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15 free advertising ideas for small businesses in 2022

Small businesses are always looking for new and innovative ways to advertise their products or services.

And while paid advertising can be an effective way to reach new customers, it's not the only option available.

You can use several free methods to get your business in front of potential customers.

Here are 15 free advertising ideas that small businesses can use to get started:

1. Promote your business on Facebook.

You can create a Facebook page for your business to reach out to customers, prospects, and other local businesses.

On this page, you can talk about the latest news with your business, post pictures of what you do, write about upcoming events, or share relevant articles.

You can also create a Facebook ad and boost your page to reach a wider audience if you're willing to spend a few bucks.

2.Get a business listing on Google my business.

A Google My Business listing is free and easy to set up, but it allows you to list the details of your business in one place, which makes it easy for customers to find the correct information.

A listing will increase your local visibility and help customers discover more about you when they search for businesses like yours on Google Maps.

3. Join the Chamber of Commerce and attend events.

Joining your neighborhood chamber of commerce is a great way to network with other people in your professional field.

You can also attend events organized by the Chamber to raise awareness of your company.

4. Use Yelp to get reviews for your business.

Yelp is a free site where customers can find all kinds of businesses, rate them and post reviews. This means you have the opportunity to promote your company on an easily accessible platform.

5. Put up flyers in public places like coffee shops, grocery stores, libraries, etc...

Flyers are cheap and easy to let people know about your business. You can use them to share information about upcoming events or special offers that will help garner interest from new customers.

6. Start a blog or website with relevant content to your industry and promote it through social media channels like Twitter and Facebook.

Having a blog or website will help people find information about your work. You can also use free or paid methods to drive customers to your website, like posting links on Twitter, writing guest posts on other websites, advertising on Facebook, and more.

7. Use YouTube to promote your business for free.

YouTube is a great way to show interested customers what you have to offer and demonstrate how it works from the comfort of your own home or office.

You can also use YouTube as a platform to show off your products in action upload tutorials or live-stream events.

8. Ask for feedback from customers and prospects to learn what they like about your business and how you can improve in the future.

Including a survey form on your website or sending out surveys through email is a great way to hear from new customers, keep tabs on existing ones and find out how you can improve.

9. Advertise on local radio and TV programs and talk shows.

Small businesses that advertise on local radio and television will be able to reach new customers in their area and keep existing customers updated with what's new at the company.

10. Distribute discount coupons or gift cards for new customers to get a chance to get to know your product or service.

Discount coupons and gift certificates will help you share the benefits of using your business with new customers, increasing customer loyalty in the long run.

11. Use free social media tools like Hootsuite and Buffer to manage all your social accounts from one location.

Hootsuite and Buffer are two free tools that allow you to update all of your social media accounts from one place. This is a great way to save time when keeping track of multiple social media accounts at once.

12. Stay active on online forums related to your industry or business type and connect with other professionals in the industry.

You can join forums related to your business and start discussions about relevant topics. This will allow you to engage with like-minded individuals and find new ways to promote and connect with customers simultaneously.

13. Join forces with other local businesses that share a similar target audience or demographic, then advertise together to promote your companies.

Joining forces with other local businesses will allow you to create a joint marketing strategy that can help bring in more customers and expand your company's reach within the community.

14. Get listed on directory sites like Yelp, Google Places, and Bing Business Portal for free.

Getting listed on directories allows people to find your business quickly, crucial to attracting new customers.

15. Teach workshops in your field or hold webinars for existing and potential customers that can help promote your business.

You can teach workshops in person, online through Skype or Google Hangouts, or record them so potential customers can watch them at their convenience.

Conclusion

Small businesses can use many free advertising ideas to connect with customers and promote their brands.

By starting a blog or website, using social media platforms like YouTube and Twitter, and asking for customer feedback, business owners can increase awareness about their company and what they have to offer.

Additionally, local radio and TV programs provide a great way to reach new potential customers in your area.

Finally, collaborating with other businesses in your industry can help expand your reach within the community.

#marketing #ppc 2022 #advertising

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B2B Ecommerce Trends: 2020 and Beyond

U.S. business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce transactions are expected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2023. 

In fact it’s not surprising that more B2B buyers want to shop online as the newest generations entering the workforce have grown up with the internet at their fingertips.

While a Gen X buyer may prefer the handheld experience that sales reps provide, millennials expect that same personalized experience through streamlined, digital channels. 

This, in turn, leaves merchants to interpret the modern B2B buyer's needs and find solutions that work for their company.

First thing's first; to find the right solution it's important to understand current B2B trends. 

This will help you determine where your business is currently and where you can aim to go next.

Two of the most popular trends are:

Growing expectations of B2B customer personalization. Business buyers are the same people who go home at night and shop online for the things they need in their personal lives. People want to be able to find the things they need, quickly and easily. By creating B2C-like experiences with on-site product content, relevant product recommendations, simple search functionality and easy navigation, you can personalize the B2B shopping experience. Many businesses are also looking at Artificial Intelligence (AI) to gain a competitive advantage with personalization. Through targeted marketing and chatbots for quick customer service, AI is helping take personalization to the next level and giving consumers a better UX.

Marketplaces and omnichannel demands increase. The use of marketplaces in B2B is growing and, while some B2B companies may be reluctant to use these, buyer demand is growing. For buyers, marketplaces make the process easier with the ability to filter, compare prices, and other key aspects such as delivery times side by side between different suppliers. With the omnichannel trend, it's about being where buyers are throughout the research and sales process, and B2B buyers are using up to six different channels according to McKinsey research.

Each trend comes with benefits that will take your B2B business to the next level come 2021, but will require an ecommerce solution that is flexible and adaptable enough for you to test new strategies.

 Finding a strong B2B solution, like BigCommerce, is extremely important in order to grow your brand easily and successfully. 

BigCommerce empowers your team to build sleek site designs for large catalogs with customer and pricing segmentation down to the SKU level, helps you utilize automated customer and pricing segmentation, and helps get you to where you want to be faster.

In the end, it's a new era for manufacturing and distributing; so, request a demo with BigCommerce today and see how you can modernize your B2B business and stay on-trend.

#b2b #ecommerce #b2bbusiness #b2btrends

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20 actionable online marketing strategies for small business owners to utilize to get more leads and customers to make more sales and grow their businesses.

#online marketing strategies #onlinemarketing #digital marketing

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Learn how to start a blog business and make money blogging as fast as possible. This guide takes you through the proven BTM 3 step system: Blog, Traffic, and monetization.

#start a blog

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Affiliate marketing is promoting other people’s products and earn a commission after a success fully purchase.

Its one of the fastest business models today coz its people the comfort of working from their home and at there own time.

For anyone will to start an affiliate marketing business, i have put together a complete guide to get start with all the basics in a very simple and straight forward guide 

#start affiliate marketing #AffiliateMarketing #affiliate marketing #affiliate marketing guide #online business #makemoneyblogging

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#udimi #soloads #onlinemarketing #leadgeneration #ppc

#udimi. review

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Citi Bank Review | High Yield Savings and Great Bonuses https://ift.tt/2JBvCsQ

Citi Bank is a full service bank with not online a strong online presence but also brick and mortar locations nationwide. 

Citi Bank is known for their credit cards and their high yield savings products, but they offer the full ranges of banking products, from checking accounts to credit cards.

Given they are so large, it could be easy to dismiss them as competitive. However, Citi has a lot to offer. Read our full Citi Bank review below, and see how they compare to other banks on our best savings account page.

Quick Summary

Citi Bank is a full service brick and mortar and online bank

Consistently high interest rates on deposits

Typically have good bonus offers for new accounts

Get Started

Citi Bank Details

Product Name

Citibank Basic Checking

Min Deposit

$5,000

Monthly Fee

$12 (Can be waived)

Account Type

Checking

Promotions

Up to $700

Quick Navigation

Who Is Citi Bank?

What Do They Offer?

Are There Any Fees?

How Do I Open An Account?

Is My Money Safe?

Is It Worth It?

Who Is Citi Bank?

You’ve likely heard of Citi Bank. It is one of the largest, full-service banks in the U.S. Citi provides both personal and business services, including checking, savings, CDs, retirement, wealth management, mortgages, credit cards, and more. Citi has joined many online banks in providing high yield savings accounts. Although Citi is a brick and mortar bank, it’s high yield savings product is operated completely online, which is how it is able to achieve such a high rate.

What Do They Offer?

Citi’s high yield savings account is called Citi Accelerate. It is a little different from other high yield savings accounts because Citi requires customers to add a banking package. A banking package is another account type and includes additional services, depending on the package. Basically, to open an Accelerate account, you’ll need to open some other Citi account. Accelerate rates are always near the top of the charts. The actual rate you’ll get depends on the state you reside in. Interest is compounded daily and paid monthly.

Banking Packages

Citi has certainly chosen an odd route for customers wanting to open a high yield savings account. In marketing terms, this is called friction, since it causes the customer to stop and think if they really want to do this. Additionally, Citi has taken an extra step to ensure their banking packages remain a bit obscure. You have to dig into the details to understand what exactly you are signing up for. We’ll try to break each package down into something more understandable. There are five packages to choose from:

Citigold — Mostly a service. Targeted at high net worth individuals. Includes an Interest Checking Account. It appears that the fee waiver is automatic.

Citi Priority — Similar to Citigold. Includes either a Regular or Interest Checking Account and Citi Accelerate Savings Account. Must maintain required balances of $30,000 across all accounts to waive monthly fee. Otherwise, the monthly fee is $30.

The Citibank Account — Just the Accelerate account. You can link other accounts to avoid the monthly fee, assuming balances meet the minimum. Combined balance in linked accounts must be $10,000 or a $25 fee will be accessed on checking and savings accounts. Non-Citi ATM fees are waived if balance requirements are met.

Citi Elevate Account — Unlimited waived and reimbursed ATM fees. Includes Interest Checking Account and Citi Accelerate Savings Account. Checking accounts requires a $5,000 balance to avoid $15/mo fee on checking and savings accounts.

Basic Banking — Unlimited check writing. Combined balance on accounts must be $1,500 to avoid checking $12/mo fee and savings account $4.50/mo fee. Or, savings account must have a minimum balance of $500. One qualifying direct deposit and bill payment also avoids fees.

Access Account — No overdrafts and no checks. The fee structure is the same as Basic Banking except that the checking account fee is $10 instead of $12.

Citi Accelerate can be used for overdraft protection through Safety Check. The overdraft fee is $10 but waived for Citigold and Citi Priority. If multiple overdrafts occur on the same day, Citi does only one transfer, which maxes out the overdraft cost to $10/day.

Through Citi’s mobile app, you’ll be able to access your Accelerate account.

Are There Any Fees?

Yes — depending on the package and balance, you may pay a $4.50/mo fee. A stand-alone Accelerate account requires a $500 balance to avoid the monthly fee. Because some packages require a checking account, there’s a potential for high overdraft fees. When your Accelerate account is linked to a checking account, the overdraft fee is $10/day, even if there are multiple overdrafts on the same day.

Be aware, because of Citi’s Banking Package arrangement, you might be opening other accounts, which will have their own fee structures.

How Do I Open An Account?

You can open an account completely online at Citi. You can also navigate the website menu to reach the Accelerate home page: Banking > Savings.

Is My Money Safe?

Yes - Citi deposit accounts are FDIC insured. Citi also uses bank-grade encryption on its website and mobile app.

Is It Worth It?

Citi’s banking packages setup isn’t exactly appealing, but you can get the Accelerate savings account by itself with the “The Citibank Account” package. While the stand-alone account does require a $500 deposit, you’ll earn a top notch APY through a full-service, brick and mortar bank. If you have additional Citi accounts, you can probably avoid the minimum balance by linking your other accounts to your Accelerate account.

The post Citi Bank Review | High Yield Savings and Great Bonuses appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

Citi Bank is a full service bank with not online a strong online presence but also brick and mortar locations nationwide. 

Citi Bank is known for their credit cards and their high yield savings products, but they offer the full ranges of banking products, from checking accounts to credit cards.

Given they are so large, it could be easy to dismiss them as competitive. However, Citi has a lot to offer. Read our full Citi Bank review below, and see how they compare to other banks on our best savings account page.

Quick Summary

Citi Bank is a full service brick and mortar and online bank

Consistently high interest rates on deposits

Typically have good bonus offers for new accounts

Get Started

Citi Bank Details

Product Name

Citibank Basic Checking

Min Deposit

$5,000

Monthly Fee

$12 (Can be waived)

Account Type

Checking

Promotions

Up to $700

Quick Navigation

Who Is Citi Bank?

What Do They Offer?

Are There Any Fees?

How Do I Open An Account?

Is My Money Safe?

Is It Worth It?

Who Is Citi Bank?

You’ve likely heard of Citi Bank. It is one of the largest, full-service banks in the U.S. Citi provides both personal and business services, including checking, savings, CDs, retirement, wealth management, mortgages, credit cards, and more. Citi has joined many online banks in providing high yield savings accounts. Although Citi is a brick and mortar bank, it’s high yield savings product is operated completely online, which is how it is able to achieve such a high rate.

What Do They Offer?

Citi’s high yield savings account is called Citi Accelerate. It is a little different from other high yield savings accounts because Citi requires customers to add a banking package. A banking package is another account type and includes additional services, depending on the package. Basically, to open an Accelerate account, you’ll need to open some other Citi account. Accelerate rates are always near the top of the charts. The actual rate you’ll get depends on the state you reside in. Interest is compounded daily and paid monthly.

Banking Packages

Citi has certainly chosen an odd route for customers wanting to open a high yield savings account. In marketing terms, this is called friction, since it causes the customer to stop and think if they really want to do this. Additionally, Citi has taken an extra step to ensure their banking packages remain a bit obscure. You have to dig into the details to understand what exactly you are signing up for. We’ll try to break each package down into something more understandable. There are five packages to choose from:

Citigold — Mostly a service. Targeted at high net worth individuals. Includes an Interest Checking Account. It appears that the fee waiver is automatic.

Citi Priority — Similar to Citigold. Includes either a Regular or Interest Checking Account and Citi Accelerate Savings Account. Must maintain required balances of $30,000 across all accounts to waive monthly fee. Otherwise, the monthly fee is $30.

The Citibank Account — Just the Accelerate account. You can link other accounts to avoid the monthly fee, assuming balances meet the minimum. Combined balance in linked accounts must be $10,000 or a $25 fee will be accessed on checking and savings accounts. Non-Citi ATM fees are waived if balance requirements are met.

Citi Elevate Account — Unlimited waived and reimbursed ATM fees. Includes Interest Checking Account and Citi Accelerate Savings Account. Checking accounts requires a $5,000 balance to avoid $15/mo fee on checking and savings accounts.

Basic Banking — Unlimited check writing. Combined balance on accounts must be $1,500 to avoid checking $12/mo fee and savings account $4.50/mo fee. Or, savings account must have a minimum balance of $500. One qualifying direct deposit and bill payment also avoids fees.

Access Account — No overdrafts and no checks. The fee structure is the same as Basic Banking except that the checking account fee is $10 instead of $12.

Citi Accelerate can be used for overdraft protection through Safety Check. The overdraft fee is $10 but waived for Citigold and Citi Priority. If multiple overdrafts occur on the same day, Citi does only one transfer, which maxes out the overdraft cost to $10/day.

Through Citi’s mobile app, you’ll be able to access your Accelerate account.

Are There Any Fees?

Yes — depending on the package and balance, you may pay a $4.50/mo fee. A stand-alone Accelerate account requires a $500 balance to avoid the monthly fee. Because some packages require a checking account, there’s a potential for high overdraft fees. When your Accelerate account is linked to a checking account, the overdraft fee is $10/day, even if there are multiple overdrafts on the same day.

Be aware, because of Citi’s Banking Package arrangement, you might be opening other accounts, which will have their own fee structures.

How Do I Open An Account?

You can open an account completely online at Citi. You can also navigate the website menu to reach the Accelerate home page: Banking > Savings.

Is My Money Safe?

Yes - Citi deposit accounts are FDIC insured. Citi also uses bank-grade encryption on its website and mobile app.

Is It Worth It?

Citi’s banking packages setup isn’t exactly appealing, but you can get the Accelerate savings account by itself with the “The Citibank Account” package. While the stand-alone account does require a $500 deposit, you’ll earn a top notch APY through a full-service, brick and mortar bank. If you have additional Citi accounts, you can probably avoid the minimum balance by linking your other accounts to your Accelerate account.

The post Citi Bank Review | High Yield Savings and Great Bonuses appeared first on The College Investor.

https://ift.tt/39s5Ku4 April 02, 2020 at 10:15AM https://ift.tt/3dQek9l

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Online marketing jobs are considered the need of the hour and it's vital for people with entry-level positions to apply, only required a laptop and the Internet.

#online marketing jobs #marketing jobs #workfromhomejobs

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Finding Recession-Resistant Investments In The Face Of The Coronavirus https://ift.tt/2w14Ney

The coronavirus has presented investors with unprecedented uncertainty.

The global financial markets are still reeling from what WHO has called a pandemic, and the White House has declared a national emergency. Last month, the Dow Jones dropped 10 percent in one day, its largest one-day fall since 1987. The Federal Reserve Bank has even stepped in, injecting $1.5 trillion into the economy. In one month alone, the stock market lost well over 20%.

In light of these events, we thought it was interesting to see impact of the coronavirus on the fine wine market with a great deep-dive with our partners Vinovest. With more people looking for alternative investments, especially recession-resistant investments, let's look into this relatively unknown asset.

If you want to skip the details and learn more, check out Vinovest and see how you can invest in fine wine >>

Quick Navigation

How Does The Coronavirus Affect Fine Wine?

What Makes Fine Wine A Recession-Resistant Investment?

The Economics Of Fine Wine

Fine Wine vs. Gold In Recessions

Long-Term Appreciation In The Face Of Panic

Historical Performance Of Fine Wine

What To Expect From Here

How Does The Coronavirus Affect Fine Wine?

It is natural to wonder how the coronavirus will affect the value of fine wine. After all, equities are cratering under recent financial pressure. With that in mind, it's important to know that fine wine has almost no correlation with the stock market. Even in the most turbulent economic periods, fine wine manages to march on unscathed. Take the Great Recession in 2008. Stock prices plummeted 52 percent as people created a run on the money market funds. The price of fine wine, though? It had a single digit dip of nine percent.

What Makes Fine Wine A Recession-Resistant Investment?

Fine wine is not susceptible to the same market forces as traditional investments, like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. While supply and demand impact both assets, the similarities disappear quickly after that. The separate sphere of influence is the key to the recession-resistance.

Factors That Influence The Price Of Wine:

Annual Harvest Yield

Consumer Tastes

Reputation

Tariffs

Vintage

Weather

Factors That Influence The Price Of Equities:

Company Earnings

Corporate Management

Dividends

Interest Rates

Political Climate

Barring a cataclysmic natural disaster or shift in consumer tastes, fine wine will remain a reliable investment. Outside factors, like the coronavirus or stock prices, are highly unlikely to influence whether or not someone wants to buy and consume wine. In an interview with Forbes, Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division founder Rob McMillian articulated the sentiment best, saying:

“We have to start the conversation by recognizing that people enjoy wine in good times and stressful times. Wine is not recession-proof, but it is recession-resistant. In the same way, it might not be virus-proof, but it will prove virus-resistant from an economic perspective. There is no chance we will see sweeping abstinence as a consequence of the virus.

Since the Great Recession, there have been several corrections in the stock market, the most recent being the coronavirus. While stock prices fluctuate during these times, the fine wine market tends to stay the same. Fine wine may experience a small decline. That said, there are precedents for price increases. We understand the coronavirus is creating a lot of concern. The cause for concern shouldn’t extend into investment-grade wine, though. It’s why fine wine is one of the few recession-resistant assets that can safeguard investors from the economic storm.

The Economics Of Fine Wine

Again, fine wine does not play by the same rules as traditional equities. For starters, wine has a fixed supply. Once the harvest is over, that is it. A winery cannot produce more wine for that vintage, even if it's a smashing success. 

That supply will only decrease with time because investors will drink the wine. Even if the demand remains constant, the scarcity will drive up the price, barring a significant change in one of the factors mentioned above. The growth is buoyed by increasing interest in fine wine consumption from emerging markets, like India and China. 

As Rob McMillian suggested, the coronavirus will not diminish people’s interest in wine. While the outbreak is far from ideal, people should not expect to see a meaningful change in consumption habits. The same cannot be said of the stock market. 

The coronavirus has created a domino effect through fear, panic, and uncertainty, all things that investors want to avoid. As a result, many people are selling their stocks to minimize their losses or get their money into "safer" investments. As a result, American investors have lost roughly $3 trillion in wealth. 

Fine Wine vs. Gold In Recessions

It's worth taking a moment to talk about gold. The odds are that when investors think of "safer" physical assets, they think of gold. That inclination is not without merit. Gold handily outperformed the S&P 500 from December 2007 to June 2009.

Historically, gold has had an inverse relation with the equity market during times of crisis. That correlation, though, is not stagnant. Gold’s recent performance suggests a positive correlation with the stocks, thus weakening its reputation as a risk-hedging investment. 

The coronavirus-induced recession is a perfect example. The United States saw the first COVID-19 death on February 29. In the following days, Florida and California declared states of emergency, public and privates closed, and major corporations-imposed travel restrictions on employees. Gold, which had traded at $1,697 per ounce on March 2, fell 11 percent in a week.

There are other examples of gold’s increasing correlation with the stock market. During the 2018 US-China trade war, gold showed a 0.69 correlation, which means almost 50 percent of the variance between two is correlated. Mathematicians would call this value statistically significant. Fine wine, however, had a negative correlation, coming in at -0.55.

Gold is losing its luster as a portfolio diversifier. Its increasing correlation with the equity market fails to protect investors, despite its “safe haven” reputation. Additionally, the price of gold has more than quadrupled since 2000, far outpacing the reasonable demand for the physical product. 

Long-Term Appreciation In The Face Of Panic

It is unclear how long the coronavirus will last. China is returning to its new normal after roughly 50 days. All countries, though, are not as well-equipped or proactive when it comes to treating COVID-19.

While the immediate financial world is in upheaval, fine wine is a long-term investment. It is not something people day trade, like stocks, to make marginal capital gains. Investors do not have the pressure of time when selling wine. 

That is, in part, because wine gets better with age. All grapes have a compound called tannins. The organic substance is in the seeds, skin, roots, and leaves of the grape. While the quantity of tannins varies based on the grape varietal, they are present in every wine, to some extent. 

Tannins have a bitter and astringent taste. Over time, though, they break down, which makes a wine smoother and more balanced. It is one of the reasons why wine producers put so much emphasis on proper and extended aging. To reap the benefits of aging, investors will likely need enough patience to outlast the 2020 flu season.

Historical Performance Of Fine Wine

Predictions are challenging, and the coronavirus only adds more uncertainty to the equation. The best way to understand what the future holds is to look at the past. From 2008 to 2010, in the throes of the global recession, the Liv-ex 1000, which tracks 1,000 wines from across the world, returned a little less than zero. 

The same recession-resistant applied abroad. The March Gestion Vini Catana fund, which started in December 2009, invests in wine production and vineyards. Within a year after opening, it was up nine percent compared to a 3.7 percent decline for the FTSE 100.  Meanwhile, the average hedge fund at this time was down 0.2 percent. 

The question here is, why? During economic struggles, investor’s preferences do not change in a meaningful way when it comes to fine wine. It is one of the reasons why annual wine consumption has grown for the past 20 years. By the same token, people who purchase investment-grade wine can often afford to hold on to their collections during recessions, mitigating the risk of fire sales.

Wine Business Monthly published a study about which wineries performed the best during the recession in 2008. One of its conclusions was that large wineries had the resources to deal with the downturn. They have well-established consumer bases and can leverage economies of scale. 

The second conclusion was that wineries that owned the means of production thrived. Translation: wineries like Château Lafite Rothschild, Screaming Eagle, and many more are in good shape. These estates control their land, grapes, and production, all the way through to distribution. Therefore, they do not have the same concerns as boutique producers that rely on purchasing grapes.

Unsurprisingly, sub-indices, like the Bordeaux 500 and Burgundy 150, performed well during the Great Recession. The former saw a 50 percent increase in value from 2009 to 2011. As for the Burgundy 150, its growth was closer to 60 percent. 

The best case for fine wine’s recession-resistant is its history. While it is not impervious, it has stood up against the Great Depression, Dot Com bubble, and more. Researchers found the long-term investment performance of young-maturing wines from high-quality vintages provided the strongest financial return. Not only did it demonstrate remarkable recession-resistance, but it has also outpaced competitors, like fine stamps, arts, and bills, during the same time.

What To Expect From Here

As Managing Director of Cult Wines Ltd. Tom Gearing put it, “fine wine can act as a defensive asset class in times of economic crisis but also benefit from periods of economic growth.” It is why many people use fine wine as a way to round out their long-term investment strategy. The investment reduces overall risk while adding diversification and stability.  

While clouds are darkening over Wall St, fine wine is a silver lining. The short-term volatility resistant and long-term appreciation will counteract the chaotic snapshot of the world today. 

If you have any additional questions about wine investment, check out Vinovest today. 

The post Finding Recession-Resistant Investments In The Face Of The Coronavirus appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

The coronavirus has presented investors with unprecedented uncertainty.

The global financial markets are still reeling from what WHO has called a pandemic, and the White House has declared a national emergency. Last month, the Dow Jones dropped 10 percent in one day, its largest one-day fall since 1987. The Federal Reserve Bank has even stepped in, injecting $1.5 trillion into the economy. In one month alone, the stock market lost well over 20%.

In light of these events, we thought it was interesting to see impact of the coronavirus on the fine wine market with a great deep-dive with our partners Vinovest. With more people looking for alternative investments, especially recession-resistant investments, let's look into this relatively unknown asset.

If you want to skip the details and learn more, check out Vinovest and see how you can invest in fine wine >>

Quick Navigation

How Does The Coronavirus Affect Fine Wine?

What Makes Fine Wine A Recession-Resistant Investment?

The Economics Of Fine Wine

Fine Wine vs. Gold In Recessions

Long-Term Appreciation In The Face Of Panic

Historical Performance Of Fine Wine

What To Expect From Here

How Does The Coronavirus Affect Fine Wine?

It is natural to wonder how the coronavirus will affect the value of fine wine. After all, equities are cratering under recent financial pressure. With that in mind, it's important to know that fine wine has almost no correlation with the stock market. Even in the most turbulent economic periods, fine wine manages to march on unscathed. Take the Great Recession in 2008. Stock prices plummeted 52 percent as people created a run on the money market funds. The price of fine wine, though? It had a single digit dip of nine percent.

What Makes Fine Wine A Recession-Resistant Investment?

Fine wine is not susceptible to the same market forces as traditional investments, like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. While supply and demand impact both assets, the similarities disappear quickly after that. The separate sphere of influence is the key to the recession-resistance.

Factors That Influence The Price Of Wine:

Annual Harvest Yield

Consumer Tastes

Reputation

Tariffs

Vintage

Weather

Factors That Influence The Price Of Equities:

Company Earnings

Corporate Management

Dividends

Interest Rates

Political Climate

Barring a cataclysmic natural disaster or shift in consumer tastes, fine wine will remain a reliable investment. Outside factors, like the coronavirus or stock prices, are highly unlikely to influence whether or not someone wants to buy and consume wine. In an interview with Forbes, Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division founder Rob McMillian articulated the sentiment best, saying:

“We have to start the conversation by recognizing that people enjoy wine in good times and stressful times. Wine is not recession-proof, but it is recession-resistant. In the same way, it might not be virus-proof, but it will prove virus-resistant from an economic perspective. There is no chance we will see sweeping abstinence as a consequence of the virus.

Since the Great Recession, there have been several corrections in the stock market, the most recent being the coronavirus. While stock prices fluctuate during these times, the fine wine market tends to stay the same. Fine wine may experience a small decline. That said, there are precedents for price increases. We understand the coronavirus is creating a lot of concern. The cause for concern shouldn’t extend into investment-grade wine, though. It’s why fine wine is one of the few recession-resistant assets that can safeguard investors from the economic storm.

The Economics Of Fine Wine

Again, fine wine does not play by the same rules as traditional equities. For starters, wine has a fixed supply. Once the harvest is over, that is it. A winery cannot produce more wine for that vintage, even if it's a smashing success. 

That supply will only decrease with time because investors will drink the wine. Even if the demand remains constant, the scarcity will drive up the price, barring a significant change in one of the factors mentioned above. The growth is buoyed by increasing interest in fine wine consumption from emerging markets, like India and China. 

As Rob McMillian suggested, the coronavirus will not diminish people’s interest in wine. While the outbreak is far from ideal, people should not expect to see a meaningful change in consumption habits. The same cannot be said of the stock market. 

The coronavirus has created a domino effect through fear, panic, and uncertainty, all things that investors want to avoid. As a result, many people are selling their stocks to minimize their losses or get their money into "safer" investments. As a result, American investors have lost roughly $3 trillion in wealth. 

Fine Wine vs. Gold In Recessions

It's worth taking a moment to talk about gold. The odds are that when investors think of "safer" physical assets, they think of gold. That inclination is not without merit. Gold handily outperformed the S&P 500 from December 2007 to June 2009.

Historically, gold has had an inverse relation with the equity market during times of crisis. That correlation, though, is not stagnant. Gold’s recent performance suggests a positive correlation with the stocks, thus weakening its reputation as a risk-hedging investment. 

The coronavirus-induced recession is a perfect example. The United States saw the first COVID-19 death on February 29. In the following days, Florida and California declared states of emergency, public and privates closed, and major corporations-imposed travel restrictions on employees. Gold, which had traded at $1,697 per ounce on March 2, fell 11 percent in a week.

There are other examples of gold’s increasing correlation with the stock market. During the 2018 US-China trade war, gold showed a 0.69 correlation, which means almost 50 percent of the variance between two is correlated. Mathematicians would call this value statistically significant. Fine wine, however, had a negative correlation, coming in at -0.55.

Gold is losing its luster as a portfolio diversifier. Its increasing correlation with the equity market fails to protect investors, despite its “safe haven” reputation. Additionally, the price of gold has more than quadrupled since 2000, far outpacing the reasonable demand for the physical product. 

Long-Term Appreciation In The Face Of Panic

It is unclear how long the coronavirus will last. China is returning to its new normal after roughly 50 days. All countries, though, are not as well-equipped or proactive when it comes to treating COVID-19.

While the immediate financial world is in upheaval, fine wine is a long-term investment. It is not something people day trade, like stocks, to make marginal capital gains. Investors do not have the pressure of time when selling wine. 

That is, in part, because wine gets better with age. All grapes have a compound called tannins. The organic substance is in the seeds, skin, roots, and leaves of the grape. While the quantity of tannins varies based on the grape varietal, they are present in every wine, to some extent. 

Tannins have a bitter and astringent taste. Over time, though, they break down, which makes a wine smoother and more balanced. It is one of the reasons why wine producers put so much emphasis on proper and extended aging. To reap the benefits of aging, investors will likely need enough patience to outlast the 2020 flu season.

Historical Performance Of Fine Wine

Predictions are challenging, and the coronavirus only adds more uncertainty to the equation. The best way to understand what the future holds is to look at the past. From 2008 to 2010, in the throes of the global recession, the Liv-ex 1000, which tracks 1,000 wines from across the world, returned a little less than zero. 

The same recession-resistant applied abroad. The March Gestion Vini Catana fund, which started in December 2009, invests in wine production and vineyards. Within a year after opening, it was up nine percent compared to a 3.7 percent decline for the FTSE 100.  Meanwhile, the average hedge fund at this time was down 0.2 percent. 

The question here is, why? During economic struggles, investor’s preferences do not change in a meaningful way when it comes to fine wine. It is one of the reasons why annual wine consumption has grown for the past 20 years. By the same token, people who purchase investment-grade wine can often afford to hold on to their collections during recessions, mitigating the risk of fire sales.

Wine Business Monthly published a study about which wineries performed the best during the recession in 2008. One of its conclusions was that large wineries had the resources to deal with the downturn. They have well-established consumer bases and can leverage economies of scale. 

The second conclusion was that wineries that owned the means of production thrived. Translation: wineries like Château Lafite Rothschild, Screaming Eagle, and many more are in good shape. These estates control their land, grapes, and production, all the way through to distribution. Therefore, they do not have the same concerns as boutique producers that rely on purchasing grapes.

Unsurprisingly, sub-indices, like the Bordeaux 500 and Burgundy 150, performed well during the Great Recession. The former saw a 50 percent increase in value from 2009 to 2011. As for the Burgundy 150, its growth was closer to 60 percent. 

The best case for fine wine’s recession-resistant is its history. While it is not impervious, it has stood up against the Great Depression, Dot Com bubble, and more. Researchers found the long-term investment performance of young-maturing wines from high-quality vintages provided the strongest financial return. Not only did it demonstrate remarkable recession-resistance, but it has also outpaced competitors, like fine stamps, arts, and bills, during the same time.

What To Expect From Here

As Managing Director of Cult Wines Ltd. Tom Gearing put it, “fine wine can act as a defensive asset class in times of economic crisis but also benefit from periods of economic growth.” It is why many people use fine wine as a way to round out their long-term investment strategy. The investment reduces overall risk while adding diversification and stability.  

While clouds are darkening over Wall St, fine wine is a silver lining. The short-term volatility resistant and long-term appreciation will counteract the chaotic snapshot of the world today. 

If you have any additional questions about wine investment, check out Vinovest today. 

The post Finding Recession-Resistant Investments In The Face Of The Coronavirus appeared first on The College Investor.

https://ift.tt/39s5Ku4 April 01, 2020 at 10:15AM https://ift.tt/39uZORf

[onlinemarketinghelp]

Covid-19 and Your Online Business: Practical Brand and Website Improvements https://ift.tt/2w92s1q

With the fight to contain coronavirus now a global battle, the world looks very different from what it did just a few weeks ago. 

There’s no doubt that these are strange times to be surviving in, let alone thriving in. And for those of us with an online business, you might feel lost and uncertain about what to do. This is where the Oberlo team is hoping to add some guidance.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be putting together resources designed to guide you during this period. We’ll be offering advice for practical things you can do right now to help grow your business and reach more potential customers. To get you started, we’ve gathered tips on cheap and easy ways you can improve your business and brand with simple steps. Let’s get to it.

Focus on Brand

While it’s easy to get hyper-focused on launching your store, building a business for long-term means thinking about branding. 

Compare your business to those such as All Birds and Chubbies. Scrolling the home page of these stores, their brands are unmistakable – it’s clear what they believe in, the type of person they’re targeting, and what they’re offering. Is it as evident in your store?

An easy way to think about your brand is by imagining the sort of personality your store would have if it were a person. Would they be fun and playful, dependable and stable, or helpful and reliable? Use your store design, logo, social media presence, and the unique selling point (USP) of your products to express what your brand is.

Read up about brand awareness, jot down some ideas, and get started.

Improve Your Social Channels

Tight on cash? No problem. Growing and building your social media presence is one thing that doesn’t require money but can sure generate a lot of it. If you have a business in 2020, it’s expected that you have a social media presence, and frankly, it does nothing for brand credibility if you don’t.

If your follower count could use a little boosting, start by planning out what you want your social media feed to look like. Think about what you want your page or feed to be filled with and try to change things up for different platforms. Don’t just auto-post your Instagram content onto Facebook or Twitter, really think about what suits which network. 

If you’re unsure where to start, check out how your competitors are doing it and take inspiration from them. Then, figure out where your competitors are falling flat and try and fill that gap with your content.

No, organically growing a social media profile won’t happen overnight, but if you’re targeting the right audience with your posts, it could result in free sales and a more robust brand. Win-win.

Fix Your Product Photos

Got product photos that, deep in your heart, you know aren’t convincing anyone to buy your product? Now is the time to fix that. Whether you’ve physically got the item to take photos of or are working from AliExpress supplier photos, there are things you can do to polish your product photos.

First, check out some of your competitors, see how their product photos look, then take a look at brands that you admire and see what they’re doing. 

Next, make a plan for your images and try to keep them all looking similar, remember you want to build a consistent brand, and your pictures are part of that. Maybe you want all your images on a bright white background, or perhaps you want to dress the background with items that complement your product. Read up on some tips and tricks beforehand to make sure you know how you want the finished product to look.

Finally, you’ll either want to take and edit your product photos or edit those available on your supplier’s page. Once that’s done, why not go to the next level and start making product videos.

Get Emails Sequences Sorted

Email marketing might seem old school, but it’s stuck around this long because of one thing: It works. While you might have a few automated emails already set up on your store, now is the perfect time to invest in gaining email subscribers and creating persuasive email sequences.

Start by looking at how you’re currently getting people to subscribe to your email list. Is it a small box at the bottom of your site, or a pop up that offers a tempting discount code? One of these tactics will gain more subscribers than the other. Think about why you’ve signed up for email newsletters in the past and apply that to your store.

Then move on to making your abandoned cart emails more branded. Rewrite the content, add exclusive email deals, and let it reflect your brand. It doesn’t even need to be super fancy – start by tailoring the subject line to your store and using your store’s colors and logo.

After that, you should start exploring more elaborate email sequences. These are a series of emails that get sent to potential customers after a particular event is triggered. To do this, you may need to explore different apps.

For example, you could have a sequence for people who sign up for your newsletter, a different one for people who abandon their carts, and another for people who already purchased something. All of these customers are at various stages of the sales funnel, so they require different tactics to convert them into customers.

Optimize Your Pages

You’ve probably heard a lot about SEO over the years, but maybe you’ve never really gotten a full grasp of what it is and what it can do for your store. The short story is, if your store is optimized correctly, you can get customers to your site for free thanks to the magic of search engines.

If you don’t have much cash to spend on advertising, optimizing your website is an excellent way to start selling, build up your visitor numbers, and gather data. By the time you do want to start spending on ads, you might be able to launch straight into Lookalike audiences. However, it does take time. It might be two or three months before you start seeing results.

You optimize your pages through working relevant keywords into the text you already have on your home page and product pages. To do this, you need to find SEO tools – such as Ubersuggest – to help you. Keywords don’t just have to be one word. Usually, they’re two or three words or even a longer phrase. When you start searching for keywords, you’ll notice they have a ‘search volume’ attached – this is how many people are searching for that term every month. If your store is brand new, start by targeting keywords that have lower search volumes because they will be easier to rank for. 

Once you’ve optimized your home page and product page, start writing blog articles. This is where you can really start getting your website ranking. You can try to rank for one main keyword and several secondary keywords (these will be phrases with lower search volumes than your main keyword) per post.

Want to Learn More?

The Complete Guide to Video Marketing for Businesses

Top Tips to Write Compelling Product Descriptions

8 Vital Email Templates Every Online Business Should Steal

16 Dropshipping Tips for New Entrepreneurs You Need to Know

The post Covid-19 and Your Online Business: Practical Brand and Website Improvements appeared first on Oberlo.

from Oberlo

With the fight to contain coronavirus now a global battle, the world looks very different from what it did just a few weeks ago. 

There’s no doubt that these are strange times to be surviving in, let alone thriving in. And for those of us with an online business, you might feel lost and uncertain about what to do. This is where the Oberlo team is hoping to add some guidance.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be putting together resources designed to guide you during this period. We’ll be offering advice for practical things you can do right now to help grow your business and reach more potential customers. To get you started, we’ve gathered tips on cheap and easy ways you can improve your business and brand with simple steps. Let’s get to it.

Focus on Brand

While it’s easy to get hyper-focused on launching your store, building a business for long-term means thinking about branding. 

Compare your business to those such as All Birds and Chubbies. Scrolling the home page of these stores, their brands are unmistakable – it’s clear what they believe in, the type of person they’re targeting, and what they’re offering. Is it as evident in your store?

An easy way to think about your brand is by imagining the sort of personality your store would have if it were a person. Would they be fun and playful, dependable and stable, or helpful and reliable? Use your store design, logo, social media presence, and the unique selling point (USP) of your products to express what your brand is.

Read up about brand awareness, jot down some ideas, and get started.

Improve Your Social Channels

Tight on cash? No problem. Growing and building your social media presence is one thing that doesn’t require money but can sure generate a lot of it. If you have a business in 2020, it’s expected that you have a social media presence, and frankly, it does nothing for brand credibility if you don’t.

If your follower count could use a little boosting, start by planning out what you want your social media feed to look like. Think about what you want your page or feed to be filled with and try to change things up for different platforms. Don’t just auto-post your Instagram content onto Facebook or Twitter, really think about what suits which network. 

If you’re unsure where to start, check out how your competitors are doing it and take inspiration from them. Then, figure out where your competitors are falling flat and try and fill that gap with your content.

No, organically growing a social media profile won’t happen overnight, but if you’re targeting the right audience with your posts, it could result in free sales and a more robust brand. Win-win.

Fix Your Product Photos

Got product photos that, deep in your heart, you know aren’t convincing anyone to buy your product? Now is the time to fix that. Whether you’ve physically got the item to take photos of or are working from AliExpress supplier photos, there are things you can do to polish your product photos.

First, check out some of your competitors, see how their product photos look, then take a look at brands that you admire and see what they’re doing. 

Next, make a plan for your images and try to keep them all looking similar, remember you want to build a consistent brand, and your pictures are part of that. Maybe you want all your images on a bright white background, or perhaps you want to dress the background with items that complement your product. Read up on some tips and tricks beforehand to make sure you know how you want the finished product to look.

Finally, you’ll either want to take and edit your product photos or edit those available on your supplier’s page. Once that’s done, why not go to the next level and start making product videos.

Get Emails Sequences Sorted

Email marketing might seem old school, but it’s stuck around this long because of one thing: It works. While you might have a few automated emails already set up on your store, now is the perfect time to invest in gaining email subscribers and creating persuasive email sequences.

Start by looking at how you’re currently getting people to subscribe to your email list. Is it a small box at the bottom of your site, or a pop up that offers a tempting discount code? One of these tactics will gain more subscribers than the other. Think about why you’ve signed up for email newsletters in the past and apply that to your store.

Then move on to making your abandoned cart emails more branded. Rewrite the content, add exclusive email deals, and let it reflect your brand. It doesn’t even need to be super fancy – start by tailoring the subject line to your store and using your store’s colors and logo.

After that, you should start exploring more elaborate email sequences. These are a series of emails that get sent to potential customers after a particular event is triggered. To do this, you may need to explore different apps.

For example, you could have a sequence for people who sign up for your newsletter, a different one for people who abandon their carts, and another for people who already purchased something. All of these customers are at various stages of the sales funnel, so they require different tactics to convert them into customers.

Optimize Your Pages

You’ve probably heard a lot about SEO over the years, but maybe you’ve never really gotten a full grasp of what it is and what it can do for your store. The short story is, if your store is optimized correctly, you can get customers to your site for free thanks to the magic of search engines.

If you don’t have much cash to spend on advertising, optimizing your website is an excellent way to start selling, build up your visitor numbers, and gather data. By the time you do want to start spending on ads, you might be able to launch straight into Lookalike audiences. However, it does take time. It might be two or three months before you start seeing results.

You optimize your pages through working relevant keywords into the text you already have on your home page and product pages. To do this, you need to find SEO tools – such as Ubersuggest – to help you. Keywords don’t just have to be one word. Usually, they’re two or three words or even a longer phrase. When you start searching for keywords, you’ll notice they have a ‘search volume’ attached – this is how many people are searching for that term every month. If your store is brand new, start by targeting keywords that have lower search volumes because they will be easier to rank for. 

Once you’ve optimized your home page and product page, start writing blog articles. This is where you can really start getting your website ranking. You can try to rank for one main keyword and several secondary keywords (these will be phrases with lower search volumes than your main keyword) per post.

Want to Learn More?

The Complete Guide to Video Marketing for Businesses

Top Tips to Write Compelling Product Descriptions

8 Vital Email Templates Every Online Business Should Steal

16 Dropshipping Tips for New Entrepreneurs You Need to Know

The post Covid-19 and Your Online Business: Practical Brand and Website Improvements appeared first on Oberlo.

https://ift.tt/3bFJ3nH April 01, 2020 at 07:00AM https://ift.tt/3bHKyly

[onlinemarketinghelp]

Internal Link Building Case Study: How Much Can Google Rankings Improve with Only Internal Links Added? https://ift.tt/2wQ3orC

A few months ago, I decided to conduct an experiment.  I wanted to know how much the rankings for a single post could improve if I simply added a couple of internal links to that post and did nothing else.…

The post Internal Link Building Case Study: How Much Can Google Rankings Improve with Only Internal Links Added? appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

from Niche Pursuits

A few months ago, I decided to conduct an experiment.  I wanted to know how much the rankings for a single post could improve if I simply added a couple of internal links to that post and did nothing else.…

The post Internal Link Building Case Study: How Much Can Google Rankings Improve with Only Internal Links Added? appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

March 31, 2020 at 07:45PMhttps://https://ift.tt/2Ju1QGx https://ift.tt/2UQ7c4f

[onlinemarketinghelp]

Podcast 172: How to Get 1 Million PageViews a Month to Your Blog and Still Have a Life with Harsh Argawal https://ift.tt/340bGJB

I’m excited to bring Harsh Argawal to the Niche Pursuits podcast! Harsh is a well-known blogger in the WordPress and digital marketing space.  It wasn’t until recently that we really connected and started chatting business. I’ve been reading his blog…

The post Podcast 172: How to Get 1 Million PageViews a Month to Your Blog and Still Have a Life with Harsh Argawal appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

from Niche Pursuits

I’m excited to bring Harsh Argawal to the Niche Pursuits podcast! Harsh is a well-known blogger in the WordPress and digital marketing space.  It wasn’t until recently that we really connected and started chatting business. I’ve been reading his blog…

The post Podcast 172: How to Get 1 Million PageViews a Month to Your Blog and Still Have a Life with Harsh Argawal appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

March 31, 2020 at 02:12AMhttps://https://ift.tt/3azTglp https://ift.tt/2ymm2rF

[onlinemarketinghelp]

Ascendium Student Loans | What To Know https://ift.tt/2Jsq0Bk

If you have a student loan, there’s a good chance you might not have ever heard of Ascendium. They began servicing FFELP (FFEL Program) loans from Great Lakes in 2018. Great Lakes customers with Direct Student Loans probably never even noticed all of this took place.

Maybe you did notice and were curious - maybe you saw a new statement, or you pulled your StudentAid file and saw a loan servicer you didn't recognize. 

In this article, we’ll explain what happened, who it affects, and how to access your student loans from the servicers and guarantors involved in the Ascendium, Great Lakes, Nelnet, split/acquisition. 

Quick Navigation

Who is Ascendium?

How To Contact Ascendium

Great Lakes Changes Name To Ascendium

How To Contact Great Lakes

How Does NelNet Fit Into The Picture?

How To Contact NelNet

What If I Want To Move My Loans?

Final Thoughts

Who is Ascendium?

Ascendium (Ascendium Education Solutions), formerly Great Lakes, is a student loan guarantor. They are also a philanthropic organization, business solutions provider, and assist with student debt help through Attigo. If you were previously with Great Lakes, you might now see information about your student loans from Ascendium instead. Ascendium is no longer in the Direct Student loan business. Their only involvement with student loans is as a guarantor for Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans. FFELP loans were discontinued in 2010. However, a large number of people still require servicing for FFELP loans. FFELP loans are made up of Stafford Loans, Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, and Federal Consolidation Loans.

Accessing your FFELP student loans — if you go to ascendiumeducation.org and try to access your FFELP student loan information, you’ll probably find the website a little confusing. There isn’t a way to log into the website to view your FFELP loan. Instead, you’ll need to call Ascendium or wait for your next statements to arrive by mail. You can reach Ascendium at 800-236-2700 or [email protected].

Student loan default help — If you click on the loan default section on Ascendium’s website, it will redirect you to https://ift.tt/2xFldcU, which is also an Ascendium branded website, specifically designed for student loan default help.

If you are looking for your new student loan servicer, visit https://studentaid.gov.

How To Contact Ascendium

You contact Ascendium through the following: Web: https://www.ascendiumeducation.org Phone: [phone] (7-6 Mon-Thurs and 7-4:30 on Fri Central Time) Email: [email protected] Mail: 2501 International Lane, Madison, WI 53704

Great Lakes Changes Name To Ascendium

If you have a Direct Student Loan serviced by Great Lakes, you probably haven’t noticed any change or even heard of Ascendium. In 2018, Great Lakes Educational Loan Services was acquired by Nelnet. This left a few divisions of Great Lakes behind that continued operating as a stand-alone entity. These remaining divisions were renamed to Ascendium. The move to Nelnet was seamless for Great Lakes customers. As you’ve probably guessed, Great Lakes also kept its name. Great Lakes customers still go to https://mygreatlakes.org to manage their Direct Student Loans. There’s no mention of Nelnet unless you go to the About page, where you will see “Welcome to Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. (Great Lakes), an affiliate of Nelnet Diversified Solutions, LLC.” Unlike Ascendium, you can fully manage your Direct Student Loan by logging into the mygreatlakes.org website. Payments can be made there as well. As mentioned above, Great Lakes services Direct Student Loans. Specifically, it services Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans. These used to be called Stafford Loans or Direct Stafford Loans.

How To Contact Great Lakes

Web: https://mygreatlakes.org Phone: [phone] (Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Central Time) Email: N/A Mail: Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., 2401 International Lane, Madison, WI 53704

How Does NelNet Fit Into The Picture?

Nelnet is the company that acquired Great Lakes Direct Student Loans business. Like Ascendium, Nelnet is a service-based company that does several different things. It is a student loan servicer and specializes in consumer finance, telecommunications, and K-12 and higher education. By logging into the Nelnet website, you can fully manage your student loan, including making payments.

How To Contact NelNet

Web: https://www.nelnet.com Phone: [phone] (8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Eastern) Monday – Friday.) Email: [email protected] Mail: Nelnet, P.O. Box 82561, Lincoln, NE 68501-2561 California Residents: P.O. Box 82578, Lincoln, NE 68501-2578 

What If I Want To Move My Loans?

Sadly, you aren't allowed to choose who services your loans, but you can get a new loan (which may end up at a new loan servicing company). However, it might not be the smart thing to do. There are a lot of risks with student loan consolidation or student loan refinancing.

If you have old FFEL loans and want to get a Direct loan, you can consolidate to a Direct Consolidation Loan. This will allow you to get access to programs only available to Direct Loan holders (like Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or even the coronavirus student loan relief programs). 

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. In a nutshell, Nelnet acquired Great Lakes’ Direct Student Loans, leaving behind its FFELP loans, which then turned into a company called Asdendium. Existing Great Lakes and Nelnet customers still use those sites, respectively. All Great Lakes FFELP customers by now have been contacted about the name change from Great Lakes to Ascendium.

The post Ascendium Student Loans | What To Know appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

If you have a student loan, there’s a good chance you might not have ever heard of Ascendium. They began servicing FFELP (FFEL Program) loans from Great Lakes in 2018. Great Lakes customers with Direct Student Loans probably never even noticed all of this took place.

Maybe you did notice and were curious - maybe you saw a new statement, or you pulled your StudentAid file and saw a loan servicer you didn't recognize. 

In this article, we’ll explain what happened, who it affects, and how to access your student loans from the servicers and guarantors involved in the Ascendium, Great Lakes, Nelnet, split/acquisition. 

Quick Navigation

Who is Ascendium?

How To Contact Ascendium

Great Lakes Changes Name To Ascendium

How To Contact Great Lakes

How Does NelNet Fit Into The Picture?

How To Contact NelNet

What If I Want To Move My Loans?

Final Thoughts

Who is Ascendium?

Ascendium (Ascendium Education Solutions), formerly Great Lakes, is a student loan guarantor. They are also a philanthropic organization, business solutions provider, and assist with student debt help through Attigo. If you were previously with Great Lakes, you might now see information about your student loans from Ascendium instead. Ascendium is no longer in the Direct Student loan business. Their only involvement with student loans is as a guarantor for Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans. FFELP loans were discontinued in 2010. However, a large number of people still require servicing for FFELP loans. FFELP loans are made up of Stafford Loans, Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, and Federal Consolidation Loans.

Accessing your FFELP student loans — if you go to ascendiumeducation.org and try to access your FFELP student loan information, you’ll probably find the website a little confusing. There isn’t a way to log into the website to view your FFELP loan. Instead, you’ll need to call Ascendium or wait for your next statements to arrive by mail. You can reach Ascendium at 800-236-2700 or [email protected].

Student loan default help — If you click on the loan default section on Ascendium’s website, it will redirect you to https://ift.tt/2xFldcU, which is also an Ascendium branded website, specifically designed for student loan default help.

If you are looking for your new student loan servicer, visit https://studentaid.gov.

How To Contact Ascendium

You contact Ascendium through the following: Web: https://www.ascendiumeducation.org Phone: [phone] (7-6 Mon-Thurs and 7-4:30 on Fri Central Time) Email: [email protected] Mail: 2501 International Lane, Madison, WI 53704

Great Lakes Changes Name To Ascendium

If you have a Direct Student Loan serviced by Great Lakes, you probably haven’t noticed any change or even heard of Ascendium. In 2018, Great Lakes Educational Loan Services was acquired by Nelnet. This left a few divisions of Great Lakes behind that continued operating as a stand-alone entity. These remaining divisions were renamed to Ascendium. The move to Nelnet was seamless for Great Lakes customers. As you’ve probably guessed, Great Lakes also kept its name. Great Lakes customers still go to https://mygreatlakes.org to manage their Direct Student Loans. There’s no mention of Nelnet unless you go to the About page, where you will see “Welcome to Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. (Great Lakes), an affiliate of Nelnet Diversified Solutions, LLC.” Unlike Ascendium, you can fully manage your Direct Student Loan by logging into the mygreatlakes.org website. Payments can be made there as well. As mentioned above, Great Lakes services Direct Student Loans. Specifically, it services Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans. These used to be called Stafford Loans or Direct Stafford Loans.

How To Contact Great Lakes

Web: https://mygreatlakes.org Phone: [phone] (Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Central Time) Email: N/A Mail: Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., 2401 International Lane, Madison, WI 53704

How Does NelNet Fit Into The Picture?

Nelnet is the company that acquired Great Lakes Direct Student Loans business. Like Ascendium, Nelnet is a service-based company that does several different things. It is a student loan servicer and specializes in consumer finance, telecommunications, and K-12 and higher education. By logging into the Nelnet website, you can fully manage your student loan, including making payments.

How To Contact NelNet

Web: https://www.nelnet.com Phone: [phone] (8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Eastern) Monday – Friday.) Email: [email protected] Mail: Nelnet, P.O. Box 82561, Lincoln, NE 68501-2561 California Residents: P.O. Box 82578, Lincoln, NE 68501-2578 

What If I Want To Move My Loans?

Sadly, you aren't allowed to choose who services your loans, but you can get a new loan (which may end up at a new loan servicing company). However, it might not be the smart thing to do. There are a lot of risks with student loan consolidation or student loan refinancing.

If you have old FFEL loans and want to get a Direct loan, you can consolidate to a Direct Consolidation Loan. This will allow you to get access to programs only available to Direct Loan holders (like Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or even the coronavirus student loan relief programs). 

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. In a nutshell, Nelnet acquired Great Lakes’ Direct Student Loans, leaving behind its FFELP loans, which then turned into a company called Asdendium. Existing Great Lakes and Nelnet customers still use those sites, respectively. All Great Lakes FFELP customers by now have been contacted about the name change from Great Lakes to Ascendium.

The post Ascendium Student Loans | What To Know appeared first on The College Investor.

https://ift.tt/39s5Ku4 March 31, 2020 at 10:15AM https://ift.tt/3azgyrU

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Earnin Review – Payday Loan Alternative https://ift.tt/2QZ2X5r

If there’s one complaint about the financial system in the United States it is that the system isn’t fair. People with lower and unstable incomes often end up paying the most for financial services.

When you combine monthly checking fees (for keeping an insufficient balance), overdraft fees, and high interest debt (especially Title loans or payday loans), it is easy to understand why so many Americans struggle to get ahead. When the financial system seems stacked against you, it can be discouraging to try to make good money moves. But disruptive companies are looking for ways to serve underserved people.

Earnin is one of those disruptive companies. Earnin is a paycheck advance app that’s working to improve the financial lives of those living paycheck to paycheck. Here’s what you need to know about the app.

See how Earnin compares to other popular cash advance apps.

Quick Summary

Paycheck advance app 

Borrow up to $100 before payday

No direct costs, relies on tips

Get Started

Earnin Details

Product Name

Earnin

Max Loan Amount

$0

Fees

$0 (Optional Tipping)

Promotions

None

Quick Navigation

How Earnin Works

Can You Really Tip $0 (Making It Free)?

Are There Any Special Features?

What Are The Alternatives?

Will Earnin Help Me Break The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle?

How Earnin Works

Earnin is an app that allows workers to get an advance of up to $100 sent directly to their bank account. Instead of paying a fixed fee for the advance, users can opt for a tip (generally between $2 and $14). You can opt for a tip of $0 if you really need every last cent. However, Earnin isn’t handing out free money. It knows that you’ll repay them because it only advances money when you’ve already earned it. The app will take a cut of your future check as soon as it is direct deposited to your checking account. To qualify for an advance you must meet all of the following criteria:

You must be paid through direct deposit.

Hourly workers must connect Earnin to their company’s online timesheet (or upload photos of their daily timesheet).

Salaried workers must allow Earnin to track their location, so the app can confirm that they went to work.

Gig economy workers can upload receipts or trip information to the App for early payouts.

Earnin also offers a Balance Shield option. This option is designed to automatically transfer money when your checking account balance reaches a certain balance (say $100). The first time you use Balance Shield, the service is free. After that, the app charges $1.50 per transfer.

Can You Really Tip $0 (Making It Free)?

Yes. You can really tip $0 to use Earnin. However, if you set up balance shield, the company will automatically charge $1.50 each time the shield is triggered (the first transfer is free). Generally, I think it makes sense to tip $1-$2 per advance if you can afford it. Tipping $1 for a $100 advance that you repay in two days is still a 182.5% interest rate. Of course, that’s much more reasonable than paying a $34 overdraft fee.

Are There Any Special Features?

Earnin allows users to submit medical bills to the app. The app has a Health Aid team that will negotiate for a payment plan or discount on your behalf. When the negotiation is done, you pay Earnin what you think is fair. If you’ve got medical bills (especially debt) this service can help you save a substantial amount of money. I strongly recommend submitting medical bills to the Earnin app unless you actually negotiate the bills yourself. It won’t do you any harm to have someone try to negotiate the bill for you.

Think of this as the Truebill for medical bills.

What Are The Alternatives?

Earnin is a high quality cash advance tool. The only reasonably priced competitor is Dave, which costs $1 per month.

See our list of cash advance apps here. 

That said, cash advances aren’t the only way to improve your cash flow. If you can be responsible with credit cards, they can help you float your living expenses for a few days while you wait for a check to come in. Look for a 0% APR credit card to get started.

Will Earnin Help Me Break The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle?

Earnin is doing everything in its power to make financial management easier for those with low or unstable incomes. Getting modest advances for free goes a long way towards eliminating pesky bank fees and other costs that add up over time. Medical bill negotiation will also help many people who are financially struggling. That said, to truly break the check to check cycle, your income will need to be higher than your expenses on a regular basis. No matter how frugal you are, it can be tough to make ends meet if you’re earning an entry level income.

It becomes even more difficult if you can’t get 40 to 50 hours of work each week. Side hustles can fill in the income gap, but most people see that as a short-term solution. For long term financial wealth, you will want to focus on building marketable skills and negotiating for higher wages from your primary job. This will give you extra money to start investing and leave the paycheck to paycheck cycle forever.

The post Earnin Review – Payday Loan Alternative appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

If there’s one complaint about the financial system in the United States it is that the system isn’t fair. People with lower and unstable incomes often end up paying the most for financial services.

When you combine monthly checking fees (for keeping an insufficient balance), overdraft fees, and high interest debt (especially Title loans or payday loans), it is easy to understand why so many Americans struggle to get ahead. When the financial system seems stacked against you, it can be discouraging to try to make good money moves. But disruptive companies are looking for ways to serve underserved people.

Earnin is one of those disruptive companies. Earnin is a paycheck advance app that’s working to improve the financial lives of those living paycheck to paycheck. Here’s what you need to know about the app.

See how Earnin compares to other popular cash advance apps.

Quick Summary

Paycheck advance app 

Borrow up to $100 before payday

No direct costs, relies on tips

Get Started

Earnin Details

Product Name

Earnin

Max Loan Amount

$0

Fees

$0 (Optional Tipping)

Promotions

None

Quick Navigation

How Earnin Works

Can You Really Tip $0 (Making It Free)?

Are There Any Special Features?

What Are The Alternatives?

Will Earnin Help Me Break The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle?

How Earnin Works

Earnin is an app that allows workers to get an advance of up to $100 sent directly to their bank account. Instead of paying a fixed fee for the advance, users can opt for a tip (generally between $2 and $14). You can opt for a tip of $0 if you really need every last cent. However, Earnin isn’t handing out free money. It knows that you’ll repay them because it only advances money when you’ve already earned it. The app will take a cut of your future check as soon as it is direct deposited to your checking account. To qualify for an advance you must meet all of the following criteria:

You must be paid through direct deposit.

Hourly workers must connect Earnin to their company’s online timesheet (or upload photos of their daily timesheet).

Salaried workers must allow Earnin to track their location, so the app can confirm that they went to work.

Gig economy workers can upload receipts or trip information to the App for early payouts.

Earnin also offers a Balance Shield option. This option is designed to automatically transfer money when your checking account balance reaches a certain balance (say $100). The first time you use Balance Shield, the service is free. After that, the app charges $1.50 per transfer.

Can You Really Tip $0 (Making It Free)?

Yes. You can really tip $0 to use Earnin. However, if you set up balance shield, the company will automatically charge $1.50 each time the shield is triggered (the first transfer is free). Generally, I think it makes sense to tip $1-$2 per advance if you can afford it. Tipping $1 for a $100 advance that you repay in two days is still a 182.5% interest rate. Of course, that’s much more reasonable than paying a $34 overdraft fee.

Are There Any Special Features?

Earnin allows users to submit medical bills to the app. The app has a Health Aid team that will negotiate for a payment plan or discount on your behalf. When the negotiation is done, you pay Earnin what you think is fair. If you’ve got medical bills (especially debt) this service can help you save a substantial amount of money. I strongly recommend submitting medical bills to the Earnin app unless you actually negotiate the bills yourself. It won’t do you any harm to have someone try to negotiate the bill for you.

Think of this as the Truebill for medical bills.

What Are The Alternatives?

Earnin is a high quality cash advance tool. The only reasonably priced competitor is Dave, which costs $1 per month.

See our list of cash advance apps here. 

That said, cash advances aren’t the only way to improve your cash flow. If you can be responsible with credit cards, they can help you float your living expenses for a few days while you wait for a check to come in. Look for a 0% APR credit card to get started.

Will Earnin Help Me Break The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle?

Earnin is doing everything in its power to make financial management easier for those with low or unstable incomes. Getting modest advances for free goes a long way towards eliminating pesky bank fees and other costs that add up over time. Medical bill negotiation will also help many people who are financially struggling. That said, to truly break the check to check cycle, your income will need to be higher than your expenses on a regular basis. No matter how frugal you are, it can be tough to make ends meet if you’re earning an entry level income.

It becomes even more difficult if you can’t get 40 to 50 hours of work each week. Side hustles can fill in the income gap, but most people see that as a short-term solution. For long term financial wealth, you will want to focus on building marketable skills and negotiating for higher wages from your primary job. This will give you extra money to start investing and leave the paycheck to paycheck cycle forever.

The post Earnin Review – Payday Loan Alternative appeared first on The College Investor.

https://ift.tt/39s5Ku4 March 31, 2020 at 10:10AM https://ift.tt/2Jo1D7X

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What Are Large-Cap And Mega-Cap Stocks And How To Invest https://ift.tt/2WPAByd

Large-cap stocks and mega-cap stocks are some of the most stable companies on the stock market. They are often called blue-chip stocks. These are the stocks of some of the largest companies in the world - both in terms of revenue and profit, but also in terms of how many people they employ, their locations, and their reach.

However, because stock prices go up and down, stocks are constantly moving in and out of the large and mega cap categories. In this article, we’ll look at what makes a large or mega-cap stock and how to invest in them.

Quick Navigation

What Are Large-Cap Stocks?

What Are Mega-Cap Stocks?

Historical Stats

How Do I Invest In Large-Cap Stocks?

Final Thoughts

What Are Large-Cap Stocks?

Large-cap or big cap stocks have a market capitalization that is between $10 billion and $200 billion. The “cap” in large-cap refers to market capitalization. Market cap is easily calculated by taking the number of outstanding shares and multiplying them by the current stock price. As an example, ABC stock has 200 million shares outstanding. Its stock price is $75. To find the market cap, multiply the two together: 200 x 75 = $15 billion. During a market downturn or a company-specific event, the stock price can fall. It can fall enough that the company moves from large-cap to mid-cap, which includes companies with capitalizations that are between $2 billion and $10 billion. To see how this happens, let’s say ABC comes out with terrible earnings. Investors begin selling their shares of ABC stock en masse. The stock price slides all the way down to $45, decreasing ABC’s market cap to only $9 billion. Is a drop into the next lower market cap a negative? It depends on the reason, but generally, when a company loses market cap, it’s because of a decrease in its share price, which is often not positive.

However, a company that is bouncing back and forth between mid and large-cap because of everyday stock price fluctuations is different. The company isn’t suffering an adverse scenario. It is just daily movement in its stock price. In this case, the swing between the two market cap categories doesn’t have any effect on the company. With the ABC example above, it will make headlines because of its big stock move. But no one is likely to mention that it has gone from a large to mid-cap company.

What Are Mega-Cap Stocks?

Mega-cap stocks have a market capitalization that is greater than $200 billion. These are the largest of the large and are usually leaders within their sectors. They tend to experience some price stability as hedge funds, endowments, mutual funds, and pensions buy them up and hold them for years. Stock prices for mega-caps can also be among the highest within a group, making them impractical for most smaller investors.

Historical Stats

From a 2020 PWC report, the market cap of the Global Top 100 Companies for 2019 was $21,075 billion. Looking over the last decade, the largest companies were, represented in billions of dollars:

Year

Company

Market Cap (in billions)

2009

ExxonMobile

$337

2010

PetroChina

$329

2011

ExxonMobile

$417

2012

Apple

$529

2013

Apple

$416

2014

Apple

$469

2015

Apple

$725

2016

Apple

$604

2017

Apple

$754

2018

Apple

$851

2019

Microsoft

$905

A $1 trillion market cap was just a matter of time. Apple and Amazon hit $1T in 2018 before backing off. So far in 2020, the following companies have rung the $1T bell:

Alphabet (Google)

Amazon

Apple

Microsoft

For reference, 54 of the Global Top 100 companies (2019) are U.S.-based.

How Do I Invest In Large-Cap Stocks?

While you can choose individual large and mega-cap stocks to invest in, that method requires more research and diversification than going with a fund/ETF.

You can invest in these stocks at your favorite commission-free brokerage of choice. 

There are several funds/ETFs that invest in large and mega cap stocks. Here are just a few along with their stock symbols:

Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK)

Vanguard Mega Cap Value ETF (MGV)

Vanguard Mega Cap ETF (MGC)

iShares India 50 ETF (INDY)

First Trust Mega Cap Alphadex Fund (FMK)

SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF)

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG)

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG)

Final Thoughts

Large and mega-cap stocks help to create a diversified and balanced portfolio. While these stocks might not be the next high flyer startup, they generally pay dividends, provide stability to a portfolio, and have good financials, making them low risk. This is a bit different that what you get when you invest in small-cap stocks.

However, the can lose money, and even go bankrupt. Just because a company is "big" doesn't mean it's a good company. Make sure you do your due diligence before any investment, and/or simply consider the funds to invest in versus picking individual stocks.

The post What Are Large-Cap And Mega-Cap Stocks And How To Invest appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

Large-cap stocks and mega-cap stocks are some of the most stable companies on the stock market. They are often called blue-chip stocks. These are the stocks of some of the largest companies in the world - both in terms of revenue and profit, but also in terms of how many people they employ, their locations, and their reach.

However, because stock prices go up and down, stocks are constantly moving in and out of the large and mega cap categories. In this article, we’ll look at what makes a large or mega-cap stock and how to invest in them.

Quick Navigation

What Are Large-Cap Stocks?

What Are Mega-Cap Stocks?

Historical Stats

How Do I Invest In Large-Cap Stocks?

Final Thoughts

What Are Large-Cap Stocks?

Large-cap or big cap stocks have a market capitalization that is between $10 billion and $200 billion. The “cap” in large-cap refers to market capitalization. Market cap is easily calculated by taking the number of outstanding shares and multiplying them by the current stock price. As an example, ABC stock has 200 million shares outstanding. Its stock price is $75. To find the market cap, multiply the two together: 200 x 75 = $15 billion. During a market downturn or a company-specific event, the stock price can fall. It can fall enough that the company moves from large-cap to mid-cap, which includes companies with capitalizations that are between $2 billion and $10 billion. To see how this happens, let’s say ABC comes out with terrible earnings. Investors begin selling their shares of ABC stock en masse. The stock price slides all the way down to $45, decreasing ABC’s market cap to only $9 billion. Is a drop into the next lower market cap a negative? It depends on the reason, but generally, when a company loses market cap, it’s because of a decrease in its share price, which is often not positive.

However, a company that is bouncing back and forth between mid and large-cap because of everyday stock price fluctuations is different. The company isn’t suffering an adverse scenario. It is just daily movement in its stock price. In this case, the swing between the two market cap categories doesn’t have any effect on the company. With the ABC example above, it will make headlines because of its big stock move. But no one is likely to mention that it has gone from a large to mid-cap company.

What Are Mega-Cap Stocks?

Mega-cap stocks have a market capitalization that is greater than $200 billion. These are the largest of the large and are usually leaders within their sectors. They tend to experience some price stability as hedge funds, endowments, mutual funds, and pensions buy them up and hold them for years. Stock prices for mega-caps can also be among the highest within a group, making them impractical for most smaller investors.

Historical Stats

From a 2020 PWC report, the market cap of the Global Top 100 Companies for 2019 was $21,075 billion. Looking over the last decade, the largest companies were, represented in billions of dollars:

Year

Company

Market Cap (in billions)

2009

ExxonMobile

$337

2010

PetroChina

$329

2011

ExxonMobile

$417

2012

Apple

$529

2013

Apple

$416

2014

Apple

$469

2015

Apple

$725

2016

Apple

$604

2017

Apple

$754

2018

Apple

$851

2019

Microsoft

$905

A $1 trillion market cap was just a matter of time. Apple and Amazon hit $1T in 2018 before backing off. So far in 2020, the following companies have rung the $1T bell:

Alphabet (Google)

Amazon

Apple

Microsoft

For reference, 54 of the Global Top 100 companies (2019) are U.S.-based.

How Do I Invest In Large-Cap Stocks?

While you can choose individual large and mega-cap stocks to invest in, that method requires more research and diversification than going with a fund/ETF.

You can invest in these stocks at your favorite commission-free brokerage of choice. 

There are several funds/ETFs that invest in large and mega cap stocks. Here are just a few along with their stock symbols:

Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK)

Vanguard Mega Cap Value ETF (MGV)

Vanguard Mega Cap ETF (MGC)

iShares India 50 ETF (INDY)

First Trust Mega Cap Alphadex Fund (FMK)

SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF)

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG)

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG)

Final Thoughts

Large and mega-cap stocks help to create a diversified and balanced portfolio. While these stocks might not be the next high flyer startup, they generally pay dividends, provide stability to a portfolio, and have good financials, making them low risk. This is a bit different that what you get when you invest in small-cap stocks.

However, the can lose money, and even go bankrupt. Just because a company is "big" doesn't mean it's a good company. Make sure you do your due diligence before any investment, and/or simply consider the funds to invest in versus picking individual stocks.

The post What Are Large-Cap And Mega-Cap Stocks And How To Invest appeared first on The College Investor.

https://ift.tt/39s5Ku4 March 30, 2020 at 10:15AM https://ift.tt/2UteNH9

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How Online Businesses Are Coping With COVID-19 [Podcast] https://ift.tt/33T0aQo

The world finds itself in unchartered waters amid the coronavirus pandemic. From logistics and manufacturing to hospitality and travel, businesses both large and small have been impacted in more ways than one.

Whether you’re a budding or experienced entrepreneur, the coronavirus outbreak has probably also affected your business. This is especially given that most products are sourced from China, where the outbreak started and whose supply network has been shut down for a couple of months now.

As bleak as the situation may appear to be, it is important to keep your spirits high. There’s a silver lining in every situation and opportunities to keep your ecommerce store going and growing abound.

For more insight, we spoke to four successful dropshippers from around the world and they shared their experiences with us and told us how they’ve been affected. Instead of taking the hit lying down, these expert entrepreneurs are staying positive and are taking advantage of the situation to build their dropshipping store. 

We’ve compiled their answers, tips, and advice in this post and we hope they can offer you an inspiring perspective running a business.

Emma Reid

How It’s Affected Her Business

The factory Emma usually orders her products from has been shut down for over a month. That means she remains unable to place orders and will be running out of stock very soon. Deliveries via ePacket shipping have proven impossible because of cancellations to passenger flights. To make matters worse, the factory takes 30 days to manufacture her product, which puts her further in limbo.

How She’s Coping

Keeping her customers updated with shipping times

Planning the future of the business and her product

Redesigning and customizing her website with a new store theme

Working on branding and getting a new logo

Taking new product photos

Redoing her social media

“If you’re not learning, preparing, and building things while there is this lull where no one’s really doing much, you’ll be behind when things return back to normal.”

—Emma

Rodney and Kory

How It’s Affected Their Business

Rodney and Kory were moving towards creating custom products when the pandemic hit. It came at a bad time, too. As the products were about to be delivered to their fulfillment agent, production and shipping in China came to a halt because of Chinese New Year. The shutdown was extended due to the pandemic and remains in place today.

How They’re Coping

Stopped their ads

Using the time to learn more skills

Redesigning their website

Optimizing email marketing and email automation flows

Cleaning out old posts and engaging more on social media

Revamping their affiliate marketing strategy

Contacting social media influencers

Setting up a system for their plan to get into retail or wholesale

“The lessons and experiences in self-education that we’ve developed will never be taken away from us whether this coronavirus takes us down or we work through it.”

—Rodney and Kory

Ryan Carroll

How It’s Affected His Business

During the Chinese New Year lull, Ryan spent his time getting his creatives ready for after the break. Immediately after, he launched his Google campaign in anticipation of things returning to normal. But he ended up having to turn off his ads when the pandemic hit and his suppliers shut down and shipments got canceled.

How He’s Coping

Refunding customers

Keeping them apprised of the situation via email

Working on rebuilding two other stores

Sourcing out US-based suppliers as alternatives

“Regardless of the coronavirus, I would suggest most people start looking for suppliers who offer shipping from the United States.”

—Ryan

What about you? How are you coping in these unprecedented times? What measures have you taken for your dropshipping business? Do share with us in the comments section.

Want to Learn More?

The Complete Guide to Getting Started With Influencer Marketing

How to Create a Powerful Marketing Funnel

The Beginner’s Guide to Dropshipping SEO

10 Business Tips for New Entrepreneurs in 2020

The post How Online Businesses Are Coping With COVID-19 [Podcast] appeared first on Oberlo.

from Oberlo The world finds itself in unchartered waters amid the coronavirus pandemic. From logistics and manufacturing to hospitality and travel, businesses both large and small have been impacted in more ways than one.

Whether you’re a budding or experienced entrepreneur, the coronavirus outbreak has probably also affected your business. This is especially given that most products are sourced from China, where the outbreak started and whose supply network has been shut down for a couple of months now.

As bleak as the situation may appear to be, it is important to keep your spirits high. There’s a silver lining in every situation and opportunities to keep your ecommerce store going and growing abound.

For more insight, we spoke to four successful dropshippers from around the world and they shared their experiences with us and told us how they’ve been affected. Instead of taking the hit lying down, these expert entrepreneurs are staying positive and are taking advantage of the situation to build their dropshipping store. 

We’ve compiled their answers, tips, and advice in this post and we hope they can offer you an inspiring perspective running a business.

Emma Reid

How It’s Affected Her Business

The factory Emma usually orders her products from has been shut down for over a month. That means she remains unable to place orders and will be running out of stock very soon. Deliveries via ePacket shipping have proven impossible because of cancellations to passenger flights. To make matters worse, the factory takes 30 days to manufacture her product, which puts her further in limbo.

How She’s Coping

Keeping her customers updated with shipping times

Planning the future of the business and her product

Redesigning and customizing her website with a new store theme

Working on branding and getting a new logo

Taking new product photos

Redoing her social media

“If you’re not learning, preparing, and building things while there is this lull where no one’s really doing much, you’ll be behind when things return back to normal.”

—Emma

Rodney and Kory

How It’s Affected Their Business

Rodney and Kory were moving towards creating custom products when the pandemic hit. It came at a bad time, too. As the products were about to be delivered to their fulfillment agent, production and shipping in China came to a halt because of Chinese New Year. The shutdown was extended due to the pandemic and remains in place today.

How They’re Coping

Stopped their ads

Using the time to learn more skills

Redesigning their website

Optimizing email marketing and email automation flows

Cleaning out old posts and engaging more on social media

Revamping their affiliate marketing strategy

Contacting social media influencers

Setting up a system for their plan to get into retail or wholesale

“The lessons and experiences in self-education that we’ve developed will never be taken away from us whether this coronavirus takes us down or we work through it.”

—Rodney and Kory

Ryan Carroll

How It’s Affected His Business

During the Chinese New Year lull, Ryan spent his time getting his creatives ready for after the break. Immediately after, he launched his Google campaign in anticipation of things returning to normal. But he ended up having to turn off his ads when the pandemic hit and his suppliers shut down and shipments got canceled.

How He’s Coping

Refunding customers

Keeping them apprised of the situation via email

Working on rebuilding two other stores

Sourcing out US-based suppliers as alternatives

“Regardless of the coronavirus, I would suggest most people start looking for suppliers who offer shipping from the United States.”

—Ryan

What about you? How are you coping in these unprecedented times? What measures have you taken for your dropshipping business? Do share with us in the comments section.

Want to Learn More?

The Complete Guide to Getting Started With Influencer Marketing

How to Create a Powerful Marketing Funnel

The Beginner’s Guide to Dropshipping SEO

10 Business Tips for New Entrepreneurs in 2020

The post How Online Businesses Are Coping With COVID-19 [Podcast] appeared first on Oberlo.

https://ift.tt/3dIvAh0 March 30, 2020 at 09:50AM https://ift.tt/33TCTxE

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Azlo Review – Online Business Checking https://ift.tt/2UHpe8G

Alzo is an online bank that focuses on simple business banking for entrepreneurs. With a huge focus on online entrepreneurs like freelancers and business, they are looking to change the way these businesses bank.

But what does that mean for you if you're looking for a great business checking account?

Let's dive in!

See how Azlo compares to the best business checking accounts and read more in our review below.

Quick Summary

Completely free business checking

Integrated invoicing and payment acceptance services

Does not offer checkbook services and cannot accept cash

Get Started

Azlo Details

Product Name

Azlo Business Checking

Min Deposit

$0

Monthly Fee

$0

Account Type

Checking

Promotions

None

Quick Navigation

What Is Azlo?

What Do They Offer?

Are There Any Fees?

How Do I Open An Account?

Is My Money Safe?

Is It Worth It?

What Is Azlo?

Azlo is an online-only bank available in the U.S. and Mexico. The CEO & Co-founder is Cameron Peake. Azlo was founded in 2017 and is part of BBVA USA, Member FDIC. “Within the banking industry, small business customers usually either aren’t served at all, or they’re served as an afterthought. At Azlo, from day one, we’ve built our product just for them. For example, we don’t have minimum balances or monthly fees. This is important because if you’re a new business owner ― particularly someone who hasn’t started earning revenue yet ― your money should be put towards your business rather than fees,” Peake said in an interview with fitsmallbusiness.com.

What Do They Offer?

Azlo offers free business checking suited for simple businesses such as small businesses, contractors, and freelancers who do all of their business online. 

It also has a no-fee model. Companies that need to write paper checks will want to use a different bank since Azlo doesn’t offer checkbook services. Businesses that need in-branch services and deal with cash will also not be a good fit for Azlo since none of those services are offered. For most small businesses, Azlo can do virtually everything needed without any fees. It offers simple business checking, but for many small businesses, they don’t need anything more. Here’s what’s included with an Azlo checking account:

No-fee checking account

Free ATM access using Allpoint Network (55,000 ATMs)

Invoice clients for free

Debit card

Bill pay, which includes option for mailing paper checks

Connect your checking account to popular accounting software such as QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Wave.

Accept credit card payments through Stripe, Square, or PayPal.

Clients can send in paper checks for payment or use a bank transfer.

Receive incoming wire transfers fee-free. Outgoing wire transfers are not available.

As you can see from the list above, Azlo is very business-oriented. Some customers have reported that transfers with Azlo are slower than with other banks. Azlo lists that outgoing transfers can take 1-3 business days, and incoming transfers can take 4-5 business days. Mobile check deposits can take 1-6 business days to process. These processing times can certainly be a factor if you need fast processing for transfers and check deposits. Azlo cannot send international transfers. They are working on adding this option. Although you can pull from an Azlo account using an international debit service.

We also experienced trouble trying to use the invoicing and receiving payments with credit cards on invoices. Azlo is available in all 50 states. Azlo is not able to offer services to businesses involved in gambling, money services, privately-owned ATMs, sales of marijuana or its derivatives, precious metals, pawnshops, or cryptocurrency exchanges. It also can’t support limited partnerships or limited liability partnerships.

Azlo does have some limits on certain transactions. From their webpage these include:

ATM withdrawals are limited to $1,000/day.

Card purchases and over-the-counter cash withdrawals have a cumulative limit of $8,000/day and 30 unique card transactions/day.

Transfers TO a linked account are limited to $300,000/day, and transfers FROM a linked account are limited to $100,000/day.

Payments through bill pay are limited to $10,000/payment. Bank-to-bank (ACH) payments are limited to $300,000/day.

Mobile check deposits are limited to $10,000/check and $20,000/month. Limit can be increased based on your Azlo account history.

Mobile App

Azlo has a mobile app for both the iPhone and Android. On the Apple App Store, it has a 4.3/5 rating from 258 people and 4.1/5 rating from 298 people on the Google Play Store.

Customer Service

Customer service is available by email and phone. You can email Azlo at [email protected]. They reply within 1 business day. Phone service is available at 844-295-6466 from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm Pacific time Monday through Friday.

Are There Any Fees?

Nope. Azlo is all-free business checking. That begs the question — how do they make money? Azlo says it makes money by earning interest on checking deposits and from customers using the Azlo debit card. Payment serviced from Stripe, Square, and PayPal do charge processor fees, but these are separate from Azlo.

How Do I Open An Account?

Accounts are opened online at https://azlo.com.

Is My Money Safe?

Yes, Azlo uses bank-grade encryption on its website, and mobile and BBVA USA is a Member FDIC.

Is It Worth It?

It has potential, that's for sure.

For small businesses that have simple checking needs and want to accept online payments from customers, Azlo will do everything you need. 

It has integrated invoicing and the ability to accept payment from credit cards and bank transfers, providing a great infrastructure for small businesses.

However, if you're looking for more, check out our list of the best business checking accounts here.

The post Azlo Review – Online Business Checking appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

Alzo is an online bank that focuses on simple business banking for entrepreneurs. With a huge focus on online entrepreneurs like freelancers and business, they are looking to change the way these businesses bank.

But what does that mean for you if you're looking for a great business checking account?

Let's dive in!

See how Azlo compares to the best business checking accounts and read more in our review below.

Quick Summary

Completely free business checking

Integrated invoicing and payment acceptance services

Does not offer checkbook services and cannot accept cash

Get Started

Azlo Details

Product Name

Azlo Business Checking

Min Deposit

$0

Monthly Fee

$0

Account Type

Checking

Promotions

None

Quick Navigation

What Is Azlo?

What Do They Offer?

Are There Any Fees?

How Do I Open An Account?

Is My Money Safe?

Is It Worth It?

What Is Azlo?

Azlo is an online-only bank available in the U.S. and Mexico. The CEO & Co-founder is Cameron Peake. Azlo was founded in 2017 and is part of BBVA USA, Member FDIC. “Within the banking industry, small business customers usually either aren’t served at all, or they’re served as an afterthought. At Azlo, from day one, we’ve built our product just for them. For example, we don’t have minimum balances or monthly fees. This is important because if you’re a new business owner ― particularly someone who hasn’t started earning revenue yet ― your money should be put towards your business rather than fees,” Peake said in an interview with fitsmallbusiness.com.

What Do They Offer?

Azlo offers free business checking suited for simple businesses such as small businesses, contractors, and freelancers who do all of their business online. 

It also has a no-fee model. Companies that need to write paper checks will want to use a different bank since Azlo doesn’t offer checkbook services. Businesses that need in-branch services and deal with cash will also not be a good fit for Azlo since none of those services are offered. For most small businesses, Azlo can do virtually everything needed without any fees. It offers simple business checking, but for many small businesses, they don’t need anything more. Here’s what’s included with an Azlo checking account:

No-fee checking account

Free ATM access using Allpoint Network (55,000 ATMs)

Invoice clients for free

Debit card

Bill pay, which includes option for mailing paper checks

Connect your checking account to popular accounting software such as QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Wave.

Accept credit card payments through Stripe, Square, or PayPal.

Clients can send in paper checks for payment or use a bank transfer.

Receive incoming wire transfers fee-free. Outgoing wire transfers are not available.

As you can see from the list above, Azlo is very business-oriented. Some customers have reported that transfers with Azlo are slower than with other banks. Azlo lists that outgoing transfers can take 1-3 business days, and incoming transfers can take 4-5 business days. Mobile check deposits can take 1-6 business days to process. These processing times can certainly be a factor if you need fast processing for transfers and check deposits. Azlo cannot send international transfers. They are working on adding this option. Although you can pull from an Azlo account using an international debit service.

We also experienced trouble trying to use the invoicing and receiving payments with credit cards on invoices. Azlo is available in all 50 states. Azlo is not able to offer services to businesses involved in gambling, money services, privately-owned ATMs, sales of marijuana or its derivatives, precious metals, pawnshops, or cryptocurrency exchanges. It also can’t support limited partnerships or limited liability partnerships.

Azlo does have some limits on certain transactions. From their webpage these include:

ATM withdrawals are limited to $1,000/day.

Card purchases and over-the-counter cash withdrawals have a cumulative limit of $8,000/day and 30 unique card transactions/day.

Transfers TO a linked account are limited to $300,000/day, and transfers FROM a linked account are limited to $100,000/day.

Payments through bill pay are limited to $10,000/payment. Bank-to-bank (ACH) payments are limited to $300,000/day.

Mobile check deposits are limited to $10,000/check and $20,000/month. Limit can be increased based on your Azlo account history.

Mobile App

Azlo has a mobile app for both the iPhone and Android. On the Apple App Store, it has a 4.3/5 rating from 258 people and 4.1/5 rating from 298 people on the Google Play Store.

Customer Service

Customer service is available by email and phone. You can email Azlo at [email protected]. They reply within 1 business day. Phone service is available at 844-295-6466 from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm Pacific time Monday through Friday.

Are There Any Fees?

Nope. Azlo is all-free business checking. That begs the question — how do they make money? Azlo says it makes money by earning interest on checking deposits and from customers using the Azlo debit card. Payment serviced from Stripe, Square, and PayPal do charge processor fees, but these are separate from Azlo.

How Do I Open An Account?

Accounts are opened online at https://azlo.com.

Is My Money Safe?

Yes, Azlo uses bank-grade encryption on its website, and mobile and BBVA USA is a Member FDIC.

Is It Worth It?

It has potential, that's for sure.

For small businesses that have simple checking needs and want to accept online payments from customers, Azlo will do everything you need. 

It has integrated invoicing and the ability to accept payment from credit cards and bank transfers, providing a great infrastructure for small businesses.

However, if you're looking for more, check out our list of the best business checking accounts here.

The post Azlo Review – Online Business Checking appeared first on The College Investor.

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