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Using International Letters of Credit

Get your export business moving using a commonly accepted financial tool

By Greg Brown

The paperwork surrounding an international letter of credit is daunting. But the idea is remarkably simple: The money is separate from the deal, and exchanged via you and your foreign partner's respective banks. If all terms in the letter are met (generally, that the goods have been shipped, although the jargon quickly overwhelms), the money moves. It's all about cutting ri...

Opportunities in Unclaimed Property

Outfit your business with confiscated and forgotten items

By Charles Dervarics

Looking for a good deal? Your business may benefit by participating in national, state and local auctions of unclaimed property from police departments, banks and other agencies. The misfortunes and forgetfulness of others can be a boon to your business. And there's a side benefit – in the process of looking over these opportunities, you may spot something that belongs to...

Small Business Loan Alternatives

Can't qualify for a loan? Explore other options for raising money

By Cherie L. Berkley

Whether you are just starting up or simply concerned about operating costs for an existing business, you need capital. If you can't qualify for a traditional small business loan there are a host of alternatives. Small business loan alternatives are a growing breed among small business owners. However, these sources of funding often will cost you more — in interest or owne...

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

How to keep and motivate employees by making them owners

By Daniel Kehrer

Thousands of small companies are growing faster and keeping employees longer with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and ownership "cultures." An ESOP is a type of employee benefit plan, similar to a profit-sharing plan. Instead of cash, however, workers receive shares in the company. Company contributions to such plans may also be tax deductible, within limits. ESO...

Corporate Treasury Services

Use cash management services to give your corporate treasury a buoyant bottom line

By Matt Alderton

Every business has a corporate treasury. Maybe you just call it your checking account, but you've got one just the same. And just like your checkbook register, your corporate treasury needs balancing. Treasury management services, also called cash management services, can help.Poor cash management is among the leading causes of small business start-up failures. After all, money...

Value at Risk (VaR)

Long used by institutional investors, Value at Risk can also help small traders

By Mike Carr

Value at Risk is the most popular estimation technique used by mutual funds, hedge funds, banks and insurance companies to determine how much money they can expect to lose if the stock market declines. The same Value at Risk models used by managers of billions of dollars can help small investors manage their 401(k) accounts.  VaR is a tool to quantify expected worst-case losse...

Equipment Leasing & Financing

How to get Equipment Financing & Leasing for your Business

By maxpv3

What It Is: Equipment leasing is basically a loan in which the lender buys and owns equipment and then "rents" it to a business at a flat monthly rate for a specified number of months. At the end of the lease, the business may purchase the equipment for its fair market value (or a fixed or predetermined amount), continue leasing, lease new equipment or return it.Appropria...

Consumer Loans for Small Business Office Equipment

Obtain consumer financing to upgrade your office equipment when you have no collateral

By Eisla Sebastian

Consumer loans can be used to finance the upgrading or replacement of your office equipment. If you have few company or personal assets to offer as collateral, then consumer financing that offers no collateral loans are going to be your best option. No collateral loans, also referred to as unsecured consumer loans, are private personal loans that base qualifications on your credit ...

Government Sites for Unclaimed Property

Review government websites to find unclaimed money

By Yvette Pryce

Every year, millions of dollars go unclaimed by their rightful owners. Whether it’s unclaimed funds from failed or merged banks, uncollected tax refunds, pensions from bankrupt businesses or simply unclaimed property, people often just lose track of the money and property that’s due them, or they may feel like they have no recourse to recover it. As a small business own...

Mergers and Acquisitions Jobs

How to get started in mergers and acquisitions careers

By Shannon Tani

Mergers & acquisitions jobs are lucrative, exciting and highly respected. Those who work in M&A have a high potential for earning.M&A specialists work as part of an investment bank's team, helping clients to identify good investments. Many people train hard for M&A careers, often obtaining graduate degrees. There are many levels of mergers and acquisitions jobs....

Options Pricing Theory and Strategies

Educate yourself on option pricing theory before you start trading options

By Ben Hahn

Investing always carries some measure of risk, especially in the world of options trading. It's more likely be rewarding if you’ve done your homework first. When trading options or looking into stock option valuation for your employees, you first need a basic knowledge of option pricing. Option pricing theory consists of numerous models, as option pricing is a complex pro...

Cash Management

Investment cash management strategies for short-term

By Janet Krenn

Many small businesses haven't thought much past the day when their books sneak into the black. Yet every business, even those still struggling with negative cash flow, should plan cash management techniques for managing excess cash.In this article, you will discoverCash management strategies to get your business out of the redHow to determine if you have cash available for savi...

International Stock Charts

Interpret international stock charts and know when to buy and sell international stocks

By Patti Richards

International stock charts give up-to-the-minute information on the hottest international stocks. Knowing how to read an international stock chart is important if you want to buy and sell with confidence. International stock brokers use international stock market charts to predict which companies are good investments for their clients. The analysis of international stock charts is ...

Mergers and Acquisitions Information Resources

Finding the right M&A reference materials is vital to your success

By M. Krasniak

Whether you are investing in merger targets or wondering about industry trends, it is critical to stay up-to-date on developing mergers and acquisitions. There are numerous mergers and acquisitions information resources. Depending on your needs, these resources can be free or pricey. For investors looking to capitalize on the premium paid to target firms in a merger, the most impor...

Portfolio Diversification and Risk Management

Determining optimal portfolios to survive market fluctuations

By Stephanie Bush

Having investable assets is a good thing, whether it is for your business or as an individual, but are you ready to risk it all by putting it in the stock market? Is having it all in bonds or money markets the most efficient way to grow your portfolio? Generally, you may know the answers to these questions, but there is a proven economic portfolio diversification theory that helps ...

Post Merger Integration

An M&A Consulting firm can put you on the right track for success

By M. Krasniak

Post merger integration is the primary reason mergers fail. You need to consider a variety of factors prior to the actual merger to minimize the risks of merger failure. You must integrate computer systems and corporate cultures need to mesh successfully, to form one cohesive group of employees.Successful joining of the firms requires a post merger integration plan. While acquisiti...

Visa International Service Association

VISA International Service Association monitors commerce around the world

By Lorri Mealey

Founded in 1974 as IBANCO LTD, Visa International Service Association facilitates payment systems all over the globe. It manages the operation, expansion and support of these payment systems, establishing rules and standards for how the Visa payments network operates. Security is another important service of the Visa Association. It works continuously to protect the interests of bo...

Church Financing

There are a variety of choices in church construction financing available to your congregation

By Amy Hunter

Whether you are building or purchasing, there are several types of church financing available. Educate yourself on the choices to make the best decision and get the most for your money. Church construction financing is stressful for all members of the congregation, and those responsible for making the decisions need to educate themselves on all options. Financing for churches is av...

Consumer Finance

Offer consumer financing to customers with bad credit

By Sharon Cullars

Consumer finance, in its broadest sense, covers every type of consumer lending, including loans from retail banking and finance companies. For customers with low credit ratings, consumer financing is often their only option to receive an unsecured loan. Too often, though, some consumer finance companies offer sub-prime lending to those who simply cannot afford the interest rates an...

Market Research on Mergers and Acquisitions

Conducting M&A research keeps you abreast of industry trends

By Patricia Flinsch-Rodriguez

Market research on mergers and acquisitions allows managers to determine what opportunities exist to forge alliances and to make sound investment decisions. There are plenty of sources of M&A market research from which to choose, but you want the most recent M&A research to ensure that you can keep up with trends in your industry.With today’s volatile market condition...

Managed Foreign Exchange

Foreign exchange risk management is a business tool and investment protection

By Geraldine McGowan

Forex risk management is important for anyone doing business or investing in foreign markets. Managed forex is a form of taking out insurance against losses caused by foreign exchange risk. It will not completely stop losses occurring due to currency fluctuations but it will limit your losses. It is a necessity for international businesses and investors.Large banking and investment...

Commercial Credit Fraud Detection

Protect your assets with the best solutions for detecting business credit fraud

By Trisha Schulz

Consumer fraud may be on the decline but commercial fraud continues to rise, making it important for businesses and financial services to build up their credit fraud detection solutions. At least 30% of all business-to-business credit losses occur because of fraud, experts estimate.Fortunately, there are tools available for detecting credit fraud, including software, consultants an...

Economic Value Added (EVA)

Use an economic value analysis to reward your employees and create wealth

By Mary P. Kelley

Economic Value Added (EVA) is a financial tool used to calculate the dollar return on an investment after taxes, the cost of the capital used for the investment and the cost of assets used in the creation of the product. The after-tax profit minus the product of the cost of the assets times the weighted average expense of the capital used gives a dollar value. If the value is posit...

Tuition Management

Use school tuition management services to stabilize the school cash flow

By Mary P. Kelley

Tuition management services are popular for families but also provide a great deal of benefit for the schools the children attend. These services provide stability of cash flow for the school and relieve the school from entering the collection business.When you use the services as part of your school's package, you bring in additional revenue from parents that previously th...

Unclaimed Property in Illinois

Locate IL unclaimed property to use in your business

By Emmet McMahan

A court may classify unclaimed property in Illinois as abandoned, lost or mislaid. These classifications have their origins in common law and can therefore be difficult to interpret under modern legal systems. Property that the original owner fails to claim after a specified number of years generally belongs to the finder. However, a property owner usually has a superior claim to p...