What do many consumers' financial situations look like? Simply put, paycheck to paycheck. This standard of stressful finances often go hand in hand with having fair or even poor credit. A 2019 Experian Credit Review reflected 18% of consumers having just “fair” credit and 16% of consumers having “very poor” credit -- a FICO [...]
Any pet owner will tell you that their critter adds infinite value to their lives. Keeping their pets comfortable and healthy is a top priority whether they creep, wag, swim or slither. Unexpected vet expenses, however, can become a source of stress, and that’s on top of the standard $1400-4300 annual expense in owning [...]
Having worked in the consumer financing industry for years, I have now witnessed first-hand how two significant events have caused turmoil in the credit markets. First, the Financial Crisis of 2008-2009 and now the Pandemic of 2020. My first lending platform, LendPro, and now my latest platform, SweetPay, both work [...]
The coronavirus shook the world in 2020, its ripples undulating over into the new year and beyond. Today’s pandemic state is temporary, but one that has permanently altered the way we live, work and do business. That includes the way that we save, spend, and source money. A recent survey of US consumers found [...]
You know your customers like to pay-over-time for large purchases, regardless of their credit worthiness. So, you spend time, energy, and money putting into place a consumer financing program. Now, you’re ready to have your customers finance their purchases. There’s only one problem. They have no idea you have consumer financing options! [...]
Ever wonder what happens when the financial markets go into disarray? You don’t have to look back too far to recall the Financial Crisis of 2008-2009. Consumer lending took a double hit. First, lenders tightened up, or raised, FICO requirements of consumers applying for personal loans. Then, consumer’s credit scores dropped due to both income [...]
Financial news media have sounding alarm bells over the last few years about rising consumer debt levels. They have pointed to new Fintech products, such as online personal loans, as a big concern. The media claim these debt instruments have recently grown rapidly. What they fail to point out is that consumers have been gravitating [...]
If you’re like most people, you get bombarded with loan offers both in email and snail mail for personal loans, credit, mortgages, student loans, car loans, home equity lines of credit – shall I go on? God forbid if you are a sole proprietor or small business owner as the number of offers just doubled! [...]
A high majority of consumers today browse multiple websites before deciding to visit a store or purchase online. If the item they are looking for has a high price tag, financing, or paying over time for the purchase may be desirable. Many businesses know that consumers purchasing higher priced items often want/need to pay-over-time for [...]
Nothing like a good idiom to shed light on a problem. Being penny wise and pound foolish is really saying that focusing on saving a small amount of money may prevent you from earning a large amount of money. “Seeing the forest for the trees” is another idiom with similar meaning. This refers to being [...]