Home Based Business and the Current Financial Crisis
This week it was reported that over 2 Trillion Dollars worth of share value has been destroyed in the USA alone and the world economic meltdown is spreading out world wide. The consequences will be dramatic: unemployment, bankruptcies, lack of credit … and what we see is just the beginning; since we have not yet hit the bottom and I suppose recovery will take years.
What can we do about it? Not much I fear, if it’s not that we have to take action. Action to preserve our family assets, action to assure income sufficient to meet months’ ends. Action to assure retirement and education, health and decent living. Read more
Credit Crunch – Not a Credit Freeze

photo credit: the_toe_stubber
First of all, it’s a credit crunch not a credit freeze!
Sure, banks are more cautious about their lending, but when were they not? The reality is that the majority of banks are lending, and to remain profitable they will continue to lend to small business owners. Those that understand the situation are acting now!
“Buy low, sell high”
With the current economic low, it is the best time to get financing at a low rate, with lower-than-ever requirements. Big banks like Citi and HSBC are making their decisions based on business credit scores, not personal fico’s.
Personal guarantee is a promise made by an entrepreneur to personally repay company debts if the business defaults. It is a way for banks to protect themselves, while reflecting the seriousness of the business owner to repay debts. Without a personal guarantee, they are thought to not believe in their business and are high risk. Small business owners don’t want to provide a personal guarantee if possible. Even if they are diligent about repaying debts, some unforeseen catastrophe may happen preventing a loan payment. Then the bank seizes personal assets. Read more
The Role of Scholarship, Grant, and Loans to College Financial Aid
Some students are unable to attend college courses because of insufficient financial capability and economic limitation. Others are not informed about the types of programs available to help them become one of the eligible students. The College Financial Aid (CFA) has been continually improving its assistance coverage to help in educational development. They now offer full coverage of expenses to students with financial disability.
CFA is open to assisting students plan their financials for higher education. They give counseling to confused applicants, usually encouraging them to continue their studies despite monetary problems. They guide students in their endeavor to finish school and get a better job afterwards. Applying for financial aid in CFA is easy. Learn more about scholarships, loans and grants below.
Loans
The college education loan is borrowed money to temporarily cover students’ expenses. It is paid back with interest. Read more
Peer 2 Peer Lending – Cutting Out The Middle Man
In the past getting a loan used to be a pretty intimidating process, getting dressed in your Sunday best, looking your best and venturing into town to the bank for a date with the Bank Manager. Once there you used to have to throw yourself at the mercy of the manager and plead for them to lend you money, getting declined for a loan was often a demoralising and embarrassing process.
These days applying for a loan is much more stress-free with the decision on whether you get given the money being based more on details such as your income, credit report and other factors, but still people can get turned down for reasons other than a poor credit record. In light of the recent credit crunch many banks are being more cautious about whom they lend money to and in some cases have ceased offering unsecured loans. Read more
My Two Cents on the Financial Crisis
As an options and currency trader, I’m had to learn a little about economics over the years, and in fact, the study of money, how it works and why, has been a consummate passion since I was a kid. To be a successful trader, its imperative you understand some basic things about economics, so for what its worth, here is my take on the financial crisis, how we got here, and a few ideas for a solution.
When Regan got elected president in 1980, he immediately did three things that planted the seeds of destruction that has finally come home to haunt us. It was only a matter of time, because in all the years since, no administration has done anything to change the infrastructure of the banking system and how real estate financing and ownership is done in this country Read more
300 Points Lost on Wall Street As Investors Fear Recession
Stock markets moved lower on Friday around the world, as investors are liquidating risky positions, mounting evidence of global recession.
U.S stock indexes fell 4 percent, European stocks fell 6.5 percent and Japan’s Nikkei plunged 9.6 percent.
Oil moved lower as well to $63 per barrel while commodities copper to zinc, sugar and coffee were battered by sharp selling.
The gloomy outlook convinced investors that economy is headed for a severe recession despite government efforts to help financial system. Investors have been saying that we are in recession and this is time to realize that we are in recession right now. Read more
Saving Our Beloved Cars and the Automotive Industry
Once again the US automotive industry is in dire straits. It did not learn from the 1973 energy crisis. It did not learn from the Chrysler experience. It did not learn from Toyota. It continued to depend on old, worn out concepts and on CEO’s that are kept in their positions by nepotism and by boards that do not understand the automotive business.
In a joint effort the Big Three are asking the US government for a $25 billion loan. They argue that government demands for increased fuel efficiency are too expensive to implement and require huge amounts of capital for retooling.
Let’s assume for the moment that the argument has some merit. But how can companies with worldwide manufacturing facilities fail to notice the steady increase in fuel prices and not see the warning signs hoisted by governments across the world that want to limit greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption. This neglect is inexcusable.
Efforts of US and European governments to limit fuel consumption are misdirected, counterproductive, and coercive. A comprehensive analysis quickly reveals that we must indeed limit and eventually halt greenhouse gas emissions.
OPEC countries will continue their unstoppable increases of petroleum prices. Electric cars, CNG powered cars, and hydrogen powered cars cannot stop carbon dioxide emissions perceptibly and will not make our country independent of OPEC imports. Read more
Universities and College Students Affected by Financial Crisis – Future of Nation at Stake
The financial crisis is severely affecting our colleges and universities. Currently, tuition costs have risen out of control and even if students can get student loans to attend college, it puts them into the workforce under a pile of debt, essentially subjecting them to economic enslavement for decades. In fact, many government agencies are now offering to pay off tuition debts if the graduating students do a rather long stint with government employment.
The Universities have been unable to control costs and due to supply and demand issues, coupled with the easy money of government guaranteed loans to college students. Academia is broken, just like the Health Care System, Banking System and Housing Markets, worse the runaway costs have the taxpayers holding the key. Academia has abused their status like the leaders of the other groups. Read more
Financial Crisis Understanding From the Ground Up (Part 1)
What is going on to the global financial market? This probably is the question being asked most frequently in the mean time. I am not an economist. But I do really concern about the current financial crisis and the economy like the other people. I want to understand the current situation. I want to see the complete picture. Therefore, I try to understand and analysis the whole event in a simplified way, and prepare to express my idea in laymen text.
Let’s start thinking from the ground up
In the society, reasonably, trades among people are negotiated by the participants as a fair exchange of goods and services. However, it is not easy to match the same values of different goods and services every time. Therefore, money appeared. What is money? It is a recognized medium of exchange, agreed by all the participants. In other words, it is an IOU or a credit for the seller and a debt for the buyer. For example, A sells goods in the market. When B comes to buy the goods from A, B gives an IOU to A as an exchange. With that IOU, A can buy goods back from B or other parties with the equal value. The IOU is the money. It gives people a flexible way in trading. Read more
The Stock Market Collapse of 2008 – Why the World Has Not Ended
The weekend party conversation filled itself with the speech of the Armageddon. More than one person told me in no uncertain terms that the world was coming to an end. My answer to friends, clients and family includes three facts. One, we’ve been here before. Two, great American companies still sell stuff to people. Three, cash cannot stay cash for long. Let me explain.
First, we’ve seen this all before and the world is still here. Calm down. In fact, in my experience as an investment advisor two important dates remind me to stay cool. In October 1987 I sat in my office wondering if the world was falling off a cliff. The market fell 22% in one day. This would be today’s equivalent of a one day drop of 2300 points! But, exactly one year later on Oct. 19, 1988 the market was up 23%!
More recently, also in October, but this time in 2002, Read more




