Thursday, October 25, 2007

Business Opportunity Investing Loan - Buy a Business Investment

Business Opportunity Investing Loan - Buy a Business Investment
The success of business opportunity investment strategies
will depend heavily on the quality of business financing
which is arranged. Business finance strategies for business
opportunity investing are more difficult than most
borrowers realize, particularly if prospective business
investors are primarily familiar with residential or
commercial real estate investment property.

Buying a business opportunity is likely to be an extremely
challenging task when arranging the business loan. This is
largely due to the usual lack of commercial property as
collateral for the business financing to buy a business
opportunity. When buying a business that does not include
commercial real estate, business borrowers need to realize
that business loan options will be greatly reduced in
comparison to a business purchase that can be financed with
a commercial mortgage.

Business Opportunity Investment Financing Guidelines -

The guidelines and comments in this article are based upon
business loan terms that are typically available from
respected lenders willing to provide business financing for
buying a business opportunity throughout the United States.
There will always be occasional situations in which the
seller is willing to privately finance the purchase of a
business opportunity, and it is not practical to discuss
those business financing possibilities in this article.

Length of Business Loan to Expect When Buying a Business
Opportunity -

Business loan terms to buy a business will typically
include a shorter amortization period than commercial real
estate financing. A ten-year maximum term is common, and
even that length of business financing is likely to require
a commercial lease of at least ten years.

Likely Interest Rates to Buy a Business Opportunity -

In the current business loan interest rate environment, the
likely range for buying a business opportunity is 11 to 12
percent. To put this in perspective, it is not unusual for
a commercial mortgage to be in the 10 to 11 percent range.
The cost of business financing to buy a business is
routinely higher than the cost of a commercial mortgage due
to the lack of commercial property for lender collateral in
a business opportunity transaction.

Down Payment Requirements for Buying a Business Opportunity
-

Depending on the specific type of business and some other
issues, a normal down payment for a business loan to buy a
business is 20 to 25 percent. Some seller financing (such
as 10 percent) is usually helpful and in some cases might
reduce the down payment required from the buyer to buy a
business.

Buying a Business Opportunity - Refinancing Options -

A related business loan issue to anticipate when buying a
business is that refinancing the business opportunity loan
terms will normally be even more difficult than the
original business financing. There are currently some new
business loan programs in the final stages of development
that could dramatically improve future refinancing options.
But until these new business financing options are
finalized, it is important to arrange the best possible
terms initially and not depend upon refinancing
possibilities.

Lenders to Avoid When Commercial Borrowers Buy a Business
Opportunity -

Perhaps the most important phase of the business loan
process for buying a business opportunity is the selection
of a commercial lender. In our view an even more critical
stage of this process is avoiding certain lenders that are
routinely unsuccessful in finalizing a business loan to buy
a business.

By avoiding such lenders, commercial borrowers are likely
to avoid many other business financing problems frequently
associated with buying a business opportunity. Avoiding
problem lenders will be instrumental to the eventual
success of both the business loan process and the long-term
financial health of the business being acquired.


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Stephen Bush and AEX Commercial Financing Group provide
business opportunity loan and business finance help and AEX
Commercial Real Estate Investment Property Financing and
Business Loan Reports:
http://aexcommercialfinancing.com

Retirement Financial Planning and Retirement Ideas

Retirement Financial Planning and Retirement Ideas
Too soon we get old, and too late we get smart is the old
Yiddish proverb. This applies to most people as they do
retirement planning. Retirement ideas range from
imagining yourself living in a life of luxury, playing
golf, taking 9 month vacations, and enjoying life, down to
living in a retirement community where your basic needs are
taken care of. Failing to plan for your retirement can
have very negative consequences on the quality of your
retired life.

To do proper retirement financial planning, you should
start early - that's the "too late smart" part of the
proverb. You're getting older every day - are you getting
smarter? Fortunately, there are retirement books that can
help you with this. One of the most important is "401(k)
Basics" by Motley Fool publishing. It will steer you into
how to make the most of a company 401(k) plan, while taking
an unsentimental retirement view - telling you that there
is no fast road to riches, only steady, regular savings and
investing will help ensure you against retirement losses.

Your retirement benefits should contain a mix of growth
funds early on, wealth preservation funds and income
generation tools as you age - this can be found online
through a number of retirement calculators, and will help
you plan the day when you can send your company your
retirement letters and say "I'll be on the golf course!"
Most retirement calculators are driven by an investing rule
called the Rule of 72 - take 72 and divide it by your rate
of return in points (for example, getting 6% on a savings
account or CD) and that will tell you how many years it
takes for your investment to double. In this case, 72
divided by 6 is 12, meaning that sitting an investment down
in a 6% account means it will double in 12 years.

Remember that slow and steady contributions win the day;
you can't rush this later in life. Start early, invest
everything you can afford to, and know that your money is
working for you in the long term. If you're eligible for a
401(k) program, you should take it - it benefits you in
multiple ways, from employee matching (which doubles your
investment) to being take out of your paycheck before taxes
(which is fundamentally giving you a 20-35% increase in the
net investment from doing it in post-tax income) to tax
deferral on the interest it accrues. A 401(k) is by far
and away the best retirement investment vehicle possible.

One thing you should not count on is Social Security; due
to changing demographics, we're going to be disbursing more
from Social Security than it takes in in about 5 to 10
years, and the fund will literally run out at the current
rate of contributions in thirty years. Presume that you're
on your own and plan accordingly.


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Find other articles related to Retirement Financial
Planning by Anthony Smith at:
http://retirementinformation4u.com

Does Your Son or Daughter Need a Citi Student Credit Card?

Does Your Son or Daughter Need a Citi Student Credit Card?
If you have a son or daughter in college, you might want to
ask yourself if a Citi student credit card is in order.
After all, a student, no matter where they go to school, is
definitely going to come across more than their fair share
of credit card offers. As a parent, you want to make sure
you lead them on the right path. So ask yourself, is a Citi
student credit card the credit card you want your pride and
joy to carry?

Why a Citi Student Credit Card?

So why should you consider a Citi student credit card over
the other student credit cards on the market? Chances are
you have the best interests of your child in mind and,
let's face it, some of the companies offering student
credit cards do not. Citi, however, seems to be one of the
better student credit card issuers.

What's So Great About Citi?

First and foremost, a Citi student credit card will allow
your child to start their own credit history. Many of
today's credit card companies require students to have a
co-signer. Citi does not. This means your child learns what
it's like to be responsible for his or her own finances,
and your credit isn't on the line if they happen to take a
wrong turn.

Another thing that's great about Citi is that a Citi
student credit card tends to cater to the needs of a
student. Take their Citi mtvU Platinum card for example. It
offers reward points for good grades, paying the bill on
time and not exceeding the credit limit. It literally
rewards students for hard work and good credit card
behavior. Not many student credit cards do that.

They Go The Extra Mile

Another thing that sets a Citi student credit card apart
from the competition is the fact that they offer students
free credit education tools and tips. Some of the
less-ethical credit card companies try to keep students in
the dark, hoping to profit from any potential mistakes.
Citi, however, works to ensure that your child knows
exactly what they're doing when it comes to credit card
management.

Citi provides tools to help your student create monthly
budgets, manage proper spending and even plan future
investments. It's a well-rounded approach to student credit
card use.

In the cut-throat world of student credit cards, it's
important to help your son or daughter choose a card that
works for them, not against them. A Citi student credit
card can be just the tool your child needs to establish his
or her credit future.


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For more tips on student credit cards, saving money and
avoiding getting taken, check out the student credit card
section at CreditCardTipsEtc.com, a website that
specializes in providing credit card tips, advice and
resources.
http://www.creditcardtipsetc.com/student_credit_cards

"5 Simple Rules" - How To Find A Good Quality Credit Card

"5 Simple Rules" - How To Find A Good Quality Credit Card
Just about everybody has some sort of credit card these
days. Whether it’s with a retail store, gas chain,
or with the large credit card companies. The truth is that
there is a large variety of choices when it comes to
interest rates, annual fees, late penalties, balance
transfers, and payment terms. Following these "5 Simple
Rules" when applying for a credit card, can save the
consumer a ton of money and lots of headaches, down the
road.

Rule #1: Always look for a credit card with a low interest
rate, or a 0% balance transfer option. This is extremely
beneficial to the borrower, so that he or she, may have the
ability to transfer their higher interest rate credit cards
to the 0% or low interest credit cards.

Rule #2: Always look for a credit card that has a grace
period on payments that are late. Many credit card holders
have their interest rates boosted automatically after
making a payment late within a certain period of time.
This certain period of time is usually between six months
and a year. Some credit card companies will boost the
interest rates anywhere from 5 to 10 percentage points,
after just one late payment. There are even credit card
companies that reverse the 0% balance transfers to
retroactively charge interest on balances after payments
are made late. So that low interest credit card, now turns
into an out of control debt monster that will devour all of
the borrower’s income.

Rule #3: Always look for a credit card with a little or no
annual fee. If the borrower has good to excellent credit,
say with a credit score of 550-800, then it is extremely
easy to search online to find a little or no annual fee
credit card. Unfortunately, if the borrower has bad,
little, or no credit, then paying an annual fee is almost
impossible. However, the credit borrower with good to
excellent credit should avoid paying any type of annual
fees whatsoever, if at all possible. Obviously, there are
exceptions to this rule such as business, revolving, or
corporate credit cards, which many offer extremely high or
even no credit limits.

Rule # 4: Only apply for a credit card with a company that
has a proven track record with a solid reputation in the
financial industry. Many credit card companies have a
reputation of honesty, fairness, and excellent customer
service. However, there are many credit card companies who
have reputations of changing terms frequently, raising
interest rates often, having bad customer service, and
receiving a large amount of complaints from consumers. It
will save the borrower a lot of time, headaches, and money
to find a credit card company that is reputable.

Rule #5: Never apply for a credit card with a company that
stipulates that they can accelerate your payment of the
debt. Many cardholders don’t know that numerous
credit card companies can, and do, sometimes raise the
minimum monthly payments due by the borrowers to extremely
high amounts. Some raise the minimum monthly payments to
as much as 200% of their regular payments. So beware of
the cardholder terms of agreement. Read the legal terms
and conditions of the credit card very carefully.

If you follow these “5 Simple Rules”, then you
too, will be able to steer away from pitfalls that befall
millions of the credit card holders, and you will be able
to say confidently, that “Yes, I have a good quality
credit card.”


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Bryan Pringle, Ph.D., has written many articles on the
credit industry, and is the webmaster of websites offering
news and information regarding credit cards. For more
information, please visit:
http://www.apply-forcreditcards-online.com