Travel Planning? Currency Exchange? Here’s How Not to Get Ripped Off
If you are planning on doing some International travel, you’ll be faced with converting dollars to the local currency. I’m going to show you some traps and pitfalls you may encounter, and then I’ll give you a few helpful tips that could make your travel go very smoothly.When I first started traveling, it was always a hassle to go to my bank a month or so before departure and get a bundle of cash converted to my destination’s local currency. The alternative was to convert a few hundred dollars at the airport “Foreign Exchange” booths. I came to find out that it was not only dangerous to carry large blocks of cash, it was also unnecessary.Along the way I discovered that Las Vegas didn’t have a lock on “One-Armed Bandits”!Scam ArtistsI can not emphasize too much that the world out there is ready, willing, and able to scam you ferociously. Money scams abound. Some are right there in plain sight.Let’s talk first about the “uncommon scams”.You’re traveling through, say, a park near the Louvre in Paris, when someone comes up to you with a sob story in broken English and a bundle of local cash. He/she needs dollars for ‘something’ and he/she’s willing to give you a fantastic exchange rate to get it. You bite. Money changes hands. They leave. You open the bundle and Surprise!!! It’s a stack of newsprint with a real bill on the top and bottom.GOTCHA!Bank-O-MatThe second ‘legitimate scam’ is waiting on the corner for you: it’s a stand-alone ATM machine. It might even say “Friendly Bank-O-Mat”. Believe me, friends, it’s anything but. The hidden fees that little darlin’ will extract will make Bonnie and Clyde proud! Don’t do it!!!Currency ExchangeThe third, which is more of a rip-off than a scam, in my book, is the “Foreign Currency Exchanges” places. They’re legitimate businesses, but since they are businesses, the have to charge a fee for their services. Even though they say “No commission,” They are still pulling money from your pocket.Bank ATMMy suggestion? Go to a bank ATM. It will cost you about 3% to take money from the bank ATM. The good news is that the ATM operates at the current official exchange rate, and since it’s a bank, its fees are regulated. Check with your home bank to find out which banking symbol to look for. In my case, my bank is a member of Interbank, so I use ATMs that display the Interbank symbol. I know the fees are fixed, fair, and the exchange rate is the best I can get.How to Find BanksBefore I travel, I use Google Maps to look at my destination city. I locate my hotel, and then I use Google’s “Bank” filter to locate and make a list of all banks close to my hotel. On the day I arrive, I ask the desk clerk where the nearest bank is. If it matches one my list, we’re off to the bank!Other ConsiderationsI have found that no matter where I travel, I can always buy a taxi ride from the airport to my hotel with dollars. So I carry a minimal amount of dollars. (I’ll need a few dollars when we get back to the States to pay for taxis and other transportation).
Business Loan and Commercial Mortgage Challenges – Business Financing and Working Capital Solutions
It is not unusual to find that business lenders and business loan brokers are not as forward-looking about commercial mortgage difficulties as most borrowers would expect, and I have published another article about commercial lenders to bypass. The focus here is on some of the typical commercial loan difficulties often overlooked by commercial lenders and borrowers.Unexpected business financing possibilities can result in severe complications with a business loan, and business borrowers should be prepared for these circumstances. There are many potential commercial mortgage loan obstacles to be evaded with prudent working capital management strategies. Business financing problems with a typical commercial loan are more numerous and serious than most business borrowers would think.A few of these business financing problems will be unavoidable, but in most cases these commercial loan challenges can be met successfully. Business borrowers and their advisors will be better prepared to take appropriate and timely corrective working capital management action by properly anticipating these recurring commercial mortgage difficulties.Avoidable Business Loan and Commercial Mortgage Scenario Number 1: Sourcing/seasoning assets and seasoning of ownershipThis particular commercial loan problem will not be relevant to all business borrowers. However, if it is relevant, commercial borrowers should seek out a lender without sourcing and seasoning requirements or limitations.Many commercial lenders will request business borrowers to document the source of the down payment (sourcing). Commercial lenders sometimes require that funds for a commercial mortgage down payment be verified, often for a period of up to 12 months (seasoning). If a lender imposes a minimum time a commercial property must be owned in order to refinance, this indicates seasoning of ownership.Avoidable Business Loan and Commercial Mortgage Scenario Number 2: A borrower wants to use subordinated debt (a seller second or other secondary financing) in order to acquire a commercial property with a smaller down paymentCommercial mortgage lenders will often not permit subordinated debt. With a business loan from more flexible lenders, a business borrower will not encounter restrictions on the use of subordinate financing and will decrease the down payment required.Avoidable Business Loan and Commercial Mortgage Scenario Number 3: A business loan situation that requires long-term business financingHow long is a long-term commercial loan? Business lenders often consider three years as the maximum period before a balloon payment will be due for a commercial mortgage.If that sounds like short-term business financing instead of long-term, there are business lenders that can arrange 30-year commercial mortgage loans. Longer-term business financing will often be the critical difference that facilitates a successful business investment because new business financing will not be required for many years and commercial loan payments will also be reduced.Avoidable Business Loan and Commercial Mortgage Scenario Number 4: Business loan recall provisions Commercial loan recall covenants mean that the business lender can force the borrower to repay early by calling the loan before it would normally expire. This potential concern is not applicable to all borrowers since some business financing agreements will not allow a loan recall possibility.Many traditional commercial lenders routinely place recall clauses in their commercial loan conditions. The terms which can cause a recall will vary but will commonly include periodic lender review of financials and credit history. Under these circumstances if prescribed levels of income and credit standards do not occur, then the lender will typically notify the commercial borrower that they must pay off the loan within a 30-90 day period.Business Financing Recall Contingency Plans: With a commercial loan recall, borrowers will need to refinance with a lender quickly. Prudent borrowers will exclude lenders that require recall agreements when evaluating business loan refinancing options.To avoid a potentially disastrous recall scenario for a commercial mortgage business loan, commercial borrowers would be wise to consider only commercial loans which do not have recall terms. For commercial borrowers who have recall provisions in their business financing agreement, it will be equally wise to consider refinancing their business loan before a recall occurs so that refinancing is accomplished according to the commercial borrower’s timetable.Copyright 2005-2007 AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Buying Customers and Not Leads, and Other Home-Based Business Tips That Are Guaranteed To Work
What do most people lack, becoming the number one reason many home-based businesses fail? Customers.My rule number one? Never buy leads, and only buy customers.This is only one of five topics discussed here so that your home-based business can achieve optimal success.First, I would like to list the top five reasons most home-based businesses fail:1. Lack of a business plan.Just because it is a home-based business does not mean you do not need a business plan. You should be taking your home-based business just as seriously as if you were heading into any other type of business, so you need to make sure that the business plan you have is sound and that it has already worked for someone else who has used it.2. Lack of motivation.It is easy to become distracted. A home business should be run in the same manner as an office-based business. You need to motivate yourself to go to work in the morning and maintain that motivation during the course of the day in order to succeed. Discipline is a must. I have witnessed many smart people who are totally capable of being successful in their own home-based business, but failed because they didn’t have the discipline and motivation to answer to themselves. Some personalities require direction and management from others in order to be successful, so it is important to know if you properly motivated before starting your own home-based business.3. Lack of space or proper environment.If you are fortunate and your home-based business is successful, you may need to expand, so it is important while setting up a home business environment to anticipate growth. Not all businesses can realistically succeed in a home-based location because they need room for equipment, work space, storage, inventory, and employees, so it is important to determine if it is simply too difficult to run your business from your home. Many people learn the hard way by not being realistic upfront.4. Ignoring a budget.Too many home-based business owners justify spending money on all sorts of equipment, advertising, leads, and promotional tools because they are not paying overhead. This can result in dangerous overspending which will strip your business of capital needed to succeed and thrive. It is important to spend money wisely on only what is necessary to see growth and success, and not get caught up in unnecessary spending.5. Lack of customers.This is quite obvious, of course. Without customers purchasing your products or services, you have no home business. This is the number one reason many home businesses fail because this is what most people lack when starting a business. Of course, there are companies that offer leads or you can go to a third-party source to purchase them, but if you talk to people who have used leads, they are usually a far cry from a constant stream of actual buying customers who could be supplying your home-based business with what it takes to thrive, grow, and become successful: sales.So, what is a home-based business owner to do to avoid these pitfalls?1. First, align yourself with a company that will provide you with a steady stream of buying customers to whom you have permanent rights, instead of mere leads.With customers who are already purchasing being continually generated by the company itself, success will be attained and will continually grow and thrive because you will have all the customers you will ever need. With this, the front-end work of your business is already achieved. However, I know of only one company that does this.2. Next, make sure this company is debt-free, reputable, and has a proven business model.This company should have no start-up costs, no hidden fees, and be free to join. You want to avoid a business that starts strong and disappoints later, and instead opt for one that provides ongoing residual income for life. Talk to someone who is already working this business and see how it has worked for him or her.3. Then, make sure you have the proper environment to work your business from home.Align yourself with a company that will simply require an internet connection and a phone, and will allow you to be mobile, so you can take your home-based business anywhere you want to go. This company should do all of the back-end work for you as well by supplying you with your own free website and an easy to use back office on your laptop. They should be shipping the product to each customer, and supplying them with catalogs, e-mail alerts, monthly magazines and catalogs, and toll-free telephone customer support, all at no cost to you or the customer. Align yourself with a company that is willing to do all of this heavy lifting for you at no charge that normally weighs others down in their home-based businesses.4. Next, stick to a budget by duplicating what someone else has already done to become successful in this business.Resist temptation to reinvent the wheel which could result in needless spending. A great company has affiliates who have already figured out how to bring your business to the next level without spending needlessly, so just follow their lead.5. Finally, make sure you are motivated to be in business for yourself in a home-based business.Expect guidance from others, and duplicate what they have already done to be successful, but realize that the bottom line is YOU. If you treat a home-based business like a hobby, it will pay you like a hobby; and if you treat it like a business, it will pay you like a business. Treat it with the commitment and dedication it deserves and it will pay you back many times over.How do I know this works? I have proven to myself that it does.The successful interior design business I owned and operated for eleven years took a hard hit when our economy started to fail a few years ago because people no longer had the disposable income they once had. Let’s face it, custom design is neither inexpensive nor a necessity, so I have seen a lot of interior design studios go out of business during this tough economy. I had the choice of either reinventing myself in a home-based business, or go to work for someone else. Being my own boss has rather spoiled me, so I did not want to change that by working for someone else. Why make someone else successful when I could build something for myself?So, almost three years ago, I aligned myself with a company to start another stream of income. This business is exactly what I described in the five detailed points above as what you should look for in a home-based business. I duplicated what someone else was already doing with the company, so naturally, it worked for me as well. I want to reach out to others to help them to build a successful home-based business of their own, by avoiding the common mistakes people often make. People who are already aligned with this company include individuals with corporate jobs, business owners, parents raising children at home, wellness professionals and students, retired persons, and individuals who simply desire an extra stream of income. There is no better time than in today’s tough economy to start your own proven home-based business by acquiring buying customers, and do it in a way where you will find optimal success.