It is not surprising that, with the holiday shopping season looming immediately on the horizon, many people are wondering how they might be able to save a little money before the end of the year. I liked some tips sent via email by Herb Kay, who is known for the SOS System. Here are some of my paraphrasings of the tips, along with some of my thoughts and quotes from the email:

Change your withholding at work: This is a short-term way to get a little extra cash in your paycheck. Here is what Kay points out: “According to the …read more

One of the things that struck me a couple of years ago when I was buying a home, was that different mortgage brokers and lenders told me how much I could afford. After looking at my income and my debt load, they came up with a number that would get me into a bigger (and presumably better) home. This number was invariably between 30% and 36% of my monthly income. One broker came back and told me I qualified for a mortgage payment of 40% of my monthly income!
Clearly, this is not something I was comfortable with. In fact, you …read more

One thing that many entrepreneurs do when they are starting a business is to use their personal credit get the ball rolling. While this may be the only way to get started, it is important to realize that it is vital that your business have its own credit as well. You want to make sure that your business is building up credit in its own right, so that you can eventually get the loans you need for your business on the credit worthiness of your business.
Keeping business separate from personal credit
You want to be able to protect your personal finances …read more

One of the most important things you can do as a business is to make sure that you are the kind of business a lender is interested in providing financing to. One of the most important things that lenders look for is your payment history. While there is a lot you can do to make sure that you are paying on time, there are instances in which your payment is hindered by money owed to you.
If your clients are slow paying you, then you could be slow paying your own vendors, or making payments on a business loan. Without the …read more

One of the facts about corporate finance is that borrowing money is necessary. Any business needs to be able to borrow money in order to keep up a cash flow that provides smoothness in operations. However, business loans are decreasing as banks worry about the viability of businesses and the likelihood that they will be repaid. Here are some things that lenders consider before giving you a loan:

Business credit: Yes, you have to have business credit to get a loan. You can build credit with a business credit card that you pay regularly, or by paying off smaller loans you …read more

This is a guest post from Becky House. It offers helpful information on how you can improve your ability to get a loan. This is a very important issue right now, with lenders tightening their requirements.
Two years ago, someone with a 600 (poor) credit score could qualify for a mortgage or car loan. Now, reputable lenders will not even consider lending to someone with a score below 700. There is some good news though.  There are ways you can improve your “loan-ability” in the eyes of lenders and possibly get that home or auto loan you have been dreaming about. …read more

Delta Airlines has managed to secure a $2.1 billion line of credit secured by its Pacific route authorities, gate leases, and slots, the company reporting that it managed to close the deal on Monday. Delta says that it will use the money to address its 2010 debt maturities and to increase the company’s liquidity.
The transaction will reportedly generate $600 million in liquidity after Delta refinances $1.5 billion from Northwest’s bank credit, increasing Delta’s unrestricted liquidity to $5.6 billion. In all, the transaction should have a total effective yield of 9.2 percent, meaning that Delta will essentially make a 9.2 percent …read more

There has been a lot of play given to the idea of refinancing your home mortgage loan. With interest rates so low, it is no surprise that many people are interested in refinancing and saving tens of thousands of dollars over the life of their home mortgage loans. However, many people are overlooking the fact that auto loan interest rates have also come down, and you might be able to save thousands of dollars on your car loan.
When my husband and I borrowed for our first car as a married couple, on our own credit and income, things were different. …read more

Now is actually a pretty good time to buy a home. If you can afford a home, here are 3 reasons that now is a good time to buy:

Government tax credit: If you are a first-time home buyer, then you are likely eligible for a tax credit of $8,000 when you buy. This is a tax credit that can actually be applied now, and used as part of your down payment. You may be too late to get the tax credit, though: Your home has to close by November 30, 2009. However, Congress is considering extending the tax credit …read more

Some of the nation’s small banks may end up with access to TARP.