Posted on September - 02 - 2010

Kids can beat the weekend heat at Sunday’s free Tikeapalooza event in Boulder

Thanks to the generosity of many Colorado-area businesses, kids will have the chance to beat this weekend’s heat wave eating free Boulder Ice Cream and riding along 18,000 square feet of indoor bike fabulous indoor mountain biking trails.

The 2010 Boulder Tikeapalooza is scheduled for Sunday, September 5th from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. Onsite registration opens at 10 a.m. and is also available in advance online.

Kids are invited to bring their own bikes and ride the amazing indoor trails at Boulder Indoor Cycling center, one of the event’s co-sponsors.

At 12:30 p.m., toddlers will gather in unison for the first-ever ‘Parade of Tike Bikers,’ in which the tots will have a chance to bike around the base of one of North America’s only indoor Velodromes.

The parade is open to toddlers as young as 16 months. Kids who

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Posted on September - 01 - 2010

What To Do When The Bank Says No

Loan decline rates for small businesses continue at close to the ninety percent level.  Small businesses have been challenged by the slow economy.  Business owners have continued to invest personal funds into their businesses, getting home equity lines, refinancing mortgages, selling unproductive assets, and tapping into credit cards. 

Such actions have resulted in making small business owners even more of a risk for banks and have contributed to the high rate of turn-downs for bank loans.   Owners with maxed-out credit lines and highly collateralized property are not attractive candidates for the banks.  

Survey Says…

The high rate of bank denials has driven small business owners to look for new sources of funding.  A recent online survey of 276 small business owners indicated that 87 percent needed a predictable and readily available source of capital.  Consistently, business owners felt that funding decisions should be made on the strength of a businesses’ cash flow and not the ability to collateralize a loan.

Merchant Cash Advance Provides Funding

The survey results reinforce the concept of a merchant cash advance; cash advance decisions are made primarily on the strength of business’ credit card receipts.  Factors like high personal credit scores for the owner are not required, and funds are readily available.  

Funds Are Available Quickly

When businesses with strong credit card sales find themselves short on cash, they can get a cash advance on future credit card receipts with a merchant cash advance.  A cash advance is often a good solution because:

  • Repayment is made from credit card receipts, so the payment will go up and down as sales go up and down
  • There is no fixed repayment term
  • No collateral is needed

In order to qualify, a business owner needs:

  • $2,500 minimum in credit card sales per month
  • 4 months as the current business owner
  • Have a FICO score of at least 500 (better credit = more funds and lower rates)

Merchant Cash Advance Gets High Rating

Business owners who have used a merchant cash advance found that it was easy to use, and generally recommend it to other business owners.  The owner of a B & B in Texas has this to say:

“The cash advance allowed my company to expand and grow by opening another location. The payback is truly

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Posted on August - 31 - 2010

Pending Home Sales Show Modest Increase

Pending home sales rose modestly in July, two months after taking a steep plunge that put the housing market into the doldrums.

Signed contracts for home sales rose 5.2 percent in July, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported today, the first sign that the housing market is recovering from the end of the homebuyer tax credit. Pending sales plunged nearly 30 percent in May and another 2.8 percent in June after the credit expired. The report was a spark of good news for the battered housing market. Analysts had expected a decline of 1-2 percent.  Pending sales are considered a leading indicator, preceding actual sales – meaning closings – by one to two months, and the unexpected boost suggests the hangover from the end of the tax credit may be less severe than expected.   Hom Full Post…

Posted on August - 31 - 2010

I Love Reading Reviews

I have been on a bit of a run lately with doing some upgrades around the house to my appliances, heating equipment and even my gadgets. I love reading reviews to see what other people thought or think of the items I am thinking of buying. The reviews are pretty important because they are from people that bought the item already and know if it is good or bad.

For example, if you go to any electronics website you will see tons of reviews and ratings from consumers. I was reading some digital camcorder reviews recently and they are a good case point. There are so features and facets to today gadgets like cell phones, digital cameras and lcd televisions that it is hard to stay on top of.

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Posted on August - 30 - 2010

The Labor Bell’s about to Rock! We salute you!

The United States was forged from steel effort, sweat labor and economic achievement of American workers.

In 19th century America the industrial revolution was in full bloom with people lined up to feed the machines of mass production. Millions responded in search of the American dream, a newly founded trust in the commonwealth known as the free market. The idea of celebrating the everyday-working-man began to spread with the growth of labor organizations. By 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country. This holiday is to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community.

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