toddkenefsky.com

Professional Indemnity is insurance for a business that is going to be providing some advisory or consultation service, where its employee will be giving professional advice on the company’s behalf. Professional Indemnity will protect your business from any liability arising from third party losses sustained due to the negligence of you or your employees.

Credit Insurance will protect your business in the occurrence that customers fail to pay their invoices, however the risk involved for the insurer means that credit insurance can be difficult to obtain unless your business has been up and running for some time. Legal expense insurance will help cover your business for legal cost incurred in the event of a legal dispute.

Public liability insurance provides legal cover and protection against any third party claims for loss or damages that have occurred during the course of your business; this is often a wise choice of insurance for businesses that involve the public, for instance retailers or leisure facilities. Product liability is necessary for any business manufacturing products; it protects the business against claims that the products you manufacture are faulty and have caused loss to the owner.

Premises Insurance is necessary to provide cover against fire or any other perils; however ensure that you thoroughly check your policy details and are aware of what exactly your premises is covered for. Office insurance will provide cover for office equipment such as computers; faxes etc depending on your office requirements, and similarly factory Insurance will provide cover for machinery and equipment, as well as fire and theft etc within your businesses factory. If you work from home, home office insurance will provide cover for the necessary office equipment; often home office insurance is not included in house insurance so do not make any assumptions.

Employer’s liability is necessary if you have, or intend to have, employee, and will protect you against any claims for bodily harm or death to employees that have occurred during the course of employment. Fidelity insurance will protect you against any losses suffered from employees acting fraudulently or dishonestly. Should a key employee suddenly be unable to work through death or disability key person insurance will cover their direct replacement which may require specialist training; when taking our key person insurance ensure you obtain detailed advice on what it involves and what will be covered as it requires detailed knowledge.

Business travel insurance, as with ordinary travel insurance, will provide cover for the loss or damage of business equipment during travel. Check the policy as business travel insurance can also include the costs of emergency couriers for the delivery of replacement items; and some will cover for the unexpected occurrence of illness or death whilst on a business trip covering the costs for another employee to take their place. Commercial motor insurance will insure your liability to others in the case of a car crash or other motor vehicle incident. This includes death or injury to anybody (but not death or injury to employees while they are working, as they are covered by employer’s liability insurance).

When faced with business finance funding decisions, it is essential for business owners to determine their practical and effective alternatives. In the face of recent volatile conditions impacting financial markets, this will not be an easy task. For example, there has been much misinformation and confusion about the true availability of commercial financing throughout the United States. Getting more accurate information about what is realistically possible can be one of the most difficult challenges for commercial borrowers.

Even for business owners who are satisfied with their current commercial finance funding arrangements, it is advisable to explore business financing options that might be necessary if economic conditions change further. The use of Plan B contingency financing is an important tool to assist commercial borrowers in this process.

There are a number of harsh realities which must be confronted by all commercial borrowers when assessing their realistic options in the current challenging commercial finance funding climate. There are several factors which will have an immediate impact on which financing alternatives can be considered. First, unsecured lines of credit are rapidly disappearing for many businesses because commercial lenders are eliminating or reducing this kind of working capital financing. Second, many regional banks have decided to stop or reduce their lending activities involving commercial mortgages and other commercial loans. Third, commercial construction financing is available on a very limited basis. Fourth, businesses which are not currently profitable or not current in their debt payments will encounter particular difficulties in seeking new funding. Fifth, many lenders are requiring more collateral for any new commercial loans.

The primary message of this article is to emphasize the importance for commercial borrowers of being more realistic when seeking new financing or refinancing. As noted above, there are some stark changes which now impact almost all new commercial loans. Despite these new and difficult challenges, most business owners will still be able to obtain new financing, although it is very likely that either the terms or kind of financing will be different from previous business financing arrangements.

For example, even though working capital loans are not as widely available as they were just a few months ago, this kind of commercial financing is still in fact obtainable. The main change for business borrowers is the likelihood that they will be dealing with a different commercial lender, since some of the largest providers have stopped making these loans. Furthermore, the lenders which are currently most willing to consider working capital funding are not aggressively promoting these particular financing activities.

Business cash advance programs which are based on credit card processing activity are another example of an increasingly practical commercial financing option in the midst of an uncertain economy. Although this business funding option has been available for several years, it has not been utilized by most small business owners. For most businesses which accept credit cards, business cash advances should be evaluated as an important tool for improving business cash flow. Commercial borrowers wanting to consider this financing alternative should consult with a commercial finance funding expert who is knowledgeable about both this specialized kind of working capital financing as well as commercial real estate loans and other commercial loans.

Auto insurance is a necessity for vehicles that are used for personal or business purposes.

Insurance companies offer various types of coverage for autos both online and offline. In case of commercial auto insurance the liability limits are generally higher and insurance cover will most probably also cover rented, vehicles not owned by the company but by say an employee.

Insurance companies help decide whether an auto should have personal insurance or commercial based on:

• Whether the vehicle is business owned or personal.
• The number of people driving the vehicle and whether the vehicle is largely in use for business purposes.
• The usage of the auto, its use in transporting business related goods, hazardous materials, or people working for the business.

When buying commercial auto insurance you need to now what is ideal and what are the coverage options you have and need.

1. Weigh your options of buying through insurance company, online, through an agent, or using an insurance directory website. Independent agents and online insurance directories in general offer a wider choice of commercial auto insurance as they represent multiple companies. This means you have a wide range of auto insurance policies, products, and prices to select from.

2. Always buy commercial auto insurance from a company that has experience in the field of commercial auto insurance. Since vehicles used for business purposes are always in use you need to select a commercial auto insurance provider who has a 24/7 claims service and will work efficiently to settle claims and put your auto back on the road swiftly. Choose an insurance carrier with good financial standing and reliability.

3. Study various options and buy a commercial auto insurance policy that covers injury or damage caused to another in an accident; medical expenses; damage caused to your vehicle; theft of your vehicle; and injury caused to uninsured or underinsured driver; as well as damage caused to the other vehicle.

4. Learn what affects the cost of commercial auto insurance and take necessary steps to minimize costs. For example taking defensive driving courses, installing safety equipment; and anti theft devices in an auto will reduce insurance costs.

5. Keep your driving record clean and your credit history. Many commercial auto insurance companies use such factors to compute policy costs.

6. Know that the make of vehicle, maintenance of the vehicle, age of vehicle, age of drivers, and more affects commercial auto insurance rates. When buying a vehicle think insurance and choose a vehicle that does not attract higher insurance premiums.

7. If the vehicle transports hazardous materials then make every effort to follow laws as well as safety procedures. Make the vehicle safe and secure. Ensure that those who drive the vehicle are responsible drivers.

Buy commercial auto insurance knowledgably. Get the insurance company or agent to tailor an insurance package for you. The package should cover auto general liability, workers comp, special riders, and more. Design an umbrella commercial auto insurance policy that meets all your insurance needs.

A commercial van insurance quote in UK differs greatly from a personal insurance quote in many different ways.  Many of the ways the two quotes will differ include the type of coverage you will need and more.

One of the ways personal insurance differs from commercial van insurance quote UK is that with personal insurance you are insuring only one person.  You only have to worry about one person’s driving record.  Commercial insurance considers every driver you have with your company. 

They might not be driving every single day or the same vehicle.  The insurance company will examine every person you have with your company who is driving to see if they are willing to insure them.  You might have an employee that they deny coverage too.  You might have to find other work for this person or send them packing.

Personal insurance covers your vehicle and minimal personal items in your car.  You will have to pay a deductible and usually if there is theft in your vehicle then the theft will be less than the deductible so there is no point in making a claim.  If you make a claim and your insurance company does pay it after you pay the deductible then your monthly rates will go up. 

Usually, it is worth more for you not to place a claim with the insurance company when theft or damages occur.  A commercial van insurance quote UK will make a big difference in this realm because as a business you do want the maximum amount of coverage you can get.

This is because you might be carrying thousands of dollars of inventory around in your vans and you want the contents of your van to be covered in addition to the vans if an accident occurs.

You can, for free…

If you had a fifteen thousand dollar antique, would you leave it lying around on the street to get run over by whatever car happened to be passing by? The answer is no, of course not. Yet that’s exactly what many business owners are doing with their company vehicles when they allow them to hit the streets without being covered by a commercial auto insurance policy.

Commercial auto insurance policies differ slightly from personal auto insurance policies in that they’re intended to protect employees and their vehicles when they’re being used for company business during company time. Many business owners, particularly small business owners who don’t have fleets of trucks worth more than most Americans make in a year hitting the highways every day, fall under the spell of the propaganda that states that as long an employee’s car is covered by a personal insurance policy they’ll be protected when they’re out on the road doing company business.

The catch is, auto insurance companies know that the more time cars spend on the road the more likely they are to get into an accident. That equals drivers that are more likely to be filing a claim, and insurance companies don’t make money off of paying out claims. That’s why they ask their drivers to distinguish between whether their vehicle is being used for business or pleasure when they buy their auto insurance policy, and why they’re going to drag their feet about paying claims incurred during company time and renewing personal policies at personal rates after a business-related accident has taken place.

Because neither you nor your employees want the hassle of having to argue with your insurance provider regarding your vehicle’s primary use, and you certainly don’t want to have to pay tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in uninsured damages after an accident has taken place, your best bet is to purchase a commercial auto insurance policy for your business. Through your commercial coverage your employees will be protected when they’re out on the roads doing company business, even when they’re behind the wheel of their own personal vehicle. On top of that, if you choose to purchase company cars for the explicit purpose of doing company business (for example, traveling to homes to do repairs so that heavy and expensive hardware isn’t being moved from vehicle to vehicle) you’ll be protected regardless of which of your employees happens to be driving.

The economy is tough right now, and it may be tempting for business owners to cut corners by eliminating commercial auto insurance policies and using those profits to help their companies stay on top; however, the risk isn’t worth the reward. A single accident without insurance coverage can deal your company a blow it may have a hard time recovering from, particularly if you’re just barely keeping your head above water as it is. Your business deserves better that to have its future left in the hands of luck and fate because you chose not to purchase commercial auto insurance coverage.

Despite efforts by the federal government and commercial lenders to suggest that there is ample business funding, confusion seems to be increasing about small business loans and working capital loans. As a result, the actual availability of basic business finance services such as commercial real estate financing and business cash advance programs is not clear to many commercial borrowers.

It seems apparent that there have been many reports suggesting that normal commercial finance channels are either frozen or extremely sluggish. After reviewing other funding sources, it is possible to find more commercial loan financing options than such reports might suggest. Uncertainties in credit and financial markets have produced misleading and often conflicting information about commercial financing availability. For most business owners, it is probably not clear if business finance funding is realistically available to them or not.

In spite of some admittedly bad news, there continue to be to reliable funding sources for commercial real estate loans, working capital loans and especially for business cash advances. At the same time, the current negative economic conditions will prove to be difficult for most businesses. Commercial borrowers should expect that extra efforts will be required to successfully arrange commercial financing. An especially harsh reality for business financing is that many banks have discontinued all or most of their business lending activities, often with very little advance notice.

To use an example, commercial finance reports might not accurately reflect that some specialized kinds of commercial financing have been disproportionately disrupted. Commercial borrowers might be unnecessarily confused by reports that do not refer to all commercial loan situations but rather primarily apply to a very specialized form of business financing. To illustrate with a key example, commercial construction loans are currently in short supply by most accounts. Such specialized business loans are not as easily available as they were just a few months ago, and a more accurate accounting would reflect that the number of commercial lenders currently active in construction financing has shrunk dramatically. At the same time, most commercial real estate loans without new construction have not been as severely impacted as funding requests which do involve construction financing.

Several publications have reported that most new business financing requests are on hold or have simply been rejected due to recent financial market uncertainties, and this is another example of how business finance funding reports might confuse small business owners. While the sources for this information might have been honestly told by one or more lending institutions that they are in fact deferring new commercial loan funding, this does not mean that is the case for the entire country. If the discussion involved automobile sales, it would be comparable to concluding that nobody is selling cars anywhere after learning that several major dealers and two manufacturers announced that they were going out of business due to lack of adequate sales. Just because one or more banks fail or stop making business loans, it does not mean that there are not commercial loans available from other sources.

Because the banking industry has been involved in financial disruptions of epic proportions, commercial borrowers should maintain a cautious perspective in determining how to obtain and refinance small business loans. Many banks are sounding and acting like they have been through the equivalent of a train wreck. In such a natural disaster, it might not be prudent for business owners to seek the advice of banks which effectively caused the train to derail in the first place.

Despite reports about limited availability of business financing, some commercial lending activities such as business cash advance programs are actually as active as they have ever been. In the current commercial funding crisis, small business owners should seek a commercial loans expert for a realistic assessment and candid discussion about working capital loans and business finance programs.

A complicated business finance process can occur when an investor previously familiar only with residential real estate begins investing in commercial real estate investment property and business opportunity situations. Before a borrower attempts to buy a business, it is important to develop a business loan and commercial mortgage strategy.

There are many key differences between financing for commercial property investing and residential real estate investments. Because more residential property investors are exploring commercial real estate and business finance opportunities, this business opportunity financing and business loan report is designed to help educate new commercial investors about key commercial mortgage and commercial loan issues.

Rather than specifically focusing on issues that differentiate business financing from residential financing (which we have thoroughly analyzed in separate reports), this report will offer a few key observations regarding business finance elements that are often overlooked in new business investment considerations. These factors include credit card processing, business cash advance options and working capital management.

Coordinating Credit Card Processing and Business Cash Advance Programs -

Many business investments will involve the use of credit card processing decisions. These business activities should be analyzed simultaneously with business cash advance programs for several reasons. If done properly, a business should reduce their costs and improve their cash flow.

Reducing Credit Card Processing Costs in Business Investing -

One of the biggest benefits of coordinating credit card processing with a business cash advance program is the real potential that overall costs can be reduced. Such an advantage is likely to be available in conjunction with the most progressive programs by linking a low cost credit card processor with the best merchant cash advance program. Many of the best credit card processors will not be available for businesses other than through a high-quality credit card financing arrangement.

Improve Cash Flow for Business Investments -

Credit card factoring strategies can produce a business cash advance up to several hundred thousand dollars. For most businesses, this level of financing is not routinely available via other business finance programs. The decision to choose credit card financing to secure a merchant cash advance is an increasingly practical business financing response to business lenders eliminating line of credit programs.

It is important to realize that there are certain key limitations and potential difficulties with business cash advance strategies. New business owners will occasionally eliminate using a merchant cash advance without adequately considering the overall benefits because they are confused by this business finance approach. Although credit card factoring is frequently considered to be a short-term commercial financing strategy, there are also effective longer-term variations which should not be overlooked.

Working Capital Management Strategies -

Obtaining a working capital loan is usually more effective when arranged in conjunction with buying a business. However many lenders do not adequately address this issue in the early business finance stages. Before completing a purchase offer to buy a business, all business loan issues should be discussed in order to fully understand overall commercial financing choices and limitations.

After acquiring a business, it is more likely that business or personal collateral will be a necessity in getting working capital financing. One major exception to this common collateral requirement will be the use of a business cash advance and credit card factoring as mentioned above.

Additional Key Investment Business Finance and Real Estate Mortgage Issues -

As previously noted, commercial mortgage and commercial loan requirements are very different from residential financing requirements in the United States. Additional business finance reports include a discussion of many other significant financing factors. Other reports address important subjects such as business opportunity loans, business appraisals, stated income business loan options and SBA loan programs.

Most of the additional articles will provide further detail about topics discussed in this report as well as offering business financing solutions for numerous other complex business loan situations. For example, some SBA loan processes can include working capital as part of the total initial financing. For those interested in learning more about both potential advantages and problems associated with coordinating credit card processing and business cash advance services, there are several additional resources (such as The Working Capital Journal) which will facilitate a better understanding of these complex business finance issues.

Even though longer-term business finance techniques might be appropriate for many circumstances, there are some important short-term business loan options that will be less costly in producing improved credit card processing and commercial mortgage results for business owners. Short-term business financing choices can be misunderstood because of a preference by many business owners for long-term commercial real estate loan and commercial loan programs.

Two Important Short-Term Business Finance Options

Two of the most overlooked short-term working capital business loan strategies are short-term commercial mortgage loan programs and business cash advance programs in conjunction with credit card processing. Both of these business finance options are relevant for most business owners but are frequently misunderstood.

Short-term Programs for Commercial Real Estate Investment Financing

A long-term business loan is appropriate for many businesses that own commercial real estate investment property. Business properties should normally be financed with a combination of short-term and long-term business finance funds. When a longer-term commercial mortgage is viable, it is preferable to secure long-term business financing, preferably for 30 years.

However there will be many commercial mortgage loan situations in which longer-term real estate business financing is not appropriate for the business owner. In such circumstances it is important for a business owner to realize that there are viable short-term working capital management options.

When a Short-Term Commercial Mortgage is Appropriate

If a business owner plans to sell or refinance their business within a few years, it is preferable to explore short-term business finance options. The best short-term business loan will have minimal prepayment penalties in comparison to terms commonly included with long-term commercial real estate investment property financing.

The avoidance of business finance prepayment fees and lockout fees fees in some short-term business financing programs is an important benefit of these short-term commercial mortgage approaches. The absence of these potential fees could produce a savings of up to 20% or more if the business property is sold during the period which would have involved lockout fees in a longer-term commercial loan.

Short-Term Commercial Real Estate Investment Property Financing Limitations

There are some trade-offs that need to be understood if a business owner chooses shorter-term business financing even though prepayment fees will usually be avoided with a short-term business loan. When short-term commercial real estate financing is a realistic option, the loan-to-value will usually be no higher than 70%, the commercial mortgage will not be readily available for special purpose business investment properties such as golf courses and the interest rate will frequently be in the range of about 12%.

Best Investing Possibilities for a Short-Term Commercial Mortgage Loan

Warehouse, multi-family, office, mixed-use and retail business properties are the best possibilities for short-term business financing. Business owners should be comfortable with a time period of less than three years for a typical short-term business loan.

Fewer Mortgage Lenders for a Short-Term Commercial Real Estate Loan

There will typically be a very small number of commercial real estate investment property lenders who are effective at implementing the short-term commercial mortgage loan strategy properly. There are also a number of problems to be avoided with a short-term commercial real estate loan, so choosing an appropriate provider is extremely important to any business owner considering a short-term business finance program.

Credit Card Processing and Business Cash Advance Programs

For any business that accepts credit cards as a method of payment, a business cash advance is a critical working capital management tool that is often overlooked. Even thriving businesses frequently need more working capital than they can borrow. One of the least-known business finance strategies for successful businesses is potentially the single best working capital loan strategy for obtaining needed cash for growing their business: the use of a merchant cash advance or business cash advance program.

Primary possibilities to take advantage of this business financing program are service and retail businesses. This credit card processing and credit card financing strategy uses credit card receivables to determine the amount of a merchant cash advance.

Working Capital Management: Credit Card Financing and Credit Card Processing

This business financing technique is called credit card financing or credit card factoring. Some business owners might have used a business finance technique referred to as receivables factoring to sell future receivables at a discount and receive immediate cash.

Many service and retail businesses cannot document business receivables to obtain a business loan. Businesses such as bars and restaurants do not typically have receivables to use for business financing.

What these businesses do have in many cases is documented sales volume and documented credit card sales activity. It is this documented level of sales volume and credit card sales activity that becomes a financial asset to the business and its business finance strategies. Business cash advances from $5,000 to $300,000 can usually be obtained based on a merchant’s sales volume and future credit card sales.

A business financing merchant cash advance must usually be paid back in less than 12 months. For business owners that want to renew the working capital cash advance program, it is typically possible to get more working capital after payback of the initial advance.

Limitations and Problems to Avoid with Credit Card Processing and Merchant Cash Advance Programs

As with any successful business finance strategy, there will typically be only a small number of commercial lenders who are effective at implementing this working capital management strategy properly. There are also a number of problems to be avoided with business cash advance programs, so choosing the appropriate provider of this commercial financing service is extremely important to any business owner considering a credit card financing program.

There have been some disappointing and unexpected actions taken by commercial lenders in response to recent financial events. This changing environment for business finance funding is likely to produce several new problems for commercial borrowers. To assist small business owners in their efforts to keep up with these imposing challenges, The Working Capital Journal is one of several commercial financing information resources which should be reviewed regularly. The working capital finance industry has primarily been operating on a regional and local basis for many years. In response to cost-cutting that has permeated many industries, there has been a consolidation that has resulted in fewer effective commercial lenders throughout the United States. Most business owners have been understandably confused about what this might mean for the future of their commercial financing efforts, especially because this has happened in a relatively short period of time. Of course, for some time there have been ongoing complex problems for commercial borrowers to avoid when seeking commercial loans. But what has produced a new set of business finance funding problems is that we appear to be entering a period which will be characterized by even more uncertainties in the economy. Previous rules and standards for commercial financing and working capital finance are likely to increasingly change quickly, with little advance notice by business lenders. Business owners should make an extended effort to understand what is happening and what to do about it due to this realization that substantial changes are likely throughout the United States in the near future for commercial finance funding. At the forefront of these efforts should be a review of what actions commercial lenders have already taken in recent months. The Working Capital Journal is one prominent example of a free public resource that will facilitate a better understanding of the responses by business lenders to recent economic circumstances. By publicizing actions taken by commercial lenders, this will contribute to these two goals, both of which are likely to be helpful to typical business owners: (1) To highlight controversial bank-lender tactics with a view toward reducing or eliminating questionable lending practices. (2) To help business owners prepare for commercial finance funding changes. Sources that currently include The Working Capital Journal are actively encouraging business owners to describe and report their financing experiences so that they can be shared with a broader audience to assist in this effort. Some of the most significant commercial financing changes reported so far by commercial borrowers involve working capital loans, commercial construction financing and credit card financing. A notable situation of concern is that predatory lending practices by credit card issuers have been reported by many business owners. Some specific businesses such as restaurants are having an especially difficult time in surviving recently because they have been excluded from obtaining any new business financing by many banks. One of the few recent bright spots in business finance funding, as noted in The Working Capital Journal, has been the continuing ability of business owners to obtain working capital quickly by business cash advance programs. For most businesses accepting credit cards, this commercial financing approach should be actively considered. Business cash advances are literally saving the day for many small business owners because most banks appear to be doing a terrible job of providing commercial loans and other working capital finance help in the midst of recent financial and economic uncertainties. For example, as noted above, restaurants are virtually unable to currently obtain commercial finance funding from most banks. However, if a restaurant accepts credit cards in their business operations, they are likely to be able to obtain needed cash from merchant cash advances and credit card factoring.

Whenever one invests in real estate the most important thing that they have to look for are the finances. Any real estate property be it apartment or other requires huge amounts of money and hence the need of apartment financing. The choice of a particular financing option largely affects the investment outcomes and hence one must tread cautiously in the matter of apartment financing. There are many financing options that one can go for in apartment financing such as banks and private lenders. There are also some prerequisites that one can consider before going in for apartment financing. The traditional methods of apartment financing do not allow much flexibility but with the growth of private lenders there is much flexibility which one can consider in apartment financing.

Apartment Financing Options

Before considering the different financing options one must make sure how long one is going to hold the property and whether the investment is long term or short term because this has important implications in the choice of finance one can get. When one is considering owning the apartment for a short period then one can surely go in for the adjustable rate mortgage or the ARM for short. The ARM apartment financing option offers an interest rate that changes with the index. The initial interest rate in the ARM is more competitive than other apartment financing options. Interest rate fluctuations in the future impact the finances and hence the ARM is important in this regard. Also the maximum interest rate also works as protection for those who hold the mortgage. For those wanting to remain long in the business there is the fixed rate mortgage apartment financing. The rate of interest for the borrowers in this apartment financing remains the same for the whole period of the mortgage and hence it offers the borrowers cost effective apartment finance.

When one goes for the fixed interest rate apartment financing when the interest rates are low all the advantage is for the borrowers since they qualify for the same interest rate until all the loan is repaid. The opposite happens when the interest rates are higher in the market. First time investors must also look for the value of the apartment because it affects the type of finance they will receive. Generally higher the value of the apartment the best interest rates will be got from direct lenders or investment companies. However when the value of the property is smaller one can consider the financing options from ones local banks.

Apartment financing from smaller banks or direct lenders is another important option that one can consider in apartment financing because they offer flexible apartment loans as compared with other reputed banks and lenders. One can have finances like non-recourse as well as partial-recourse loans from the small banks and the direct lenders who are always on the look out for borrowers. In the event of non-repayment of the amount the traditional lenders can claim the property and recover their loan while in the conventional loan the lender cannot claim the apartment for which finance is given but they can claim the property that has been mortgaged as the security for their finances.

Find out more at Learn Apartment Financing