Clear takes on trading, saving, borrowing and the markets — written to help you make better calls with your money.
This week brought two developments worth watching if you run a small business: reports that the U.S. and China plan to lower tariffs on roughly $60 billion of goods, an…
This week’s headlines carried a common thread for small-business owners: costs are climbing, and the cost of money may climb further too. The Federal Reserve …
This week’s headlines pointed to a familiar squeeze: reports suggest inflation is once again outpacing wage growth, putting pressure on household paychecks. F…
This week’s headlines carried a common thread for small-business owners: uncertainty. China pushed back against a G20 statement on its export reliance, accusi…
This week, the conversation around interest rates got noticeably louder. Headlines out of Jackson Hole suggested that Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh’s speech nudged…
This week’s headlines carried a common thread for small-business owners: the cost and availability of capital is shifting, and the way you park, move, and rai…
This week’s markets gave small-business owners two useful lessons: one about where interest-rate signals are pointing, and one about the dangers of concentrat…
This week, the conversation in Washington kept circling back to one theme that hits every small business directly: interest rates. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan publ…
This week brought a familiar tug-of-war in the headlines: Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan called for “modestly” higher interest rates, while New Yo…
Merchant cash advances and revenue-based advances are usually priced with a factor rate, not an interest rate — and the difference matters more than most busi…
Two of the most common financing tools do very different jobs. Choosing the right one starts with the shape of the expense you are funding.Term loans: one-time, known c…
SBA loans are among the most affordable financing available to small businesses — but they work differently from a standard bank loan, and they are not for ev…
If your customers pay on 30, 60, or 90-day terms, your cash can be tied up in invoices exactly when you need it to run the business. Invoice factoring is built for that…
From commercial ovens to work trucks to servers, the equipment your business depends on is often its largest up-front cost. Equipment financing spreads that cost over t…
Approval decisions can feel like a black box, but most funders weigh a familiar short list. Knowing it helps you present your business in the best light.The core threeR…
Juggling several balances with different rates and due dates is stressful and expensive. Consolidation rolls them into a single loan — but it is a tool, not a…
Working capital is the cash your business has on hand to cover day-to-day operations. Too little and a slow month becomes a crisis; too much sitting idle and you are le…
Deposit insurance is one of the quiet reasons the banking system holds together. Understanding the basics helps you keep more of your money protected.The standard cover…
APR and APY look almost identical, but they answer opposite questions — and mixing them up can cost or earn you real money.APR: the cost of borrowingAnnual pe…
Every business hits a slow stretch. A cash reserve turns that from an emergency into a manageable event. The clearest way to think about it is runway.What runway meansR…