Avoid Credit Card Processing and Business Cash Advance Mistakes

Avoid Credit Card Processing and Business Cash Advance Mistakes
Avoiding critical business cash advance and credit card
processing mistakes is an important but potentially
difficult requirement in obtaining appropriate business
finance terms. Commercial borrowers should expect to secure
improved working capital management terms and avoid
potentially devastating business financing problems by
taking some extra time and caution.

In our experience, the potential difficulties involving
factors discussed below are more serious and common than
most business owners expect. While we will not be
addressing all possible merchant cash advance and working
capital loan mistakes in this article, we will include
several of the most severe issues to anticipate.

Misrepresentations and Unwillingness to Explain Working
Capital Details -

In my experience, most business cash advance and working
capital loan agents are more interested in earning revenues
from credit card processing than anything else. This
results in rampant misrepresentations about what they can
do for a business owner in their attempt to secure business
finance help through credit card financing. When this
occurs, the costs and time required to finalize business
financing are typically understated intentionally in order
to rush the process of switching processing providers to
those represented by the agent.

It should come as no surprise that such advisors are often
motivated by their own financial interests more than those
of business owners they are representing. In such cases,
they are unlikely to provide either detailed information or
prudent advice for a commercial borrower. Based on our
observations over many years, a suggested way to avoid this
potential trap is to utilize an advisor who is experienced
in all aspects of business financing and not simply in
credit card processing or business cash advance services.

It will be even more helpful to work with a business
finance advisor who willingly avoids a direct conflict of
interest. For example, if an individual is advising a
business owner about business cash advance services and
will not profit in any way from the credit card processing
requirements, then that individual is likely to provide a
more unbiased recommendation.

Ignoring Common Credit Card Factoring and Business
Financing Problems -

Although business cash advance and credit card processing
programs are needed by many businesses, commercial
borrowers should not overlook the numerous problems that
can regularly occur with these services. We have prepared
several reports that describe in detail key problems for
many merchant cash advance services.

The main point we want to emphasize is that it is not wise
or necessary to accept any of these common difficulties.
The recommended strategy for avoiding this particular
mistake is to work with an experienced advisor who is
knowledgeable and candid about how to approach these
critical business finance problems.

Inexperienced Business Finance and Credit Card Processing
Advisors -

Most lenders and brokers which previously provided
residential mortgages have been forced to look for
alternate sources of revenue. Business cash advance and
credit card processing programs have recently become more
popular with these brokers and lenders.

The immediate impact is a sudden influx of inexperienced
residential mortgage brokers and lenders attempting to
provide working capital management advice for credit card
processing and business cash advance services. As we have
written about extensively, business financing is infinitely
more complex than residential financing. For most business
owners, the use of inexperienced business finance advisors
will be a mistake of potentially serious proportions.
Conversely a prudent strategy for avoiding this mistake is
to eliminate advisors and lenders without significant
long-term business financing success.

Solutions and Strategies for Avoiding Credit Card
Processing and Business Cash Advance Mistakes -

Business owners should look for advisors and resources
which will provide relevant strategies and solutions for a
business owner to acquire an adequate understanding of
complex business cash advance and credit card processing
issues. Business borrowers should thoroughly discuss
options with a business financing expert before proceeding
with working capital management programs. These efforts
will be worthwhile since the potential business finance
mistakes described above can be overcome successfully.

----------------------------------------------------
Steve Bush is a business finance and commercial real estate
investment property loan expert. Find out more about
commercial mortgage - business opportunity loan strategies
recommended by AEX Commercial Financing Group at =>
http://aexcommercialfinancing.com

Online Home Insurance Quote

Online Home Insurance Quote
A home insurance policy is a financial arrangement whereby
all of your household possessions located in your home are
protected against loss, theft or damage. If you won your
property, you may be offered a joint home insurance policy
that covers both the building and the contents as well
although this may not be worth it if you rent accommodation.

Whilst you are searching for the ideal house insurance, it
would be worthwhile spending some time going around your
home making up a written inventory of all your most
important possessions. Whilst you are carrying out this
inventory, why not make a camcorder recording of all your
rooms, paying special attention to personal and costly
possessions, or use a still camera if you do not own a
camcorder. Combined with the written inventory, this makes
an excellent record of your home and property. Many people
forget to keep there home insurance inventory current
though and neglect adding new possessions to the list as
well as taking photos accompany that list.

Hundreds of providers now offer their own unique home
insurance quotes online, so before settling on the one you
would like to take out, be sure to obtain a few home
insurance quotes so that you can compare prices. The
advantage of getting an instant online home insurance quote
is that insurance quotes from major companies are brought
to your computer screen in a matter of few seconds. Online
home insurance are usually less expensive since overheads
are cut from the picture the companies' can offer lower
premiums and insurance rates. You should not just look into
the value of quotes, but also the reputation of the
insurance company before you make your final decision.

Your home insurance policy will come with a sum insured
value which is the total amount the insurance company will
settle with you if there is a claim for complete loss etc.
Many home insurance companies work out this sum
automatically for you so you do not have to physically
assess the cost of a complete loss yourself. Some home
insurance companies are more diligent and may make a
physical examination of your home or specifically request
an amount of cover from you and then calculate how much it
will cost from the figures you supply. Having the correct
insurance level is more important than just a low premium
and this approach may better suit those home owners who
have higher value possessions and do not want to end up
with a sum assured that does not meet the needs of
replacing their property.

Although the contents of your home may all be important to
you, remember your home insurance will not always cover all
of your possessions. Many people who work from home are
caught out by this as business equipment is not usually
covered automatically. A home owner may also discover that
expensive items such as electronic equipment and jewelry
that are costly to replace are not automatically inserted
into the home insurance policy so it may be necessary to
add these items at an extra cost. However, ultimately it is
your responsibility to check out which possessions are
covered by the policies that you are considering before you
make a final decision.

----------------------------------------------------
Keith Mallinson BscHons Provides Information on home
Insurance, what it is, how to find affordable home
insurance and where to find the best home insurance online
quote.
http://www.home.insurance-llc.com/online-home-insurance-quot
es.html

2007 Year-End Health Savings Account Strategies

2007 Year-End Health Savings Account Strategies
A Health Savings Account can be an important part of your
tax and money-management strategy. Not only can you reduce
your health insurance premiums, but when you fund your
account you get a nice tax break. If you stay healthy, that
money grows tax-deferred like an IRA, and can amount to a
lot of money in retirement.

Every year around this time you should assess your finances
and see what you need to do to optimize your situation.
Making the most of your HSA is one area that can really
make a difference. Here are the key things you need to know
to get the greatest tax reduction and the most growth out
of your HSA.

Maximizing Your Contribution May Reduce Your Taxes By $1836
or More

If you own an HSA-qualified health insurance plan that has
an effective date no later than December 31, 2007, you
qualify to make a tax deductible contribution to your
Health Savings Account. This will immediately reduce your
tax bill come April 15.

The contribution limit is not pro-rated based on the number
of months in 2007 in which you had coverage, as it was in
the past. However, you do need to remain an HSA-eligible
individual throughout 2008, or the extra amount contributed
will be counted as income and subject to an additional 10
percent tax.

The maximum HSA contribution in 2007 is $5650 for families,
and $2850 for individuals. If you are 55 or older, you may
also contribute an additional $800.

Your HSA contribution is deductible on your federal income
taxes, and every state (except AL, CA, NJ, and WI) also
gives a deduction on state income taxes. So by maximizing
their HSA contribution a family in a 28 percent tax
bracket, paying 4.5 percent state income taxes, will reduce
their April 15 tax burden by $1836.25.

Though your HSA-qualified health insurance must be in place
before the end of the year, you do have until April 15 to
make your 2007 contribution. Though you cannot put any
more 2007 money in if you miss this deadline, you can
reimburse yourself in later years for qualified expenses
incurred in 2007, even if you do not currently have the
money in your account.

Strategic Withdrawals

You can withdraw money from your HSA at any time to pay
qualified medical expenses. Keep in mind that this
includes over-the-counter medications such as aspirin or
cough syrup, dental and vision expenses, and even
alternative care such as acupuncture or homeopathy.

One strategy that many of our members take is to save their
medical receipts, but to delay reimbursement from the HSA
so that the funds have the opportunity to grow
tax-deferred. There is no time limit in which you must
withdraw the money. Since most people will face larger
medical bills during their retirement, it is quite likely
that the withdrawals would never be subject to taxes.

If you are not fully funding your Roth, another strategy
would be to reimburse yourself for medical expenses from
your HSA, and to deposit it in your Roth. Your HSA
reimbursement is tax-free, and placing it in your Roth
would also give you tax-free growth while enabling you to
withdraw the money in retirement tax-free for any reason,
including non-medical expenses. You would also avoid any
extra state taxes in the states that currently tax HSAs.

Remember to Keep Good Records

You should keep a record of any qualified medical expenses
you incur. This will ensure that you have documentation
substantiating any tax-free withdrawal you make from your
HSA. In order to pay for a medical expense from your HSA,
it must be a qualified expense.

You can go low-tech and just put receipts in a file, or get
a little more organized and track your records online.

2008 Contribution Limit and Deductible Changes

In 2008 the maximum annual HSA contribution limit will
again go up, this time to $2900 for individuals and $5800
for families. Those over age 55 will be allowed to
contribute an additional $900 to their accounts.

The maximum deductibles will be going up next year to $5600
for individuals, and $11,200 for families. If you've now
got some money socked away in your HSA, it might make sense
to move to a higher deductible to further reduce your
premiums.

Health Reimbursement Arrangements

If you are currently set up as an S-corp, you should
strongly consider setting up a Health Reimbursement
Arrangement (HRA). An HRA enables your S-corp to reimburse
you as a tax-free fringe benefit for the cost of your
individual health insurance. This is the only way an
S-corp can legally pay for individual health insurance, and
is saving our average S-corp member over $3000. The HRA
must be established by December 31st in order to take
advantage of it in 2007.

It may also be beneficial to set up an HRA if you have a
spouse who works in your business. Also, many small
businesses use an HRA to reimburse their employees for
individual health insurance premiums (which is much less
expensive than getting group coverage). More information
and a simple online application is available on our Health
Reimbursement Arrangement page.

What to Do Now

Here are the steps you should take now:

1. To maximize the potential growth of your funds, you
should try to fund your account as early in the year as
possible. Every month of tax-deferred growth does add up
over time. You can keep the money in a savings account, or
invest it in stocks or mutual funds.

2. If you have your health insurance in place but do not
yet have your HSA set up, you can do so online or possibly
your local bank.

3. If you do not yet have an HSA-qualified health insurance
plan, you should apply for coverage as soon as possible.
Your plan must be effective before January 1 in order for
you to qualify for the 2007 tax deduction. By getting your
HSA-qualified health insurance in place by January 1, not
only will you be able to maximize your tax benefits, but
you also may be able to lock in 2007 rates for the next 12
- 24 months.

4. If you have a small business with employees, are set up
as an S-corp, or have a spouse who works in the business
with you, you should set up a Health Reimbursement
Arrangement.

Through HSAs and HRAs, individuals who pay for their own
health insurance have some powerful tax reduction
strategies at their disposal. December 31st is the
deadline for obtaining 2007 tax deductions, so you should
act quickly if these ideas make sense for your situation.

----------------------------------------------------
By Wiley Long - President, HSA for America
(http://www.health--savings--accounts.com ) - The nation's
leading independent health insurance firm specializing in
individual and family coverage that works with a Health
Savings Account.