Are My Finances Bad Enough For An IVA?

The debt level is astoundingly on an increase in the UK, and more and more people are getting bankrupt with every passing day. In fact, the biggest factor behind this considerable increase in bankruptcy cases is lack of awareness, as many customers do not know that they have several options to avoid bankruptcy and that’s why it is important to get some suggestion from a financial consultant.

Usually, these are your unpaid bills that propel you towards bankruptcy in an unnoticeable way. There are many who like to take some steps to organise their finances, but soon their planning gets down to drains when some huge bill appears in front, and they don’t have enough to pay for it because they have to pass the month ahead with little money.

Things become even worse when there are notices for payment demands and you have no other option except to ignore them, as you don’t have even a penny to pay for it. More often, your debtors are polite at first, but when they find you inattentive, court letters and bailiffs are sent to you. In short, things become quite difficult to manage, and it becomes almost impossible to get back on the track.

Often it appears that bankruptcy would wipe out your all sorts of debts, but it is not so in actual. You must bear in mind that the government officers and the official receivers have their eyes on your different assets that also include your car and house. They can force you to sell the things for which you strived hard to achieve in the past. So, don’t think that bankruptcy is a solution, contrarily it can make things worse and you definitely need to consider some other options to avoid some additional financial problems.

If you also find yourself at the verge of this last stage, and think that you have no other option except the filing of bankruptcy, you definitely need to think again as you have a chance to redeem your finances. An independent financial advisor may help you out from this situation by arranging IVA or Independent Voluntary Arrangement for you.

IVA can work for you even in the worst financial conditions, but you need to use it in a right way. In this kind of agreement, a meeting between the debtor and his creditors is arranged in which an agreeable term of payment is tried to sort out for them.

There are several cases, which show that IVA proves quite effective for those who had bad-to-worse sort of finances and were unable to find out any solution for such sort of situation. However, the thing that is essential to make the most of this sort of arrangement is to plan things properly.

Financing in Franchising

Usually in an economic downturn history has shown that franchising practically blooms like a cherry tree on steroids. But this latest downturn (2008/2009) has proven a fickle party where there are very few people invited.

The panic of low consumer spending has been matched only by the panic of the banks to hold on to any liquidity like a jealous wife.

Unfortunately this pairing of panic has been a disservice to the franchising industry, and has in fact brought the small business sector to a standstill. There are stories abound from small business owners who have no hope in having the support of their bank manager even if their business has been a success over the last 7 years. Cash flow can be the killer for small business and if business owners can’t rely on leniency from their banks, during times where suppliers and clients are pulling their patience in lengthening out payment terms…who can they rely on?

This poses a threat for growing businesses two-fold:

o Non-franchise businesses who planned growth projects and had received assurances pre-2008 from their bank managers that they could go ahead – had the rug pulled from under them when these assurances were withdrawn and instead are knee deep in carrying out redundancies

o Franchised businesses who rely on the banks to be able to lend money to prospective franchisees are also let down when they are told that unreasonable interest rates will be charged to anyone seeking finance

So what are the answers? Yes, the economy will inevitably pick up as it always does, but this time we have learned a valuable lesson in our dependency on finance routes. Perhaps there needs to be alternatives for franchisers to build into their offering regarding financing routes for prospective franchisees, in order to minimize the impact that banks can have on franchise growth.

At the end of the day money is what makes the world go round, although it’s not a fair playing ground where only one mighty hand has the power of holding the purse strings. Let’s get more innovative about how money can move responsibly and wholesomely to the businesses that have done nothing more than grow, employ people and add to the economy.

A Credit Card Advance Can Provide Inventory Financing For the Holiday Season

If there’s ever a time to stock up on inventory, it’s the holidays. Even during slow economic times, retail sales are higher during the holidays than during the rest of the year. Unfortunately, this year, business experts and small business owners alike fear that inventory purchases for the holidays may be difficult as several institutions are wary of offering inventory financing. According to Karen E. Klein, an entrepreneurship and small business journalist, “Banks are clamping down on credit lines to small businesses, which could leave some of them short on inventory for holiday sales,” as stated in her recent Business Week article. She quotes Bill Hampel, chief economist for the trade group

Credit Union National Assn., who says, “For a lot of business lenders, inventory financing is essentially viewed as unsecured lending.”

Credit card advance lenders, on the other hand, are different. They offer small business owners up to $500,000 in business funds, which can be used with no restrictions. Therefore, if a borrower wishes to use his/her funds to purchase extra inventory for the holidays, he/she is free to do so. Advance providers already offer unsecured funds, on a daily basis. There is no collateral required to receive a business cash advance. Providers simply review applicants’ merchant statements. Based on the applicants’ monthly CC sales, the provider determines the credit card advance amount. Then, when customers use their credit cards to pay for products and services, a small percentage of those sales goes toward repaying the advance.

Essentially, the advance is perfect for inventory financing, because it virtually pays for its self. Merchants use their credit card advances to purchase extra inventory, customers then buy that inventory, and with each customer that uses his/her credit card to pay for a product, the advance is paid off more and more.

Get a head start on your inventory purchases for this holiday season and get a free online quote [http://www.creditcardadvance.us] for your credit card advance today!

How to Finance You First Home Purchase

The subject of being able to finance the very first home that you are buying is something that has been an open debate for quite a while. When you are looking for Houses for sale, you need to know how you are going to pay for that house in the first place. You might be wise if you start by talking to a lender (be it a bank or a mortgage company) and get a pre-qualification for a mortgage and then see if they will give you a Pre-Approval letter that states how much of a mortgage that the particular lender will give you. You might find out that this gets you further than you think when you are looking at a FSBO or any other type of Real Estate purchase.

When you are looking to buy that very first home you will need to remember to get a Pre-Qualification for a mortgage first before you even start looking so that you have an idea about the price range that you can realistically look in. There is no point in looking at a house that is listed for $150,000 when you actually can only comfortably afford to buy a house that is between $75,000 and $100,000.

This is why it is highly advised that you speak to a mortgage company, bank or lender before you even start looking at properties. It is not meant to discourage you from looking for that first house; only to help you to know exactly how much you really can spend. The main reason for this is so that you don’t wind up getting in over your head and losing the house to foreclosure because you fell behind on your mortgage payments.

You, and the seller, will also want to know that you have an arrangement in place for financing. Believe it or not, this is something that will help speed the purchase along because the owner/seller knows that you already have financing arranged (or at least have the process stated). You would be surprised how relieved the sellers are when they know that you have a mortgage arranged.

Search Engines vs. Comparison Websites in the Hotel Industry

Search engines such as Google are failing on 2 fronts:

1. They are failing users because they struggle to deliver high quality search results for people looking to purchase goods and services.

2. They are failing businesses because the pay-per-click advertising model is outdated; as a consequence a large part of a company’s advertising budget is wasted.

A new generation of comparison websites are emerging that give users a level of sophistication to searches for goods and services. They also use the pay-per-sale advertising model which improves efficiency for businesses.

I will use the hotel industry to demonstrate these claims.

BUSINESS-RELATED AND INFORMATION SEARCHES

Google searches can be categorised into two types; information searches and business-related searches.

Information searches

Information searches don’t normally end in a sale. They will have very few or no sponsored links in the search results. The results obtained are of a good quality and the user will usually find what they want within the first few sites viewed. This aspect of Google will not change. Google will always be excellent for information searches.

Business-related searches

Business-related searches are ones that usually end with a sale. They will have a large number of sponsored links in the results. The user can be overwhelmed by the number of relevant sites returned and spend a long time viewing each site to see which one has the cheapest prices. The results may be distorted by unscrupulous webmasters who have used underhand tricks to manipulate their site to the top of the list.

ADWORDS AND SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION (SEO)

There are 2 ways in which a commercial website owner can get their web pages into the Google search results. The first is by bidding for “search keywords” in Google AdWords and appearing as a “sponsored link”. The second is by performing search engine optimisation (SEO) on the website and hope that this will improve your position in the general search results.

Insurance Industry Leaders Discuss Trends And The Effects Of Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina has affected the insurance industry dramatically. At a recent conference, several industry leaders discussed trends in the market, recruitment of new agents, the devastating effects of Katrina, and the insurance industry’s duties to policyholders in the aftermath of the hurricane. The long and short term effects of Katrina was the focus of the panel, led by CEOs of major insurers, which determined that the insurance industry must stand behind policyholders, especially those affected by Hurricane Katrina. There was agreement between most major insurance companies that the suspension of billing and cancellations was the top priority, along with paying claims promptly and fairly to those in devastated regions.

The various insurance associations, both state and national, have created a fund to help industry colleagues affected by Katrina recover from the losses they have suffered. The fund will also benefit the families of agents and brokers directly affected by the hurricane. Hurricane Katrina has devastated not only human life and property, but also the economic stability of the coastal region. Major insurance companies have suffered devastating losses as well as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The insurance industry estimates that 15 to 25 billion dollars in losses could be the price of insured losses due to the hurricane.

Let Your Words Speak For You – Increasing Expert Credibility in Your Industry Or Profession

One of the quickest ways to increase credibility in your industry or profession is by writing about it. Yes, writing.

Writing is inordinately undervalued by professionals in virtually every industry and profession. People who rely exclusively on the truism, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” are missing out on vast amounts of business and credibility opportunities, because words are the things that really sell. Whether it’s Web copy or an article, the details are contained in the words. Pictures are nice; words motivate. Words give your customers – and your potential customers – reasons to relate to you. Words describe the features and benefits that move your clients to buy from you or use your services.

Words sell. Period.

Using writing to enhance and increase your visibility should not be limited to your Web copy or articles. Other ways and places to use words to promote your ideas, vision, expertise, and products or services include:

E-mail
Media releases
E-zines and newsletters
Blogs
Books and e-books
Info products
ARE YOU USING YOUR WORDS TO THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL?
Chances are, you’re not.

Internet marketing guru Joe Vitale says there are three essential components that go into the success of any sales copy:

1. A high-quality product or service

2. Hypnotic writing

3. A great list

The exact same ingredients are necessary if you intend to use your words to increase your credibility in your industry or profession. How so? Let’s examine the components again.

A high-quality product or service. In the case of your writing, your unique product is your expertise around your industry or profession. Your goal is to share your unique knowledge about your area of specialization to help people solve problems, earn more, feel better, look better, change their attitudes, or otherwise improve their lives.

The Importance of Industrial First Aid Kits

Responsible employers and managers must never overlook the need for an office or industrial first aid kit. The federal government mandates that every workplace be equipped with easily accessible first aid kits and that employees should be taught first aid. Proper preparation can prevent unnecessary injury, lose of productivity, or even law suits when a workplace emergency occurs.

An employer must first provide the proper number of commercial first aid kits for its workers. Many kits are available for sale online by industrial first aid kit suppliers. Kits designed for ten workers cost about $15 and kits designed for fifty workers cost about $80. Also available are kits for an entire small office, vehicles, or work sites.

Kits should be stored in a portable, durable, watertight container. Attach the kit to the wall so that it is easily seen and reached in an emergency. Include a list of kit’s contents to ensure it is always fully stocked. Show each worker where the kit is located and what tools it contains. Educate each worker about possible work related injuries and which ones will require immediate medical attention from professionals.

The American Red Cross sells industrial first aid kits that meet or exceed the United State’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s requirements. Several types of kits are available. The Personal Protection Kit contains gloves, gowns, and masks to protect workers from biohazards like blood and bodily fluids. It costs about $15. The Spill Clean Up Kit contains wipes and scoops to contain a small biohazard spill. It costs about $10. The American Red Cross also sells industrial first aid kits for 25 or 50 workers that are both under $30.

When assembling any industrial first aid kit, always include: disposable gloves, bandages of various sizes, gauze, adhesive tape, scissors and tweezers, and antiseptic ointment.

Criminal Law Topic – What Laws Should We Have For Living in Space Colony VR Environments?

In the future there will be human colonies all over this solar system, on moons of planets and on the planets themselves. There is no doubt there will also be human colonies orbiting planets or in geosync with planets, as well as long term missions in livable large space ships, and whereas, all this may sound like science fiction, it will all come to fruition in the next 50-100 years. The first basic outposts will be sooner.

To keep everyone from going stir crazy, while the volunteers build the more permanent facitilies on the moons and planets, or while in orbit or boldly going where no man has gone before, they will have virtual reality to keep them company. A virtual reality environment that allows them to be anywhere they wish to be, without going anywhere. By this time such technologies will be well evolved and seem so real that while in them it will be hard not to forget where you actually are.

One question will be, how will humans act knowing that they are in a virtual reality environment? Will they engage in unethical behavior, cause crimes, hurt others who are also sharing that virtual reality environment and if so, what laws will there be? Will they be the same as in the real world?

Indeed, there should be some legal thinking prior to the development of these sophisticated VR environments, with the understanding that there might be parts of these laws that have to be scraped otherwise the humans will not accept them or even rebel against them, as humans so often do.

If these folks will be working in an augmented reality while doing tasks needed in the real world, thus helping them with the psychological issues of limited space, confined living quarters or even looking at unappealing environments; such as black moon dust or endless red clay like surfaces and rolling hills with craters; then there must be an understanding of law.

There must also be buy-in and advanced agreement by the colonists, explorers, miners, outpost workers, researchers and operators. They cannot feel trapped, confined or without their perception of freedom. Therefore a set of laws must be in place for proper conduct and criminal law. Think on this.

Is There a Real Lexington Law Scam? The Truth About Lexington Credit Repair

It’s important to be careful when dealing with a credit repair company because in the recent past there have been real scams by unethical credit repair companies who take advantage of people who have already been through hard times. These scams are truly unfortunate and when they are found out the government will step in to prosecute them and/or close them down. The government agency which regulates these credit repair companies is the Federal Trade Commission, also known as the FTC. The fact that a company like Lexington Law has been in the credit repair business since 1993 should be the first sign that the Lexington credit repair service is not a scam.

Another way to check about Lexington Law is to go to the Better Business Bureau, also known as the BBB, and see what their report says about them. The BBB is widely respected organization that helps consumers find companies they can trust. According to the better business bureau, Lexington Law has been a BBB accredited member since 2003. According to the BBB, Lexington Law used arbitration to resolve disputes, which is a good thing, and they have a satisfactory record.

Now, this doesn’t mean you won’t see some ex clients of Lexington claim that they have been scammed, but most likely this was a misunderstanding of how Lexington does business. The BBB says most of the complaints are because of the billing practice by Lexington which bills after work has been done, not before. By the way, it is generally recommended to stay away from credit repair companies that want a payment up front before services are done. These companies are more likely to be scams.