Blog - Tom Leydiker | Finance Blog

Financial Security: Preparing For The Unexpected

On May 19, 2017

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As you plan for your financial future, you are anticipating all of the monumental milestones that will occur as you continue along the trajectory of your life. These milestones are intimidating because they often require you to make very serious decisions that are financially demanding. Some of these milestones include choosing the college you want to attend, committing to signing a mortgage for a new home, starting your own family, diversifying your investment portfolio, saving up for retirement, etc.

But the one area that not many think to plan for, mainly because it is not a very pleasant topic to dwell on, is what to do in the event that a spouse passes away unexpectedly. There are resources available to help plan for this (e.g. life insurance), but it’s also good practice to be prepared for an emergency by having a plan-of-action set in place to ensure everything is organized and accounted for so that you aren’t scouring through a disarray of documents.

Here are a few of the most imperative areas that you should prepare for in case of an emergency:

Estate Plan And End-Of-Life Care

One important conversation that need to happen is what will happen to that person’s physical and monetary elements after they pass away. These documents should be readily available for review once this happens so that everything can be carried out appropriately. Some other information that falls into this category are documents such as: your will, your end-of-life care, your power of attorney, etc. You will also want to make sure that your estate plan is as up-to-date as possible.

Securing Essential Documents

These are documents that have compiled up throughout your life, starting with your birth certificate and including any important paperwork you’ve received since. You will also want to organize all of your most important financial documents, from bank account information to any pertinent investment material.

Obtaining All Passwords

Now that there has been a push for more paperless transactions, there are going to be quite a few accounts that can only be accessed online. Nothing would be more time-consuming and aggravating than trying to relocate passwords or having to go through the process of updating them once you can’t find the original passwords. Put them all in one, easily accessible document.

Seeking Aid For Future Financial Planning

If you were not the one in charge of handling your finances, it may be beneficial to look into hiring a financial advisor to help you bear this new responsibility you are now being forced to take on.

Life is unpredictable. And while no one wants to dote on the possibility of an expected death, it is worth developing a plan-of-action in case a dire situation would occur. If you are prepared for the unexpected, you won’t be left trying to grieve while also trying to get your finances in order.

Ways To Finance A Growing Business

By Tom Leydiker

On March 3, 2017

In Blog, Finance

tom leydiker ways to finance a growing business

One of the most challenging areas of a growing business is finding the right funding. If your business is doing well, you will need to acquire the funds that will help you continue to expand. Or, there are times when businesses just need extra capital to help them get through a financial slump.

How can you finance your business?

There are a variety of ways to seek out money that you can put towards building your business. Before you pursue one of these options, but sure to sit down and dedicate time to figuring out what your goals are, calculating the necessary amount you will need, and, then, compare these options to find the one that would make the most sense for your specific needs.

Ask family members or friends.

Ideally, the best way to borrow money would be to seek out extra funds from family members or friends who have the financial flexibility to temporarily part with money with no affect on their personal stability. While you will eventually need to pay them back, it eliminates the weighted stress of having to follow a stricter timeline. Family members and friends will be more lenient about how quickly they are reimbursed, however, you could risk destroying personal relationships if you were to completely lose the money.

Apply for a bank loan.

This is the option that most businesses pursue, typically because it seems like the most obvious one. Depending on the type of financing you need, banks offer a wider variety of funding options. However, the approval process of acquiring a bank loan has become very strict, which means that a lot of smaller businesses won’t pass beyond the approval process.

Consider equity funding.

Obtaining money through equity funding means that you are putting forward a portion of your business in return for investment. Venture capital is one of the most common types of equity funding. This is a great way to raise capital for your growing business, but it also requires that you have planned out exactly how you are going to make a return on investment within a specified period of time.

Acquiring a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan.

These loans are available to any small business, but, to prevent everyone from applying, your business must first meet a list of qualifications. These qualifications often eliminate many small businesses from the running at the onset. If you do happen to meet the qualifications, you will still need to go through another financial institution because the SBA does not actually provide loans directly to businesses. The standards of this other institution may be even higher than the other financing options available to you.