Latest News
| Jobless Claims Back Below 400K - What the Marker Means | |
 | January 26th, 2012The initial jobless claims number for last week fell below the 400,000 mark for the first time in over a month. Why is the 400K jobless claims level important? And why... |
| Cities suffer home price declines due to foreclosures | |
 | January 25th, 2012The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index for the month of October, released on December 27th, showed a surprise fall in home prices across many major cities in the country. The home prices... |
| Food Stamp Nation - Ever Rising Food Stamp Usage and Growing SNAP Fraud | |
 | January 24th, 2012Food stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) usage has grown nearly every month under the Obama administration, setting new records each progressive month. Latest reports state that over 46 million... |
| The Euro weakens against the Yen | |
 | January 23rd, 2012The Euro weakened against major trading currencies, when Italy announced that it will auction 8.5 Billion Euros of its debt. Falling to a decade low, the 17 nation European trading currency... |
| Is Debt crisis an adding factor to the fall in World Economy? | |
 | January 22nd, 2012The International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde who was in Nigeria last week, spoke up her concern over the lack of co-operation between the European countries to solve the debt crisis.... |
| Sears Finds a Loophole: Laid Off Employees Among Illinois Residents to Foot The Bill For Recent Tax Breaks | |
 | January 21st, 2012Sears, one of the largest retailers in the United States, has decided to lay off thousands of workers due to slow holiday sales. This comes just weeks after they signed... |
Feature Articles
| Don't Worry, Be Happy: Personal Finance Tips That Work | |
 | December 17th, 2011Handling your own finances is a tricky subject for a lot of people. Although there are a lot of excuses that can be made, the reality is that each person... |
| Panic in Europe - Should You Panic Too? | |
 | December 14th, 2011The headline news in Europe is the same as much of the industrialized world. The root cause of any disaster listed in a top ten financial news article is the financial... |
| Stop Your Financial Fight With These Expert Tips! | |
 | December 11th, 2011Teaching your children about money is very important. Although it can seem like a challenge, it is something that needs to be done. Children are never too young to learn how... |
| Check Out These Ideas For A Better Understanding Of Your Personal Finances | |
 | December 8th, 2011As you start out in managing your personal finances, take the time to go over these tips and learn more about what you can expect. Buy your staples in bulk and save... |
| The bad and not so bad the second mortgage loan dilema. | |
 | December 5th, 2011It may come to no shock to you that many people are underwater when it comes to their first mortgage on their home. But why most of the news only... |
| Making your Home Equity Loan Better | |
 | December 2nd, 2011There are new ways to take care of your home equity loan much better. One of the ways is to pay the installment for your home equity on time. This will... |
| Tax Treatment of REIT Investments | |
 | November 29th, 2011Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs, can be a profitable investment vehicle. A REIT owns real estate property and shares of the trust sell on the stock market like shares of... |
| Invest Money to Make Money | |
 | November 26th, 2011"You have to spend money to make money" is common advice when it comes to getting ahead financially. Although this isn't universally true, investing money is a proven method for growing... |
| The Good and Bad of Credit Cards | |
 | November 23rd, 2011According to the US Census Bureau, the number of credit card users increased by 45% between 1995 and 2006. This number continues to grow. Further, the average credit limit per user... |
| Using Dollar Cost Averaging To Accumulate Wealth | |
 | November 20th, 2011The term dollar-cost averaging comes up about every day in the investing world. The sad thing is that most individual investors have no idea what this term means or what... |
| Consigning Clothes: Five Steps to a Cleaner Closet and a Fatter Wallet | |
 | November 17th, 2011Are you looking for a way to make a few extra dollars? Consider selling your unwanted clothing at a consignment shop. With just a little effort, you can clean... |
| In Canada, What Happens to Credit Card Debt When Someone Passes Away? | |
 | November 14th, 2011When you or a loved one passes on, does your credit card debt as well? Or does it get passed on to the survivors? While this may be one of the... |
| 5 Things You Need to Know About Retiring | |
 | November 11th, 2011Retiring?! Yes, retiring. It may seem eons away, but the decades tend to pick up speed as you go along, and you will be facing retirement sooner than you... |
| The Benefits of Using Private Equity Financing | |
 | November 8th, 2011You're ready to expand your business, and you need capital. Should you get a traditional bank loan or use private equity financing? A traditional bank loan is a type of debt... |
| Some Negative Effects of Raising the Minimum Wage | |
 | November 5th, 2011As of 2009, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Each state can enact its own minimum wage laws that will supersede the federal minimum wage, but only if the... |
| CD Laddering: The Best of Both Worlds | |
 | November 2nd, 2011For many years, CDs have been popular investments because of their straightforward terms and fixed rates of interest. While the interest on CDs is low compared with what you might earn... |
| Can I get an auto loan with bad credit? | |
 | October 30th, 2011Is a poor credit rating stopping you from getting the car of your dreams? Are you tired of rejections for auto loans? Applying for a loan can be a stressful and... |
| How to Understand the Market Value of Debt | |
 | October 27th, 2011The market value of debt is rarely known directly. This is because most debt is held by banks and firms on the books. This takes these out of the debt market... |
| What should I consider when leasing a car? | |
 | October 24th, 2011Leasing a new car can seem confusing and intimidating. What should you consider before you sign the paperwork and commit yourself? A little preparation now could save you thousands... |
| What to consider when choosing an auto loan. | |
 | October 21st, 2011You have found the car of your dreams, but what auto loan should you choose? Choosing the right auto loan can be a complicated and confusing process for borrowers. There... |
Emergency Cash and Emergency Money Plans - Financial News, Explanations, Calculators and Cheat Sheets
Tips on Improving Small Business Cash Flow in the Recession
Generally speaking, small businesses have little access to plenty of cash. Indeed, the small business cash flow is often described as feast-or-famine in nature. And the recession, which has affected small and big businesses alike, have made the famine part more visible.
Well, why go the way of the grim statistics when you can improve your cash flow with these few simple tips? Just remember that you have to be patient and determined while going about said changes as it will take time before you can enjoy the benefits.
Check Out Potential Customers
Of course, the more customers you have, the better for your expansion plans. However, you must carefully choose your customers lest you find yourself saddled with more accounts receivable than you can handle.
Thus, you need to check on the credit status of your potential credit customers. This way, you can easily weed out those people and organizations that may pose problems during collection time. Of course, this advice does not apply to cash customers for indeed you must welcome them with open arms if you wish to improve your small business cash flow.
Give Out Bills Promptly
Even when you have chosen your customers very carefully, you still need to exercise prudent collection methods. Basically, you have to bill as promptly as possible lest you find yourself unable to collect in time to make your own payments such as taxes and accounts payable to suppliers.
When giving out your billings, be sure to include leeway for mailing time. And always bill on paper since telephone conversations are not sufficient to prove that you have tried to collect.
Provide Incentives for Early Payment
Place yourself in the shoes of your customer. If you can avail of small percentage discounts for early payment, you will most probably take advantage of them since even small savings are big factors in the improvement of your small business cash flow.
For example, if you can offer a 2% discount for payment within 10 days instead of the usual 15 days, then you are providing for incentives for early payment. You save on costs for mailing and time for telephoning for collections. Besides, said discount may even be included in the total pricing so you still come out a winner.
Barter Goods
In these cash-strapped times, more and more individuals and organizations are going the old-fashioned way of bartering goods and services. After all, no cash per se is involved although you have to make sure that the bartered items are indeed commensurate in value.
However, keep in mind that your small business cash flow will still be affected in the sense that you still have to pay the taxes on the trade. But since tax time is still in a few months, you should be able to find the money for it.
Trim Your Inventory
Many small businesses make the mistake of hoarding inventory in the belief that it will pay off when the demand is higher and the supply is lower. In reality, you are at the losing end of this proposition simply because you are paying for storage and purchase costs that may not even be rewarded with a surge in sales later on.
You have many ways with which to improve your small business cash flow. Just set your mind to it and decisively implement the changes.
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Cash Flow Lending is Vital to Business Success
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