Chase Business Checking is part of the Chase for Business vertical, which includes a host of small business credit cards (including the excellent Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card) and business savings accounts.Chase has three main business checking accounts: Chase Total Business Checking®, Chase Performance Business Checking®, and Chase Platinum Business CheckingSM. All three can help reduce common business expenses and facilitate business funding initiatives for nascent startups and mature enterprises alike.Each Chase Business Checking account has its own fee structure, … [Read more...]
Navy Federal Credit Union nRewards® Secured Credit Card Review
The Navy Federal Credit Union nRewards® Secured Credit Card is a secured credit card with no annual fee and a cash back rewards program that pays you back on every dollar you spend. However, it's not for everyone - Navy Federal Credit Union membership is limited to active duty and honorably discharged or retired members of the Armed Forces, civilian Department of Defense employees, and immediate family members of people in those two groups.This card has a solid rewards program, at least compared with other secured cards. Every dollar spent earns 1 reward point, with no limit on how much … [Read more...]
American Express® Gold Card – Review
The American Express® Gold Card is an exclusive charge card with a $250 annual fee and no preset spending limit. As a charge card, the Gold Card doesn't incur regular interest charges. However, you're required to pay your balance in full each month and may be subject to account closure if you fail to do so for more than 2 consecutive months. Keep in mind that this card is reserved for people with truly excellent credit, and thus isn't appropriate for first-timers or those with any serious fiscal blemishes.The Gold Card has a generous rewards program built around travel and everyday … [Read more...]
Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® Credit Card Review
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® Credit Card is a small business credit card designed for frequent travelers with modest budgets. Like other travel rewards credit cards, it favors spending on most travel purchases, including airfare, hotels, car rentals, and vacation packages. The catch, such as it is: Eligible travel purchases must be made through Bank of America®'s in-house travel portal.That shouldn't be a dealbreaker. There's too much else to like about this card, from a decent (but not spectacular) sign-up bonus, to a nice rewards bonus for … [Read more...]
Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® Credit Card Review
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® Credit Card is a no-annual fee, small business credit card with an attractive cash back rewards program. Though it's not currently on our list of the best small business credit cards, this Bank of America credit card is always a contender to make our best cash back credit cards list.What makes Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard so great? Aside from the sign-up bonus, there's the solid cash back deal, anchored by 3% cash back on gas station and office supply store purchases up to $250,000 in total annual spending. … [Read more...]
Bank of America® Platinum Visa® Business Credit Card Review
The Bank of America® Platinum Visa® Business Credit Card is a no-frills business credit card with no annual fee and a solid sign-up bonus.Though you won't find it on our list of the best small business credit cards or our roundup of the best low APR interest credit cards, this card has some attractive features. In addition to the $200 statement credit as a sign-up bonus, it boasts a 0% APR introductory promotion on purchases for 7 billing cycles from the day you open your account. For well-qualified applicants, it also holds the promise of a regular APR several points lower than most … [Read more...]
Citi Premier℠ Card Review – 3x Points on Travel
The Citi Premier℠ Card is a travel rewards credit card with a $95 annual fee (waived during the first year) and an expansive loyalty program that lets you redeem for general merchandise, gift cards, cash back, and travel, including airline tickets and hotel stays. Most redemptions occur through Citi's ThankYou® portal, but you can also use your accumulated ThankYou points to make purchases with partner vendors such as Amazon.com and LiveNation.Premier is comparable to a number of other cash back and travel rewards cards with annual fees, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card … [Read more...]
Prosper Review – Online Loan Marketplace for Peer-to-Peer Lending
Prosper, a popular peer-to-peer (P2P) lending network that offers unsecured personal loans with terms of 3 or 5 years, has embraced the sharing economy with gusto. By matching individual borrowers with individual or institutional investors willing to lend funds at competitive interest rates, Prosper cuts out the middle man (traditional banks or credit unions). Relative to those institutions, Prosper has more relaxed approval standards and faster funding times for borrowers.The platform earns money through origination and servicing fees. Its top competitors include other P2P lenders, such … [Read more...]
Lending Club Review – Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Financial Lending
Lending Club bills itself as the world's most popular peer-to-peer (P2P) lending network. As a classic example of the emerging sharing economy, the platform connects thousands of individual and business borrowers with regular people willing to fund their loans. In doing so, it eliminates the need for borrowers to approach traditional banks and credit unions - whose lending standards may be much more stringent than Lending Club's - to obtain financing. Lending Club accepts borrowers with all sorts of motivations, from debt consolidation and credit card refinancing to funding a down payment on a … [Read more...]
Xero Review – Online Accounting & Bookkeeping System
Xero is a full-service online accounting and bookkeeping system that caters to freelancers, solo entrepreneurs, and small to midsize business owners. Its easy-to-use bookkeeping tools make it a simple solution for people who can't afford an in-house accounting team to keep track of corporate finances.Xero bills itself as an alternative to QuickBooks. It shares many of the same features, including bank account integration, invoicing and expense tracking, payroll services, and tax tracking. Like QuickBooks, it also targets accounting and bookkeeping professionals, providing generous … [Read more...]
SoFi Review – Personal Loans and Refinancing for Qualified Borrowers
Even college graduates who find great jobs can struggle with debt for years after leaving school, especially if they have expensive private student loans. And, for borrowers who can't make ends meet, it's nearly impossible to discharge student debts in bankruptcy. The result is an unending cascade, possibly decades long, of financial repercussions.SoFi aims to change this glum reality. Using peer-to-peer lending between members of the public and qualified student borrowers, it launched earlier this decade with a student loan refinancing product for graduates of more than 2,000 U.S … [Read more...]
