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All updates →SBA loans, DSCR and processing fees: start here
Plain-language guides with formulas, worked examples and official sources.
Capital decisions
What Is an SBA Loan?
What an SBA loan is, how the government guarantee works, the main programs (7(a), 504, microloans) and how to estimate your payment before you apply.
Capital decisions
How to Qualify for an SBA Loan
SBA loan qualification explained: eligibility rules from sba.gov, what lenders check (cash flow, credit, equity, collateral) and a step-by-step prep list.
Capital decisions
How Long Does It Take to Get an SBA Loan?
SBA loan timelines stage by stage — preparation, underwriting, SBA approval, closing — what slows them down and how to plan your project dates around it.
Capital decisions
Can You Get an SBA Loan With Bad Credit?
Can you get an SBA loan with bad credit? What SBA rules actually say, how lenders weigh credit against cash flow, and practical steps to improve your odds.
Capital decisions
What Is an SBA 504 Loan?
The SBA 504 loan explained: how the lender, CDC and owner split a project, what it can finance, terms from sba.gov and a worked payment example.
Capital decisions
How to Calculate Debt Service Coverage Ratio
How to calculate debt service coverage ratio step by step, which add-backs lenders accept, what a good DSCR is and how to raise yours before you apply.
Capital decisions
How to Finance a Business Acquisition
How to finance a business acquisition: SBA 7(a), seller notes and equity, how lenders size the deal, plus a worked sources-and-uses example.
Payment economics
Credit Card Processing Fees for Small Business: Interchange Explained
Credit card processing fees broken down: interchange, network assessments and processor markup, how to calculate your effective rate and where to save.
Rates
How to Compare Business Loan Offers
Compare business loan offers by total cost, fees, effective APR, payment, timing and terms, plus the questions to ask each lender before you sign.
Rates & lending conditions
How the Fed, Prime and your loan's benchmark connect; fixed vs. variable decisions; repricing, floors and caps.
Rates
Interest rate vs. interest cost: what your loan really costs
A lower rate isn't always cheaper. How to compare total interest, fees and interest coverage before you choose a loan.
Rates
What Fed rate moves mean for small business borrowers
The Fed doesn't set your loan rate. How a policy change travels to your benchmark, your reset date and your payment — and what to check first.
Rates
Fixed vs. variable-rate business loans: how to choose
A fixed rate buys certainty; a variable rate can start lower. How to compare them with breakeven math, reset schedules, floors and caps.
Debt, equity & capital strategy
Borrowing vs. selling ownership, how much debt your cash flow supports, lines vs. term loans and getting lender-ready.
Capital decisions
What is DSCR? The debt service coverage ratio, explained for owners
DSCR is the first number most business lenders check. Learn how it's calculated, what lenders look for and how to improve yours before you apply.
Capital decisions
How long should you finance a business loan?
Shorter terms cost less interest; longer terms protect cash flow. How to choose a loan term based on what you're buying and your coverage.
Capital decisions
What goes in a bank package? A lender-ready checklist
Lenders move faster when your package answers their questions up front. Here's what a complete business loan package includes.
Practice acquisition & ownership
Buying a dental, medical or veterinary practice, its building, or both — collateral, structure and combined cash flow.
Practice ownership
Practice acquisition loan vs. commercial real estate loan
Buying a practice and its building? How operating-business and real estate debt differ in collateral, repayment, terms and risk — and how to model both.
Practice ownership
Should a practice buy or lease its office?
Owning builds equity and controls occupancy; leasing preserves cash and flexibility. How dental, medical and veterinary owners can compare them.
Practice ownership
Financing a practice and its real estate together
Buying the practice and the building at once: sources and uses, separate collateral, closing timing and shared guarantees.
Merchant fees & payment economics
Effective rates, pricing models, reconciliation and the all-in cost of getting paid.
Payment economics
How to Read a Merchant Statement Line by Line
Read your merchant statement line by line: card volume, interchange, assessments, markup and fixed fees. Calculate your effective rate.
Payment economics
The true cost of collecting patient payments
A practice can pay more than its card rate. How processing, software, A/R and reconciliation add up to your all-in cost of getting paid.
Payment economics
Credit Card Processing Fees for Small Business: Interchange Explained
Credit card processing fees broken down: interchange, network assessments and processor markup, how to calculate your effective rate and where to save.
Owner finance glossary
DSCR, spread, floor, interchange, dilution and more — in plain English.