Showing posts with label Business and Economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business and Economy. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Five Antique Pieces Worth Investing In

Five Antique Pieces Worth Investing In

Some antique pieces are always popular, whereas others fall out of favour. It's important to invest in types of antiques that actually interest you and that are always going to be popular in order to make them sound investments for the future. Here we look at five types of antiques that could be considered safer opportunities.

Precious Metals

Gold and silver have been popular since ancient times and there seems no likelihood that this will change. Indeed, with the current financial crisis gripping many of the world's economies, investing in gold and silver is a better option than stocks and shares. There are many different types of silver items to buy, particularly from jewellery to cutlery, but for gold, jewellery is the outright winner.

Coins

Collecting antique coins is a good investment, as they just never decrease in value - unless the condition of the coins deteriorate greatly. Unlike fragile china, for instance, there is no risk of the item being irrevocably damaged. Insuring coins won't be difficult and they are one of the most interesting type of antique to collect. Collections can be made up from different periods in history, or from different countries.

Furniture

Furniture is another type of antique that can reap dividends for an investor. It can be expensive to purchase and a some knowledge of the most respected furniture makers is a must. Space will be a major consideration for anyone hoping to build up a collection of antique furniture. To keep its value, the furniture cannot be just dumped in the garage.

Fine Art

Investing in art antiques is one of the best options on all, especially for someone with a good knowledge of art. Bargains can be picked up at various types of sales, especially car boot and garage sales. Many people will sell paintings for ridiculously low prices, because they have no real knowledge of either the artist, or the value of the work itself. Any art that is purchased will need to be carefully looked after and never put on display where sunlight can affect its colour.

Nostalgia

Children's toys are antiques that not only appeal to adults, who will buy such items for their nostalgic appeal, but they are of historic value also. Many people are fascinated by toys that were made in Victorian times and by earlier versions of toys that are still popular. Toys that are unopened are valued highly by antique collectors.

When thinking of investing in antiques such as coins or silver antiques, also think about insurance costs. It's sensible to both invest and protect and insurance will help to give peace of mind.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Small Business Loans Just Got Better

Small Business Summit 2011 Pre Event Photo 7Image by Grant Wickes via Flickr

Right now, everything seems to be in a financial mess in our country. Ask any investor and they will say it is because the stock market is having enormous down swings, fuel and other prices keep rising, housing starts are low and corporate profits are poor. All of us know that we are still in the midst of one of the greatest economic crises to happen in modern times. It seems like there is just one thing after the other that keeps going wrong. This has many of us asking if there can ever be any good news for those who own small businesses.

Small business owners are wondering if there are new ways to expand, restructure, and still save money for their operations. Money experts always will advise that no matter what size business you may own, reorganizing and cost reduction is always the first thing to look at. Cutting costs and budgeting wisely will always help you save money and help maintain a solid financial strength in these difficult times. As you know, more and more small companies are suffering from the continuous economic decline and some say that there are even more possibilities coming up for further problems. All agree on one thing, more changes need to happen in the business world before any full economic recovery will really happen.

But what many of these disgruntled small business owners may or may not know is that just recently President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act, which allows small business owners to get better tax breaks and easier access to credit than ever before. These changes have excellent benefits for small businesses, because now corporate lenders will be able to make small business loans again. Consider the advantage of a commercial loan to improve and expand your business and then sit back and watch your success grow in leaps and bounds.

All of these latest laws have given small business a new chance in these uncertain times. These changes are a lifeline to the small business owner and clearly one more sign that small businesses are starting to sizzle. This new bill has just closed the deal for small businesses more than any other type of loan activity since the financial crisis began because new money is now available for lending. The SBA can offer new commercial loans and small business loans because the corporate lender now have more money available than ever and is more willing to work at winning the small business owner as their customer.

Catherine C. Harris is an author who specializes in commercial lending and has a passion for SBA loans.

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