Year: 2020

FinanceLoan

How to Choose the Most Reliable Mortgage Specialist

Just the thought of you ready to buy a home is a significant achievement in itself. It means that you believe that you are capable of paying a loan for your dream house. But while you have the financial capability to apply for a housing loan, the process may not be as simple as you think. You will not be getting the best deal without seeking some help.

Mortgage specialists are financial advisors who have the expertise to help you through the process of getting the best mortgage deal from any reputable lending institution in the country. They go through lots of research to provide you with the best options. For sure, you cannot do this all by yourself.

Choosing the most reliable mortgage specialist is genuinely crucial when buying your first property through a housing loan. Here’s how you can spot the best out there.

propertyGet Recommendations

Some of your friends may have gone through the process long before you. You will get some information from them about the mortgage specialist with whom they worked with. What do they think of the mortgage specialist and do they recommend that finance advisor to be working with you are some of the questions that you should ask.

Book a Consultation Meeting

While you can get as many recommendations, you can choose those who do not charge a dollar for a consultation. It may be unwise to start spending money as early as now. After a consultation meeting with some of them, you can now choose based on your experience. Is the mortgage specialist easy to talk to? Indeed, you should choose one with whom you are comfortable with.

Choose One With the Most Connections

During your first consultation, a mortgage specialist will surely mention the lending institutions he has connections with. The more he is aware of the financial world in your country, the more options you can have. He should tell you these options and weigh which should be the best for you.

calculatorCompare the Prices

We know that when we are preparing to buy a house that we need to cut on our spending. This may include the choice of a mortgage specialist who we hire. The first thing to go about is to know how transparent the billings are. There should be no hidden charges. It also helps to learn the mode of payment, and then you can compare the prices. It would be great if you get the best services at a price that will not ransack your wallet.…

by Riaan Mahoney
Loan

Four Ways to Finance Your Business

Working as an employee for life is not for everyone, especially if for some professions that don’t provide a financially-safe future. Sooner or later, you will have to rely on your own to make money. And in that case, if you know how to finance your business idea, you will have better chances to succeed in your later stage of life. 

Therefore, here are the four most common ways to finance a business idea. Take notes of them so that you will know which ones suit your situation the most. 

Business Loans

a stack of moneyWe put this strategy upfront because you need a long-term plan and preparation before you can get this type of financing. A business loan is a big sum of money given to you once. But since lenders’ primary interest it to get paid back, they rarely grant you the loan if you haven’t started your business just yet. 

Note that business loans can surpass $100,000. Even if you don’t begin your business with it, the money can still be very much useful to develop your enterprise further. Therefore, you should build convincing track records first and start small. 

Business Line of Credit

A business line of credit is also a banking product, but compared to the typical business loan, a line of credit offers much more flexible interest rates and fund availability. Business loans grant you a big sum of money at the front, while a business line of credit gives you access to multiple credits that you can use and pay back anytime you need them. This financing strategy suits you best if you want to start a small business.

Loans for Bad Credit Scores

overwhelming debtsNot all people can be smart and savvy when it comes to money. And that is why some people end up having bad credit scores. Consequently, they will experience difficulties when they want to get loans from banks, even though they plan to use the money solely for making profits this time. If you’re one of them, don’t be discouraged just yet. You should check these lenders website for bad credit scores. However, note that this kind of loan charges high interests and have low limits. 

Angel Investors

Angel investors are individuals or groups of people who invest in your business idea. Typically, they’re the ones who will buy your equities. If you are confident with your business plan, you can turn your friends or family members to become your angel investors. But you should not expect that the financing money will get anywhere near $100,000. 

If you’ve been in an industry for a long time, and you know the ropes, you can target fellow business people there to be your angel investors. But to do so, you need to show a promising growth rate, at least in the next three or five years. 

Moreover, since this financing means that you’ll allow the investors to ‘own’ some parts of your business, you have to make sure that you do everything according to the law. Hire a specialized attorney or a certified public accountant to structure equity sales. …

by Riaan Mahoney
Finance

Four Hacks to Improve Your Online Shopping Experience

As a customer, you are pampered with a vast number of choices. E-commerce products are growing every day, and there are no signs of stopping. Retailers are proliferating, and goods shipment can reach almost anywhere in the world. But don’t let those good things fool you. If you are not careful, you may spend your money on services or goods you don’t need. Or worse, they may not get to you as expected, and your personal data may be at risk. 

Therefore, you should note these four hacks down so that your online shopping experience is flawless. 

Use VPN If You Use Public WiFi

securing network connectionYou don’t have to be an IT expert these days to know that public WiFi access is not safe. A third party can easily hack through your computer because the connection is not encrypted. This is more well-known as the Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack. If you are transacting, and there is a MITM hacker, they can steal your credit card data and use them for their own advantage. 

To tackle that risk, you can opt for a VPN service. VPN encrypts your connection, and even a MITM hacker manages to access your connection, they won’t see what you’re actually doing on your computer. There are many VPN services online to choose from. But here are our picks: Nord VPN, Express VPN, IP Vanish, and Private Internet Access. They all have both free and premium accesses. 

Use a Trusted Currency Conversion Service

The best thing about online shopping is that you can get stuff that is not available in your country. If it is a fashion good, then it can surely make you stand out of the crowd. And you probably know that Google also offers currency service as well. It’d be better if you look at other conversion websites as well. 

Pay Attention to the Return Terms

shopping onlineReading about the shipment terms is probably one of the most boring things to do during shopping. But unlike the conventional purchase, you cannot go directly to the shop to return a defective product and confront the seller. Even if you can, it’d be a waste of time because what’s bought online usually has its own return policy. Therefore, don’t be lazy! Prepare a piece of paper to take notes of the important points in the return policy. 

Investigate the Customer Reviews

Not all customer reviews are legit, especially if they are displayed on a sketchy website. You should trust reviews written on social media, Google rating, and Yelp, instead. If your purchase reaches $500 or more, you should try to connect to the shop’s former customer and see what they are going to say about their experience. Even if a retail shop is internally good, if they pick the wrong shipping service, your purchase will still be at risk. Therefore, don’t bother risking your money on low-quality service. …

by Riaan Mahoney
Finance

Why You Should Hire a Local Accountant to Handle Your Finance

Although technology has made it possible to work with some accountants who may be miles away from you or your establishment, hiring a local accountant has many advantages, and these cannot be discounted. Aside from giving you more time to be able to focus on other important matters that will keep your business growing, a reputable local accountant will ensure that the financial aspect of your business is being taken care of.

An accountant does a wide array of functions in your business. He does not only take of your taxes but also ensures that every aspect of your finances is monitored and recorded, which will be used for important decisions that you may come up with for the betterment of your company.

When in a locality like Wheaton, Illinois, the best person to handle your accounting needs should be a local CPA,  and this should also be the same in other places. Businesses and individuals have plenty to benefit from local accounting firms because they know how things are in the area where they have been offering their services. Here are some reasons why you should hire the services of the most reputable accounting firm near you.

filesEasy to Establish the Reputation

Because you are from the same locality, it will not be difficult to investigate the reputation of an accountant. You may be able to get information from your neighbors and friends. And when you learned that an accountant is the one that is best for your company, building a good working relationship can be easier to do. You can even be friends outside the workplace. If that happens, he will always have good intentions for you and your business.

Convenience

If you do not come out well as friends, for sure, you will be better as co-workers. When your business establishment is just blocks away from the accounting firm, you can always go and see him, or you can request that you meet. Sometimes, personal interaction like reporting cannot be done away in businesses.

Consciousness of Local Factors

Because the accounting firm is located in the same district as your business, an accountant knows current trends and factors that affect businesses in the area. With these, you will be given reliable advice on some situations that affect your business.

accountantEase of Transition

When you think your current accountant does not fit your expectations, hiring an accountant near you will simplify the transition process because he will be there to take care of all documents that will be transferred to his responsibility.…

by Riaan Mahoney