Financial

Cash Flows . Timing Is Everything When It Comes To Financing Business Cash Flow And Capital Management

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Working Capital is an area of business that requires solutions that revolve around timing. Timing is everything when it comes to the fundamental problem of managing and solving the cash flow conundrum!Let’s examine some of those solutions using the example of a company trying to grow… which is what it’s all about is it not?!

This is when what we could call your ‘ cash flow cycle ‘ needs to be both understood… and addressed. That’s because the concept of timing has just kicked in … your have produced your goods or provided your services and a specific amount of time has lapsed as you now generate revenues via invoicing… and wait for payment. It’s no secret that that whole cycle varies between each company and industry. But whether your cycle is 30 days or 120 days the effects of that timing require certain activities to be financed.

The timing around this cycle, as well as the solutions that your bring to bear makes or breaks your overall liquidity and solvency – aka ‘ Survival’!Example of the need to finance that cycle are should be quite clear – your firm must buy supplies or inventory, at the same time taking on payables. Wages and salaries must be covered and then you’re in the waiting game when it comes to delivery and acceptance of your goods and services, as well as final payment from your clients based on your credit terms. It’s therefore no secret to the business owner to see that using our example it can easily take those 30-120 days for a dollar to in effect flow through your company.

Again… it’s ‘ timing’!When you look at your balance sheet you see that the ratios of current assets and liabilities have also changed dramatically. You’re unfortunately less liquid and this can only be solved by financing the shortages you have carried. Of course your customer could pre pay you in advance for orders, or pay you ‘ cash on delivery ‘ but that’s not the perfect world we dream about.Financing business cash flow is all about monetizing and managing your assets.

Solutions in Canada include:

Receivable financing
Commercial bank lines of credit
Asset based lines of credit
Sale lease backs
Tax credit monetization
Purchase Order and Supply Chain financing

Utilize one or a combination of solutions to manage the ‘ patterns’ of financing that your business needs. Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist your with putting together a solution that addresses the timing of cash flows and capital in your business.

Can Singapore Private Banking Replace Swiss Private Banks

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Singapore private banking has grown massively over the past decade. Assets under management at Singapore private banks have grown to around 300Bn, 6 times what they were 10 years ago. It is estimated that Singapore manages around 5% of the world’s private wealth, while Swiss private banking manages around a quarter.

Singapore has benefited from tight bank secrecy regulation, in addition to a rise in the number of Asian millionaires, especially the type that want to invest with private banks and financial instruments rather than in property.

Yet in response to demand from the G20 group of developed countries, Singapore has promised to rethink its ultra private secrecy laws. Like Switzerland, Singapore has to walk the tightrope between keeping its sovereignty and international acceptance of its laws and banks.

One of the reasons why Singapore has grown is because it already was a large financial center in its own right. Unlike smaller tax havens and dependencies of other countries which have been accused of ”inventing” laws to benefit from capital flight, Singapore is a long-standing trading hub and center of international financial settlements.

There are several arguments in favour of Singapore keeping its privacy laws. Many private banking clients in Singapore are very powerful people among neighbours like China, Indonesia and Thailand. It’s in their interest to ensure that Singapore bank secrecy is not relaxed. Furthermore, Singapore is an international financial center – it cannot be blackmailed in the same way as other jurisdictions.

However Singapore has made concessions, and may not necessarily see its future in harbouring Western tax evaders. Singapore has signed TIEAS with a number of countries and promised to adopt article 26 of the OECD model tax convention on information exchange over tax matters.

After Swiss banking secrecy was put under the spotlight, it was widely reported that bankers were urging a massive flight of capital to Singapore, where bank secrecy rules still held strong. But in reality, basing any structure on bank secrecy is like building a house on a fault line, it’s bound to change. The smartest investors instead used techniques which do not depend on bank secrecy in any single country.

Savvy private banking clients are now using distinct structures which operate independent of bank secrecy such as investing through trusts or trust companies.

Further, the reasons for banking in an offshore centre like Switerland do not depend entirely on tax. In fact the biggest reason is security. Hundreds of banks have been going under in the US, not Switzerland. Investors are also escaping from currency devaluations, civil forfeiture and frivolous lawsuits.

Singapore wealth management is certainly growing in sophistication, but it is still in a learning phase. During the mid 2000’s when Singapore’s private banking industry was growing rapidly, it was alleged that ther were not enough bankers to meet demand. Singapore private banks were instead employing local hairdressers and carsalesmen with good people skills and turning them into private bankers.

Singapore private banking is modelled closely on Swiss private banking, even down to its family trust law. In terms of weathering geo-political events like the war on bank secrecy, Singapore may have to follow the Swiss lead also.

Hiring Financial Services to Plan Your Retirement Smartly

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Ensuring financial freedom after retirement is a crucial factor in a financial plan. Most individuals have several plans to realize after retirement. Some people plan to buy a villa on a beach; while others dream of a world tour. Even if you do not have such ambitious dreams, you need money to be readily available after retirement for your daily expenses. This requires smart planning from early years. Taking a small step towards financial planning at an early age can guarantee financial security for a lifetime. If you do not begin early, the pace at which you would need to save would accelerate and the cost of the financial instruments at your disposal would increase.

One can hire financial services to demystify pension options and retirement saving plans. These service providers will answer your questions on how to sponsor your retirement plans and will help you to make an informed investment decision.

Financial Services: How Much Do You Need to Retire?
Consult financial services to determine the right time to start planning for retirement. Remember, retirement planning is not only about finance, it also involves mental preparation to get accustomed to a changed pattern of life. For some people, it is very hard to stop working altogether and spent time at home. In such a case, financial consultant may advise him/her to start working part time for a few years prior to full retirement. Alternatively, one can consider a home-based business after retiring from regular services.

Coming back to finances, it is important to analyze your monetary requirements in the long run. Prepare an estimate of monthly expenses in consultation with a financial expert. Now consider different investment options that align with your long-term financial goals. Pension funds are an important source of income post retirement. Thus, one should give due consideration to different types of pension plans available and understand how one can monetize them. Other instruments that blend well with retirement planning are:

Savings
Property
Investments in stocks
Individual Savings Account (ISA)

Ask the Financial Service Provider about Types of Pension Plans
Financial service providers focus on three basic types of pension plans:

State pension
Personal pension
Company pension

State pension is probably the most reliable foundation for your retirement. An individual who has attained the state pension age can claim it. According to UK Government data, the state pension age for men is 65. However, the state pension age for women will increase from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020. Usually, the contributions to National Insurance (NI) are accumulated over the years to provide pension to individuals. Additional state pension is rendered to individuals who are taking care of a child or are employed.

Personal pension schemes, which can include Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP)for higher earners, are an important investment option for better control over retirement planning. It involves investment into HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) approved financial products. Some of the financial products covered under SIPP are:
Stocks listed on recognized exchange markets
Investment trusts regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA)
Commercial property
Bullion market
Authorised unit trusts
Futures and options traded in recognized markets
One can seek expert SIPP advice to leverage these investment options and secure financial freedom after retirement. Remember, state pension guarantees only sustainable income to every individual. To maintain a good lifestyle and make your ends meet, personal pensions (including SIPPs) are an important element in your long term financial planning strategy.

Company pensions are set by employers and vary between organizations. Usually, the company pension fund is deducted from an employee’s salary or deposited by the employer or both.

Since April 2006, the government has simplified regulations governing personal and company pension. Tax relief has been increased on investment into retirement instruments. With investment planning, it is possible to invest into a homogenous mix of different types of pension instruments. Consult financial services providers to make the best of the available retirement options.

Two Reasons Financial Institutions Rely On Online Technology

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One of them is security and the other is speed and efficiency. If you are a financial institution looking to provide your clients with fast and secure loans as well as keep up with competition and technology, look to automated loan origination systems as the new business management tool for your answer.

Automated decisioning is defined as a business management model that allows an organization to not only manage their organization but allow an organization to manage their processes while improving business operations and in turn not have to overly rely on IT departments.

A account origination is one way for a financial business to leap over stacks and stacks of paper and post it notes and use an automated system to instantly find out, while a customer is either in front of them, on the phone or currently on chat whether or not they qualify for a loan without waiting days to first check their credit score, their current debt, their income or whether they would remotely qualify.

Instead of wasting their time and yours going back and forth to different lending houses to see who would be able to give them a loan and at the best rate, this works out great for mortgage loan lenders, auto lenders and other financial institutions looking to increase workflow and keep tight security and provide their customers with a good service.

Business process management with technology produces results like a loan origination system, often in the form of loan origination software vastly speeding up the loan process. The system goes through a list of check lists before a loan is completed, checking a potential clients credit report, interest rates of different financial lenders and a persons financial history and then, close to instantly, a loan origination system can provide a detailed report about each area of the loan process. The idea that a loan could be sorted out in less than a day use to seem impossible, now it take seconds.

With todays modern designs for loan origination systems, loan offices are able to interact and have control of the system enabling them to submit loan applications, underwrite, review decisions manually and create closing documents.

Increase your financial businesss workflow today with a business process management system. Your customers and your office will appreciate the seamless operation only instant loan origination systems with the internet can provide.