Finance

Struggling to survive in 2021? You’re not out of options yet! With the PPP and many other relief efforts being made during the pandemic, you might think: “Wait, they’re bringing out another program?” Not exactly. SBA Community Advantage (CA) loans have been around...

Planning your next road trip? If so, are you sure you want to take your own car? While it might seem obvious that driving a rental car would be more expensive than driving your own, there are certain scenarios where you may want to use a rental car instead. First, a...

These days, an increasing number of young entrepreneurs are dealing with the same question: What do I do about my student loans? Fortunately, federal loan consolidation is often a great option for student loan borrowers. It provides the convenience of having only one...

Getting 5% back on all your purchases is a tempting offer — even if it’s only cents most of the time, it can still majorly add up by the end of the year. But are rewards cards really worth it? Let’s take a look. Pay off the bill on time.If you don’t pay off your card...

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) relaunched in December, with brand new applications being released on March 3, 2021. As a small-business owner, you’re being prioritized by lenders and given extra resources to keep your business on the ground.The Paycheck...

By now, most hear the words “extended warranty” and our minds go straight to the robocall that targets some of us on a weekly — or even daily — basis. That particular scam has been going on for a long time, yet most people don’t know how to handle it. Hang up, and...

Isn’t it funny how many services won’t let you cancel them if you’re displeased? For example, if you’re paying a company good money to monitor your data, and someone still skims your card info and buys $400 worth of cigarettes and scratch cards in New Jersey, that’s...

When you aren’t familiar with cars, you might pick your auto mechanic by chance. You just have to hope they’ll be honest and won’t rip you off. When you aren’t familiar with cars, you might pick your auto mechanic by chance. You just have to hope they’ll be honest and...

When you travel for business, many of your expenses can be written off on your taxes — you just need to know the rules. Here’s a quick guide to get you started!  Driving Out of Town To start, deduct your out-of-town miles the same as you would for local drives — this...

About 9 out of 10 parents are willing to help their child get out of debt. And student debt is a very common type of debt for young people today. If your child has taken a student loan, it’s probably the first loan they’ve ever received. That’s a huge responsibility,...

As a young person, a lack of financial expertise can make you prone to mistakes without realizing how irresponsible spending can affect you later in life. Unfortunately, negative information like payment delinquency can stay on your credit report between 7–10 years....

Since the start of the pandemic, much of our social and financial lives have been spent over the internet. As we put out more and more personal information online, this makes it particularly easy for hackers to find new targets to drain the savings from. Digital crime...

If you have less-than-ideal credit, it’s no secret that it’s tough opening new lines of credit or applying for new residences. If you’re faced with rejection after rejection, you might be tempted to apply even more — but the truth is that repeatedly applying for a new...

Nobody wants to be paid late — and employers, perhaps even more than employees, don’t want to pay late either. It can be illegal to make even the smallest mistakes when it comes to payroll, and you’d rather be the great friend people trust and can rely on instead of...

It’s a horrible experience to be in debt as a business owner. It keeps you awake at night because you’re not sure what’s going to happen to you or your family. Nearly every entrepreneur has experienced this, and many get themselves out of that situation in a smart and...

Whether you’re calculating payroll yourself or using a third party, many miss a crucial fact: Your time is worth something. How much does it cost for you to run payroll? As the key decision-maker, your time, focus, and energy are extremely valuable to your business’s...

If you’re worried about your credit, or what to do once your debt relief program runs out, you’re not alone.If you’re worried about your credit, or what to do once your debt relief program runs out, you’re not alone. At the start of the pandemic, the lending community...

These Times May Be Turbulent, but That's Why Your Business Needs the Right Coverage Your business needs to be prepared for the future in a lot of ways, and one of them is through insurance. Between the pandemic and political polarization, small businesses have been...

Are you feeling a bit left behind lately? While the pandemic lockdowns have pushed people further into the virtual world, not every business has felt entirely prepared for the shift. How do you keep up with entirely virtual business if your office isn’t properly...

The upfront cost of having a company car for you and your employees can seem steep — but it can actually be a huge boon to your business. Especially in the pandemic, when company travel by car is becoming more common, you might want to consider a car to get your...

If you’re an entrepreneur, you most likely love your craft. But you also love making a living off of that craft, which drives you to grow your businesses. Because of the pandemic, now is the perfect time to creatively rethink how your business scales to new heights....

Currently, many of our business models are shifting to meet the adjusted needs of our markets. Some of these models rely heavily on credit, which has many entrepreneurs losing sleep. However, creditors realize that if they want to succeed, their credit holders need to...

As I'm writing this, many small business owners are navigating the challenges the pandemic is throwing their way, including insurance coverage issues. This entails establishing new payment dates, as well as defining what is and isn't covered. To best manage this...

Right now, many companies in our entrepreneurial community are scaling back or re-evaluating their business models. However, federal assistance programs for small business owners are available, such as the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster...

It can be a challenge to rebuild good credit if you’ve faced bankruptcy or a challenging financial situation. When your credit is down or wiped out, many lenders will decline to extend credit to you leaving you with few options. When you want to rebuild your credit,...

If you don’t get off the ground, you won’t be able to build your company to new heights. Raising capital is a crucial part of that process, and you may need to take on debt to do it. But, if your credit is less than ideal, it can take years to find the proper funding...

As a business owner in our current situation, you have a lot on your plate, including taxes. While the IRS is usually a source of stress, they’re doing their part to help those in need, including companies. If you’re still working through your taxes, here is what you...

As a small-business owner, you have a lot on your mind right now. Demand is in flux, and with the virus spreading, you have to make some hard decisions about how to handle remote work. But you do have options and resources at your disposal, including your AFEUSA...

April is Women’s History Month, and Facebook COO and Lean In founder Shery Sandberg is one of the world’s most history-making women in business today. Speaking at a panel co-hosted by Stanford Law School, Lean In, and the Hamilton Project about how women can level up...

Customers aren’t driven only by the cold hard facts when determining what they’re willing to pay for a product. In fact, psychology can play a powerful role in determining the optimal price point for your product. As you hone in on your optimal pricing strategy, here...

Being strategic about tax planning is a central way to grow wealth as a small business owner and tax season is right around the corner. Here are a few write-offs every business owner should know about and, if possible, take advantage of. Cell Phone Bills Just because...

Billing is a complex issue for companies to handle, as every market and business plan is different. If your system is lacking in any way, though, it can be detrimental to your customer experience. Here are a couple of signs you need a new billing system. Competitors...

During the holidays, we often find ourselves rushing to get our loved ones the perfect gifts, but what about our customers? A holiday gift is a great way to endear yourself to consumers, but finding the perfect present can be a real hassle. What is appropriate? What...

If e-commerce is a staple of your business model, shipping and handling costs can keep you up at night. For any business, especially an e-commerce-driven company, overpriced shipping could send profit margins plummeting. Take a t-shirt company, for example. The price...

Planning for the next quarter can be an intimidating task. If you're not familiar with finances, you can easily get lost in the assortment of information available on the subject. If you're feeling the pressure as the next quarter approaches, here are some unique...

As an entrepreneur, you’re driven and will do whatever it takes to meet your goals. However, knowing how to meet the short objectives along the way will help immensely. If you’re unfamiliar with how income statements work, here is a quick break down. Start with the...

Being an Entrepreneur is a lot like being a pilot. Getting off the ground can be difficult at first, but once you’re in the air, all you want to do so soar higher and higher. To do so, however, requires the discipline to pay attention to little things like office...

When first starting out, business finance can be difficult to conceptualize or map out for the budding entrepreneur. Here are some of the ways modern technology can alleviate those financial headaches. Accounting Software There are a plethora of accounting tools on...

As a small-business owner, your profits may keep the lights on during the day, but the expenses surely keep you up at night. Here are a couple of ways you can cut costs and increase your profit margins so you can sleep a little more soundly at night.  Reduce Your...

In years past, many small businesses had very simple systems for managing their payroll, including paper records or simple excel spreadsheets. But technology has changed drastically in the years since the internet, and modern small businesses have many tools available...

No matter how big your business is, you have more important things to worry about than payroll and taxes. For most entrepreneurs, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to complete all the tasks we’ve assigned ourselves. That’s why it’s so important to reach out...

Credit scores impact some of the most important moments in our lives. Buying a house, applying for a job, and improving your small business all rely on having a good credit score. Conversely, if your credit is lackluster, all these moments become far more difficult to...

Toss the notebooks and calculators aside: Your company’s payment methods have never been easier. By outsourcing your payment services to online programs, you will be joining the ranks of countless successful business owners who realized the senselessness of doing it...

Naturally, the right amount of capital is one of the keys to a successful small business. If you don’t have enough, you’ll be cutting corners that will lead to decreases in quality and trust from potential partners or clientele. Cash flowing the business can feel like...

If you are an entrepreneur, it goes without saying that you must take care of many things associated with your business. Not only do you need to maintain a good relationship with your clients, you also need to allocate and manage different tasks for your employees,...

Where there’s money, there’s growth; this is just one of the standard facts of the business world. If you want your business to grow in 2019, you’ll have to find the best way to finance it, keeping in mind where you want to see yourself at the end of the year. With an...

Keeping an ever-watchful eye on your expenditures takes the guesswork out of running a successful venture. As any experienced entrepreneur will tell you, growth and money go hand in hand. Sometimes it’s not so much about making boundless profits as it is about...

Proactively gauging how well you’re handling your company’s finances will help in the prevention of costly errors. Finance is the alpha and omega of any business: No matter how pure your intentions are for your venture, none of the good you do would be possible...

Creating a budget for your business can be one of the most frustrating and frightening aspects about starting a new business. Not only are you putting part of your personal budget toward your business; the business requires a completely separate budget of its own -...

The end of the year can be an overwhelming time for anyone, and that is especially true for business owners. When you’re trying to wrap up the year successfully, it can feel nearly impossible to enjoy the holidays. With everything on your to-do list, worrying about...

I’ve mentioned in several of my articles about all the perks that come with freelancing - the opportunities to work from any place you’d like, work on your own timetable and accept or reject work as you please. That being said, all those perks can come at...

An aspiring musician who has struggled with his finances and health has finally found his footing -- see how he did it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GD5hRxGhM0 On this episode of Resilience, Entrepreneur Network partner Jason Saltzman sits down with Michael Nova,...

Over the past several years federal legislators have added a large number of regulations that apply to small businesses. There are more regulations placed on small businesses today than ever before. The increase of regulations placed on businesses can hurt the...

afeUSA advocates amplified the voice of small businesses and communicated your need for affordable funding to the Federal level by writing Representative Steve Chabot and Representative Nydia Velázquez, chair and ranking member of the House Committee on Small...