0% APR credit card can actually earn you free stuff or cash to help you pay your other bills. But if you sign up with just any 0% APR credit card offer you might receive in the mail, you may not get these advantages.

So, set the mailing aside and go on the Internet first. Visit a credit card comparison website, choose a card and follow the prompts to sign up for the offer. When you are finished, most 0% APR credit card sites will let you know in a matter of minutes if you’re approved or not. If you’re not approved do the process again. Keep doing it until you find the right 0% APR credit card. If you can’t find anything, only then should you send in any mail-in offers you may have received.



SBIC Loan


The SBA or Small Business Administration loan is a significant source of financing for small businesses.  Typically, SBA loans are used to finance plant construction or expansion, to purchase equipment, and to provide working capital.  Under the SBA Guaranty Loan Program, loans to entrepreneurs from private lenders, usually banks, are guaranteed for 80% of loans up to $100,000 and 75% for loans over $100,000. 

Working capital loans generally have maturities of five to seven years.  Longer maturities are used to finance fixed assets, such as land and buildings. Lenders apply directly for SBA loans for their customers. Essentially, you are a customer of the bank, and the bank is a customer of the SBA.  You will not deal directly with the SBA but will work through your lending officer.

If the bank feels that you are a creditworthy customer and is willing to apply for the SBA loan, which greatly minimizes its risk, it will prepare a loan package to submit to the SBA.  This loan package will contain the bank’s credit analysis of your venture and the loan request.

The SBA will perform an independent review of the loan package.  It will determine whether the business is eligible under its guidelines and whether the entrepreneur meets its credit requirements.  The agency closely evaluates whether your sales and financial projections are realistic.  In addition, it scrutinizes your repayment ability.

Many banks have signed participation agreements with the SBA.  However, only 50% of these banks are active lenders and send in applications for SBA loans.  Further, only about 25% of these lenders aggressively pursue SBA loans.  Therefore, it is important to determine whether a potential lender regularly participates in the SBA loan programs.

The interest rate the bank charges you will vary.  A bank can charge up to 2.25% above the New York prime rate for loans with maturity dates of less than seven years.  On maturities over seven years, the bank may charge up to 2.75%.  An interest rate can be fixed or variable, depending on your negotiation and relationship with the lender.

The SBA does offer a direct loan program, but currently the funds are available only to Vietnam era veterans and other disabled veterans who have a 30% or more compensable disability.  To obtain additional information about the SBA business loan programs, call its business development division.  You can also ask for the brochure of Business Loans from the SBA.

You could also contact a local small-business investment company or SBIC, a privately owned company, licensed by the SBA, to provide equity capital and long term loans to the entrepreneurs.  Your local SBA office can provide you with a list of SBICs.

Smart Tips for Obtaining an SBA Backed loan

1 – Develop a business plan that contains proper financial projections, including cash flow, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets.  Make your projections month by month for the first year of operation and then annually for the next three to four years.

2 – Prepare a current personal financial statement for any principals involved in the venture.

3 – List the collateral to be offered as security, including an estimate of the present market value of each item.

4 – State the amount of the loan request and the purpose for which the funds will be used.

5 – Establish a business relationship with a full service bank that participates in government lending programs.

6 – Make an appointment with your loan officer and ask him or her to finance your loan.

7 – If the loan is turned down, ask about the possibility of using the SBA Guaranty Loan Program.

If you follow these few tips for applying SBA loan, you should be able to successfully have the approval for the loan.  You can also do the research on the web for more information about the loan application process.



Student Consolidation Loan


Student consolidation loans are meant to reduce the number of monthly payments, to cut the amount of interests paid for finance and to reduce the amount of money destined to pay off student debt so you can use the surplus for other purposes.

Though these loans are great for getting hold of the benefits portrayed above, there are many things that must be taken into account when undertaking student debt consolidation that may reduce or boost these benefits. Since knowledge does not take up space, read on and make sure to remember these tips and tricks so you can make the most out of your debt consolidation loan:

Keep your Government Loans and your Private Loans Apart

Federal student loans usually come with many benefits you surely want to keep. This includes a significantly lower interest rate that you will not be able to beat with any private consolidation loan. So if you need to consolidate your federal student loans, you will need to resort to government consolidation programs. Use private consolidation loans only with private student loans.

Focus on getting rid of variable rate loans

Though sometimes lower, variable rates tend to be a problem since you cannot predict market variations and thus your budgeting may be useless. If possible, consolidate all your variable rate loans into a single fixed interest student consolidation loan and leave fixed interest rate loans aside unless you can get a significantly lower interest rate with the consolidation loan.

Watch for prepaying penalties

Some lenders penalize those who pay off their debt sooner by adding extraordinary fees to the overall debt claiming additional administrative costs. If this is the case, you should leave low balance loans aside. If the fees are not covered by the amount of money you will be saving by consolidating the loan you will want to continue paying the loan on its original terms.

Keep your credit report clean

Try not to incur in delinquencies as this will be recorded into your credit history and prevent you from getting a good interest rate when applying for a consolidation loan. Before applying, always request your credit report and make sure everything is in order. If you happen to find any inconsistencies, contact the credit agency immediately and demand that they correct the inaccuracies. Many have been denied loans just because a credit agency employee had made a mistake.

Avoid Trading Loan Length in exchange of Lower monthly payments

Unless you really cannot afford the loan installments, refrain from extending the length of the loan. It is best to get lower monthly payments by agreeing to a lower interest rate than to get them by adding to the number of outstanding monthly payments.

Extending the loan length may solve your current cash flow problems by reducing your installments, but will increase the overall cost of the student consolidation loan turning it into a bad deal.

It is best to cut on your expenses for a little while till your income increases than to consent on many years more of annoying debt.





Cash Back Rewards Credit Card


This one is for all those people who dread a credit card. People who are generally not very happy about the problems associated with a credit card generally should get aware of the ‘Cash Back’ rewards that most of the credit cards are providing now.

You thought shopping only meant spending money? Well, with more and more players in the credit card market, the competition to lure the customers is only growing intense. Credit Card companies keep coming up with new and innovative ideas to get a one up with them. Rewarding the customers for the usage of their card is one such tactic that keeps both the parties happy.

What is a Cash Back Reward?

The credit card companies give an incentive to the customers for spending more on their card with a cash return assurance. This cash return is normally a fixed percentage of the total purchase made and is credited to your card. The purchases that are rewarded with cash back are the ones made in one billing cycle.

How does it Work?

The Cash Back Reward program on a card works on various conditions. You might require having a total balance due equal to or more than a fixed amount. The cash back you get also can depend on the kind of purchase you make. Most of the credit cards give a maximum return of up to 5% on your purchases however it may even be less for certain kinds of purchases like groceries etc. the amount that you get as a cash return is credited to your card and reduces your total balance. Some select cards may even give you a much higher cash return on different conditions.

What to Look for in Cash Back Card?

There are a few things that you need to look for while choosing a cashback credit card. First of all check the application, processing and annual fees on it. Then find out other conditions like minimum balanced required and the amount of purchase that you need to make in order to get a return. It should not be so that you go through a lot of fees and charges just to realize later that you would not even be making as many purchases.

Also check if you do make the kind of purchases it requires getting the maximum cash back. For instance, a card might be giving you high cash back on purchase of jewelry but you might not want to buy jewelry in any near future. In such a case, it would not be worth going through unnecessary charges and get something you might not use.

Good to Know

You should also know that you do not get a cash return on balance transfers, accumulated balance due to late fees and finance chares and also cash withdrawals. In most cases, returned merchandises and fraudulent transactions also do not earn cash back rewards. The only thing you should keep in mind however is that you must read the terms and conditions very well before applying for a cash back card. If you are the kind of consumer who uses the credit card more often and satisfies all the conditions then, a free lunch is always a good thing!