Protecting your money: is your bank account secure?

Behind the scenes of daily banking activity, banks go to great lengths to protect their customers, spending massive budgets on cybersecurity, data encryption and fraud prevention. Protecting customer data is a priority and clearly their measures are working. According to the American Banking Association’s most recent data, banks stopped nearly $17 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2016, a substantial increase from prior years. Debit and credit card fraud accounted...

5 signs you’re ready for a new business banking relationship

Life is too short, and business too complex, to put up with a frustrating banking experience. As a business grows and your financial expertise expands, or rates change at your current business bank, sometimes it’s just time to move on. Is it time for a break-up? Nothing personal, it’s just good business.

3 Ways to Deposit Checks Without Ever Stepping Foot into a Branch

Thanks to progressive technology and security that’s tighter than ever before, banking from any location has never been easier. It’s simple to check a balance, transfer money, pay bills, or perform other common tasks from the comfort of your desk or using a phone. Everyone knows about it. What every everyone DOESN’T know, however, is that you can deposit checks remotely, too. If you’re starting a business that expects...

5 questions to consider when comparing banks and online lenders

Business loans can be imposing in their requirements—even for a relatively uncomplicated line of credit—and cloud-based lenders with fast online loan applications have never been more attractive. Time-consuming updates to your business plan (or creating your first one!), dozens of hoops to jump through, reams of paper and emails flying back and forth, the agony of waiting for approval, then waiting yet again for the funds to become available…...

Understanding Business Line of Credit Loans

Virtually every small business begins its financial life leveraging the founder’s personal credit history and borrowing capacity. Personal credit cards, savings accounts, loans from family or  friends… these are common ways to fund a startup. Building a credit history in the name of the business is the next step, often by opening business checking accounts and credit cards. But what happens when a business outgrows the limitations of a credit...

Women & money: forget the pink, just take me seriously

(This is the last in a series, Understanding Women & Money. Start with Part One here) The onslaught of pink for everything from power tools to business boot camps is a sign that brands want to connect with women. But is it meaningless or transformative? The answer to this varies and women business owners are far too savvy to fall for a transparent marketing ploy with no real depth....

Exploring Women & Money: Is Your “Money Personality” Harming Your Business?

Part Three of Four (Read Part One or Two) Many people assume financial literacy is limited to understanding numbers and smart cash flow… but if emotions impact how we spend money, some experts feel recognizing them is also an important part of our financial skills mindset. Without that level of understanding, personal habits can bleed into business finance. Practitioner of the Kinder Institute’s philosophy of life planning, wealth advisor Lois...

Gaining clarity around money as a tool

Exploring Women & Money: Part Two of Four (Read Part One Here) April is Financial Literacy Month, and there’s no better time to take a close look at the psychology of money and how it impacts women in business. What is financial literacy? It’s  understanding how to earn, manage and grow income (or revenue) by making thoughtful, informed decisions. It’s about controlling money, rather than allowing emotions to dictate how...

How a woman’s attitude about money impacts her business

Exploring Women & Money: Part One of Four Money is never just a tangible piece of paper, or the financial value it represents. For most of us, it’s directly connected to security or anxiety, freedom or dependency, dominance or submission, and even love. It’s a symbol we relate to in a visceral, complex way that taps into our deepest emotions and anxieties. “Money issues rarely manifest themselves openly in...

How to Open a Business Checking Account

You’re ready to open a business checking account. You’ve compared your options to find a bank that specializes in areas that complement your long-term business plans, evaluated fees and other details, and made the decision. So what comes next? Opening your account, of course! (If you aren’t sure which bank is the right fit, you might find this recent blog post helpful.)   Documentation Needed to Open a Business Checking Account For...