Politics News

David Castro asked:


Merchant cash advances are a great way for small business owners get the funding they need, with a fast and simple process, merchants can be funded with up to $500,000 dollars in as little as 10 days.

How merchant cash advances work?

A lender will purchase a small percentage of your future credit card sales, until the payback is completed and will give you upfront the money your business needs. Often times the business owner will be approved even with a less than great credit history record, making a merchant cash advance a top funding choice.

How do the lenders make money?

Funding charges can widely vary, and that’s not just from one lender to another, but from one cash advance to another. For example, the payback on a $10,000 cash advance could be as low as $11500 or as high as $14,000 dollars.

Even though there is a fixed payback daily percentage, and because of that, theirs is no fixed monthly payment, you pay as you sell; the payback factor varies depending on your business sales and the amount of money asked for.

If your business is doing well and sales are good, the advance lender collects the money sooner making the payback amount rather high. Since there is no time limit on paying back the loan, the annual rate will decrease as the payments will be extended over time, although the lender typically forecasts a rather short term for payback, it could usually take less than a year.

There are no questions that the merchant cash advance cost for this kind of unsecured funding is going to more expensive than the cost of a traditional loan, but if you understand the advantages of a cash advance and know how hard it would be to qualify for a bank loan, you will find that a merchant cash advance is a great option.

Often, business owners interested in funding programs like this may have a less than perfect or even bad personal credit history. They may have credit history records like past tax issues, a list of delinquencies, collections, liens or even judgments that would be an automatic red flag for a traditional bank loan. Instead, the merchant cash advance industry is here to help businesses that can’t qualify for traditional funding methods.

The lender risk:

There is a rather high risk when providing these types of unsecured funding options (hence the higher cost to the business owner for the money), but they use advanced funding models to determine the possible future credit card sales. They also offer the cash advance with fairly short payback terms to help counter the risk.

Although the approval is much easier than it is with most bank loans, few cash advance lenders will lend to new merchants or start-ups without a history of credit card statements. Even less lenders will approve amounts larger than what the business can predict to earn from credit card sales in a year.

The merchant cash advance lender takes all of the risk, but since it is paid out of projected future sales, it is typically a risk worth taking. Seasonal businesses that need cash flow to move them through slow seasons or merchants, who have an unexpected low season, may find a need for a cash advance until business picks up.
Merchant cash advance lenders say that slow businesses are not the only merchants interested in this funding method. Most types of businesses are often ignored by traditional banking institutions.

There are many times when owners of healthy small businesses could use cash flow or working capital to help build their businesses but don’t qualify for the traditional bank loans. These include franchise owners who have exhausted their personal savings to purchase their franchise and would like to open another one; merchants who can buy bulk inventory at discount rates or move into a new, more efficient location; expansions; new equipment; or simply the desire to move forward on a great new opportunity.

David Castro asked:


As a business owner you know that with a constant cash flow, you are sure that you can move your business to the next level. The assets that you might use as guarantee are already tied up, leaving you out the option to apply for a traditional bank loan. But with unsecured loans it is still possible for you to get the working capital you need. Here are the things you need to know about unsecured business loans and why it will work for your business.

As unsecured loan are becoming more competitive all of the time, more and more lenders are making more funds available for this type of unsecured loan. Not only are the funds getting easier to get, but also the rates and features are becoming better for the business owner. Right now, it’s possible to get up to $500,000 through some lenders and a minimum of about $5,000.

While not needing any personal collateral, the other thing that makes these loans so attractive is the reduced amount of paperwork. Generally, you will not even need a great credit history. Some will not even require a business plan of any kind, but others may. This enables your business to access the lending agency or even apply online right away for the money you need.

There are very limited restrictions as well. With some unsecured loan lenders you are free to use the funds as you see fit for your business without the lending company tell you what you can or cannot do with your money.

The payment terms on a merchant cash advance are flexible, as there is no fixed term to pay back the loan but the loan is structured for a 6-10 months term. Many lenders won’t even fill a UCC1 form on your business, making it a great choice.

Getting an unsecured business loan is not for new businesses as lenders will required a minimum of four months as a business owner. Business start-ups should get the funds they need from secured lenders like using traditional bank loans, that will required a good personal credit history. An unsecured business loan can be obtained within 7 days after you fill out the paperwork and you can be on your way for a prosper cash flow. The application process is greatly reduced, too, because you will need very little documentation.
Although no collateral is needed for unsecured small business loans, your monthly credit card sales will determine how much you can receive. The primary focus to determine this amount will be your past merchant statements.

As with any working capital loan, you should look around to get the best deal possible. You should not make the assumption that just because the first lender you approach is willing to extend you the money you need that it will be the best deal you can find. It will take a while to find the best lender and find the best deal - but it is worth it in the long term, and you will be the one that gets the most convenient cash advance.