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Rory O’Reilly, Co-Founder and CEO of Knot, on connecting cardholders to merchants

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Rory O’Reilly, Co-Founder and CEO of Knot, on connecting cardholders to merchants

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It is a simple problem that every card issuer has. You have issued a credit or debit card to a new customer, so how do you get them to actually use it? More than that, how do you encourage this customer to make this new card their primary payment card?

Rory O’Reilly, Co-Founder and CEO of Knot, on connecting cardholders to merchantsRory O’Reilly, Co-Founder and CEO of Knot, on connecting cardholders to merchants

My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Rory O’Reilly, the CEO and Co-Founder of Knot. He wrestled with this problem himself and decided to do something about it. His company has built API connectivity into most of the major merchants in this country, in a similar way Plaid built API connectivity into major banks. With this connectivity, any card issuer now has the capability to bring their card to the top of wallet.

In this podcast you will learn:

  • The a-ha moment that led to the idea for Knot.
  • Their target market.
  • How their technology works.
  • How the card issuers decide what merchants to feature on Knot.
  • Why card issuers are so excited about this.
  • How card issuers implement Knot.
  • The benefits for merchants to work with Knot.
  • How they are working with BaaS platforms.
  • The key to their go-to-market strategy.
  • How they charge the issuers for their service.
  • How Rory thinks about digital wallets and how they can work with Knot.
  • Why they have not put much effort into pay by bank.
  • Where they are today in terms of scale.
  • Their scale goal for the next four years.
  • The types of new products they are working on.
  • Rory’s vision for Knot.

Read a transcription of our conversation below.

FINTECH ONE-ON-ONE PODCAST NO. 488 – RORY O’REILLY

Peter Renton  00:01

Welcome to the Fintech One-on-One podcast. This is Peter Renton, Chairman and co-founder of Fintech Nexus. I’ve been doing this show since 2013, which makes this the longest-running one-on-one interview show in all of fintech. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey.

Peter Renton  00:27

Today on the show, I’m delighted to welcome Rory O’Reilly. He is the CEO and co-founder of Knot. Now Knot is a super instant company that they’re a new breed of fintech that haven’t been around very long, but they’re getting serious traction. So I wanted to get Rory on the show to talk about his company and the API connectivity they’ve built, really connecting merchants with users, and the card payment, that is sort of the center of it all. What they do, they make it easy when you open up a new bank account or credit card, they make it easy for you to update that card across the companies that you spend money with. Now, they work obviously, with the big ones, Amazon, Netflix, Uber, Spotify, all of the top 100 merchants right now and that list continues to grow. And what they do, they make it so that the card that you have just signed up for, you can update across all these merchants via API connectivity, very simply through one simple interface. It’s a really compelling proposition. And he talks about it in some depth. And obviously, we also talk about the potential other use cases, which I think are just super interesting. It was a fascinating discussion. Hope you enjoy the show.

Peter Renton  01:50

Welcome to the podcast, Rory.

Rory O’Reilly  01:52

Peter, thanks so much for having me, honored to be here.

Peter Renton  01:54

My pleasure. So let’s kick it off by giving the listeners a little bit of background about yourself. Why don’t you just tell us what you’ve done so far in your career to date, hitting some of the highlights.

Rory O’Reilly  02:08

Happy to do that. So I’m very blessed to have a brother named Kieran, we both were at Harvard a decade ago, we both dropped out, we moved to San Francisco, we made this website called GIFS.com. You might think of it as GIFS.com. But we say GIFs. Worked on that for a couple of years, then we made a crypto project. That was crazy. We ended up selling $80 million worth of Ethereum in a couple of months. So we had one out of 1000 Ethereum in the whole world. Worked again for three or four years. Then we made a debit card company called Millions where you could swipe your Millions Card and win up to a million dollars. And that became the largest fintech on TikTok and YouTube, and it was wildly unprofitable. And people did not want to add their card online because it was so annoying. Peter, I don’t know, have you ever switched banks before? Like had to switch?

Peter Renton  02:59

Well, I’ve never switched banks, I’ve added banks, but I’ve never actually done a complete switch because my history is too long now.

Rory O’Reilly  03:08

Exactly. It’s so annoying to update. And that’s why people weren’t using the millions card online. And then we pivoted the whole business to solve for that. And we call it Knot.

Peter Renton  03:15

Right. Okay. That was the aha moment, right? Maybe you can talk about what you saw, you pivoted the business. What was sort of the thinking there? And how are you going to make money?

Rory O’Reilly  03:28

Absolutely. A great question. So I’ll tell you a customer call I had, I was calling up a Million’s customer and I say Hey, I see that you spend in person with your Millions Card, why don’t you spend online? And they gave me a whole story about how long and hard it was. And I hung up the call, eventually, a little frustrated, this person’s crazy. They can’t update the card. It’s so easy, called up someone else, same story. And then I was like, That’s two. And then there was three and four. And then I looked at my own personal spend. And as the CEO of Millions at the time, I did not have my Millions Card on Amazon. And I said Holy smokes, this is a real problem that I’ve been oblivious to. We started to create Knot because there was not an API for it and we want to tie things together. And with Knot, it’s a little SDK, kind of similar to Plaid, and that it lives on card issuers, apps or websites. The consumer just chooses the merchant, they want to add their card to, they log in like they normally do, kind of like how you log into Plaid, and then boom, their card is instantly there. They don’t have to type any card number, expiration, CVV. The bank sends us all of that securely. And then we provision it via API to the merchant. And it took us a long time to build it out. It’s a very hard business. But the first time I used it, I knew right away, this is a game changer. And we still wanted to use it just within Millions. And a couple of our investors who are in the banking industry said Can I have that? Can I buy that? And we said no, this is our little baby. And then it was pretty apparent to us. This is a real business that is maybe more profitable than the unprofitable business we had and pivoted completely to Knot.

Peter Renton  05:03

Right, right. So who is the customer there? Is it the? Is it the bank, the card, credit card company, the neo bank, or whatever that is wanting to get that? Have their card be added in an easier way? Is that how you work?

Rory O’Reilly  05:20

Exactly. So our customers are the card issuers, and they provide it for free to their consumers. So Bilt, the card for renters to earn rewards, went live roughly a month ago for 100% of their users. Bilt pays us. And if you’re a Bilt member, you get to provision your card right away for free in seconds with Knot. And that’s the rough business model in a nutshell.

Peter Renton  05:43

Okay, so let’s just go through that, like you’ve got your Bilt card, you have your Bilt login, obviously Bilt, knows all your details, you just have to do your login to Bilt. And let’s just say like Amazon, you used Amazon, as example, right? And just explain kind of how it works. Like, do you have write access to their Amazon account once they have logged into Amazon? Like how does it work?

Rory O’Reilly  06:06

Yeah, great question. It works exactly like that, essentially, exactly how you described it. We figure out all the APIs for how to add cards at all of these merchants. It’s like digging through the mud. You know figuring out these API endpoints, it’s not easy. But the simple way of thinking about it is when me as a consumer, outside of being the Knot CEO, when I click Login, when I click Add Card on a website, I’m not just clicking a yellow button. Clearly, it’s connected with an API on the back end. Our team of 30 plus engineers figure out what those APIs are, the correct headers, parameters, et cetera, that they are supposed to receive. And then we send them those session datas to kind of go through the flow. So it’s exactly as you’re describing, we have write access, because we figure out all the API endpoints for these merchants. And we update the card in real time in seconds using the merchants APIs.

Peter Renton  06:59

Right. Like the Bilt consumer or whoever it is, they go through Amazon, they have to do this one by one, right. You can’t, there’s no universal login yet. Like how many of the big merchants can you do? And like how, what’s typical as far as what is Bilt wanna present? I mean obviously if you present 20, it’s probably, that’s probably too many, right? I mean, what’s the sweet spot?

Rory O’Reilly  07:20

Yeah. So right now we have over 100 merchants that we’ve integrated with, and it’s really the top 100. So Amazon sort of down to call it Best Buy or something. But it’s really, your spend is very much in categories, it’s online shopping, big box retail, then your phone, then your food delivery, your ride share, your streaming services, that’s how consumers kind of break down their spend. What we’ve actually seen is a very strong correlation with the longer list of merchants you show, the higher number of switches you get. By switching I mean someone adding their card. So what I could say right now, publicly is that Bilt does have 20 or so on their card page where you can click and list. And some of our customers have 70 or so that they show. And some of our customers are really smart. And everyone, all of them are smart, but some of them have a really unique case. All of them are smart.

Peter Renton  08:14

Of course they are.

Rory O’Reilly  08:14

Exactly. Some of them have a really unique use case where they use their bank connectivity data, like let’s say Plaid, who is also an investor in Knot. Someone’s launching soon where they will take their Plaid data, and they will put it, they’ll give it to Knot, and we will help shape the merchants we show so that it’s actually related to the individual. So we can see where you spent on your old card and then say this is leakage, you should be spending it on your new card. So that customer is going to go live with that in a month or so because of the Plaid partnership. And then Peter, one thing I don’t want to forget is you mentioned there’s no universal login. But at Knot, we always want to out innovate ourselves. So we’re partnering with a couple of your favorite password managers. And you will be able to log in with your password manager and instantly give credentialed access to Knot for everything. We are so excited about that. It’s kind of a pre-release, you know, so a little bit of a secret, but you guys will likely see that by the end of the quarter.

Peter Renton  09:15

Okay, but that’s I really like that idea, though. Because why present someone with a DoorDash login, for example, if they never have ordered on DoorDash. That’s just, that’s a bad user experience. So eventually, I can see like the Plaid connectivity is really important there, because then you can just get like, what are you looking at like the last three months of data there to sort of present who they’re using most?

Rory O’Reilly  09:38

I don’t really know what the level of data is that we get. If it’s three months or two years, it might depend on how the card issuer is implemented because ultimately the card issuers pay Plaid for pulling that transaction data or Finicity, MX, whoever they’re using. So Plaid and that card issuer have that relationship, we get a nice little referral bonus. But what we see is that the card issuers can always figure out the correct data, even if they just pull the past one month. That’s enough to see the recurring subscriptions because all you need is one month really to recognize what the merchants are. So we’ve already built that integration out with Plaid and a card issuer is going live with it, I believe in the next four weeks.

Peter Renton  10:16

Right. And is that going to become standard in your, your rollout of new to new customers?

Rory O’Reilly  10:21

I’d like to kind of maintain a pulse and see what the conversion rate looks like. My assumption is that the conversion rate will be higher, because it’s (garbled). Exactly, I would expect that to because it’s related to the user. But if the conversion rate is lower,we’re not going to suggest it. And then ultimately, it’s up to the card issuer at the end of the day. If they have that data, if they have that relationship with the bank connectivity folks, we’re happy to build those connections, like we did with Plaid, to make it easier. Our one goal is to get conversions for your card no matter what. So if it works, we’re going to be pushing it like hotcakes. And if it doesn’t work, we won’t tell a soul about it.

Peter Renton  10:58

Well, it’s out now. But anyway, that’s really interesting. I’m curious that when you’re talking with card issuers, to me, this is a really important issue for them. Because like, once you get person to sign up, they’ve gotta use, and I’ve got a bunch of fintech accounts or debit cards, I’ve never used them once. And I keep getting emails and there’s that sort of window. When you’re having conversations with these issuers, to me it’s a no brainer, right? Of course, you’ve got to make it as easy as possible. What are those conversations like? Do people say to you, No, we don’t need anything like this, our customers are so great, they just sign up anyway. What is the pushback you get?

Rory O’Reilly  11:40

We’ve never heard that. Usually people are jumping out of their chairs. If you get with the right ICP, you know the right person at that company that owns the P&L for the card business, they go crazy for it. Because for cards, there’s retention activation, you really nailed it, there’s a sweet spot where your level of intent is so high. And if you don’t get them in the first two weeks, you’re really not going to get them. Let’s be honest, no one’s going to come back and boomerang back. The card business is the only product that I think in the whole world that when you buy or get a new one, you can’t instantly rip and replace it. When I get a new phone. I’m immediately transferring my contacts. And I mean, immediately. I’m calling up people, I’m taking photos, look at what great camera this is look at this, immediately. When I get a new laptop, immediately I opened it up I’m back to it. So I get a candy bar, I immediately consume it, etc. But when you get a card, you’ve got this recurring kind of negative behavior, and that you’re still using the old card because it’s entrenched in your lifestyle. It’s the one product you can’t rip and replace, from my perspective. So when you get with the right stakeholder in the company, they’re like, How can I do this? How much does it cost? When can I implement it? The biggest question is, what does their roadmap look like? We’re in diligence with five out of the top 10 banks. And their roadmaps oftentimes are out until the end of the year. So it’s really finding the right slot when they’ve got dev time where they can, when they can get you through InfoSec, etc. And those long sales cycles, they’re just long. But when you get with the right person, and they really understand what you’re doing, and how it can help benefit them and consumers, they’re jumping for joy for it.

Peter Renton  13:15

Right, right. So let’s just take us through that. How do you implement Knots? I mean, what’s the lift from the card issuer side?

Rory O’Reilly  13:24

So you know what, I’m not sure if I could say this publicly. But by the time that this comes out, I bet I will be able to. We just did a study with MasterCard. And we are the only company that they’ve ever done dogfooding for and that they implemented our API. MasterCard has a fake bank, that’s actually a real bank. It has a real BIN, real everything. It’s called Dog Food Bank. I’m not just kidding.

Peter Renton  13:51

I was wondering where we were going with that.

Rory O’Reilly  13:53

I’m not even joking. It’s called Dog Food Bank. And they implemented our API and rhetorical question, how long do you think it took them to implement it? 30 calendar days, 21 business days. So lift. It’s quite simple. And this is MasterCard implementing Knot. We’ve seen smaller challenger banks implement in a weekend. We’re very lucky that our head of Solutions Engineering was the first Solutions Engineer at Plaid. And the first at Middesk. His name is Edwin Chu. He’s phenomenal. And he is a large reason why we’re able to have such great integration times and docs that people understand and really don’t have that many questions about.

Peter Renton  14:33

Okay. Okay, so let’s switch gears a little bit, what’s in it for the merchant? What’s in it for Amazon or DoorDash? Or Netflix or whatever? You’ve got the APIs from these companies. But is there a benefit for these big companies to work with Knot?

Rory O’Reilly  14:50

Absolutely, great question. So let’s take Netflix’s business for instance. Their business is quite simple. They want more people to use Netflix and they want less people to churn. One reason why people churn is because their payment information didn’t work. So let’s say you switched banks and you moved all your money, and Netflix is still trying to pull money from your old bank. Not going to work. Netflix is going to have an insufficient funds fee, they’re going to have involuntary churn because they’re trying to pull someone who switched their bank. And ultimately, Netflix will lose a customer in that instance, maybe not forever. But maybe for a couple of months. The merchants, the largest merchants actually pay Visa and MasterCard to update cards for lost, stolen and reissue. They’re paying anywhere from a quarter to a dime for this. So the merchants are already paying to maintain proper card because they don’t want involuntary churn and they don’t want abandoned carts. When someone goes to the merchant, tries to checkout, it doesn’t work. And then they’re like, I didn’t even want that thing anyway. Happens 8% of the time when your card doesn’t work. So the merchants, with Knot at least, they’re getting a value added service for free. They’re maintaining the proper card on file for free. And they’re kind of pushing consumer loyalty, because now you can still be on your Netflix, even if you switched banks, and you’re not having that gap of spend and gap of loyalty and retention. So the merchants, at least when we talk with them, they’re two thumbs up. We do something for free for them right now, and we maintain the proper card and make sure their business is still healthy.

Peter Renton  16:17

Right, right, right. And so I presume you’re able to work with debit cards, credit cards, it doesn’t, does it really matter about the type of card that you’re trying to provision here?

Rory O’Reilly  16:28

Doesn’t matter at all. Visa, MasterCard, Amex, anything with a PAN, we can provision it to the merchant.

Peter Renton  16:34

Okay. And then, what about, I was reading on your website, you also working with BaaS platforms, or banking as a service platforms. What’s going on there?

Rory O’Reilly  16:43

So our kind of key prerogative is to make it as easy as possible for card issuers to implement Knot and for consumers to use it. And the BaaS platforms are great, because they’re kind of a one stop shop for card issuers to implement new products, etc. The other part of our business is grabbing PAN, expiration, CVV, name, address, phone number, etc, securely. And in most instances, card issuers don’t have access to the PAN, CVV expiration, you know this PCI type of data, whereas the BasS provider does. So in many instances, we will partner with a BasS provider to supplement that data and send it to us securely rather than putting the onus on the card issuer. So one that we’re really proud about that’s been in the news recently, is Unit and they’re actually a really great team to work with. They’ve been wonderful, nothing but good things to say about them. And our card issuers who have launched with Unit have been able to get set up in record time. So we work with anyone and everyone, including BasS providers just to make it easy for card issuers to get set up with Knot.

Peter Renton  17:44

Okay, so then how are you getting the word out about Knot? I mean you, like you’re obviously doing podcasts like this. I’ve also seen the name around, and you’ve got some pretty heavy hitters that have backed you guys, or at least talk about you guys in a positive way. But I’d, I’d love to kind of get the real kind of go to market strategy. How are you doing that?

Rory O’Reilly  18:06

Well, you’re right, we got really lucky to have some amazing folks on the cap table who have been game changing for the business. Whether it’s Ken Chenault, or Dan Schulman or Amex or Plaid or Nava who lead our A, or Jason Mikula, or Alex Johnson. I mean, really, I could go on and on, Jonathan (garbled).  Our friends have been the greatest champions we could ever ask for. And as you know, the community is so small, but our go to market strategy, simply is to build a great product. Kind of like you mentioned in the beginning, this is such a consumer pain point. You’ve never switched banks, because you’re so entrenched in your your spend. This is such a bank pain point. You know Amex will pay me as a consumer $350 if I refer you. And it’s a real pain point for the banks as well. And obviously it is for merchants, as we discussed. So we are prospective, if we build a great product, people will come. And if we put a little word out that, hey, this is great, and people enjoy it, we think that they’ll come even faster. And what we’ve seen is that the banking industry is so small. So as soon as someone launches with Knot, everyone immediately uses it, sees it, because all of the small challenger banks and large challenger banks, they’re testing everyone else’s app to see the onboarding flows. So when they see Knot, they say ah, I need that. I need to be on parity, I need to make it as easy as possible to add this card in that limited window. So the growth has been fantastic. We just put a chart out on LinkedIn last month of our growth and it looks like the typical hockey stick. This month is three times larger than that. It’s like every month another card issuer, a large one goes live, and the growth just in this month triples, and then another one goes live and increases. So go to market strategy, build a great product and make sure it’s implemented in the right spaces.

Peter Renton  19:50

Is it like a SaaS fee? Is this a monthly fee? Are you charging a combination of like a per account fee on top of that, I mean what do you do?

Rory O’Reilly  20:00

Yeah, it’s usually a combination. So there’s per switch, monthly minimums, some license fees, some implementation fees, depending on how much work is kind of required in the relationship. If there’s large volume, that’s a lower per switch fee, if there’s low volume that’s higher per switch fee, very similar to Plaid model in many respects. And then per switch is just per merchant. So Amazon is one unit of spend, Netflix is another unit, etc.

Peter Renton  20:23

Gotcha, gotcha. I’m curious about the digital wallets, like the Apple wallet, Google Wallets, and Samsung Pay and all those. That seems to me, you know, it’s obviously outside of what you guys are doing. How do you kind of think about the big digital wallets at Knot?

Rory O’Reilly  20:44

I think about the wallets similar to the way we think about merchants. They’re another avenue where consumers want to push their card to. And it’s our job to just make it easy for your card to be used, whether it’s on Apple Pay, or Shopify or, PayPal checkout, whatever it might be, we just want to provision your card to the right avenue for a consumer to actually use it. So I love them, I think that they’re great. You know, PayPal has obviously been grinding with PayPal checkout for 20 plus years, essentially. And their market penetration is, you know, let’s call it like low medium double digits, which is great. When there are millions of merchants and your penetration is anywhere in the double digits, you’re doing phenomenally. But in terms of competitors, we don’t look at Checkouts as competitors at all, we really look at them as a great distribution channel to get the card on file and hopefully used in more places. So we’re starting to actually integrate them as merchants. So you’ll see Amazon, you’ll see PayPal, Checkout, hopefully, one day, you’ll see etc, etc. Just these pay options.

Peter Renton  21:47

Gotcha, gotcha. What about pay by bank? You know, there’s obviously companies that are moving in that space, I think Plaid has an agreement with Adyen on some of that stuff. How are you working in that area?

Rory O’Reilly  22:02

Pay by bank is really interesting. We’ve had some of our customers broach the subject, but then when push comes to shove, the card issuers have never particularly wanted to implement it, because it changes the dynamic of the revenue model. So clearly, the interchange and etc. So when we started building some pay by ACH and pay by bank, essentially, the customers didn’t jump towards it. So we haven’t invested a lot of resources in that department. We’re very customer led in what we build, and if our customers decide that pay by bank is the solution they want, then we will build that connectivity. In terms of our infrastructure, logging into the merchant is so hard already, that we already have, let’s call it 85% of infrastructure necessary for just immediately doing pay by bank. So we’re gonna bide our time until our current customers see a need for it. And then when they need it. We’ll have it ready for them.

Peter Renton  22:55

That makes sense. You talked about the hockey stick growth. Are there any are there any numbers you can share publicly about where you are today as far as scale goes?

Rory O’Reilly  23:04

Yeah, 100%. There’s, there’s one number it’s kind of a non number in a way. But we internally think that we are doing one out of 650 net new cards in America. So roughly I guess, point, I don’t want to do the math, ’cause I know I’m gonna be wrong. Point, one, five, something like that.

Peter Renton  23:25

Yeah. Something like that.

Rory O’Reilly  23:26

Something like that.

Peter Renton  23:27

And I presume you have a, you have a number in mind where you want to get to right?

Rory O’Reilly  23:32

Yeah, we’d like to get to, I think that we can get to around 30% within the next four years. And, you know, we’ve got a lot of large banks in due diligence with us. And by this time next year, I think that we will be in the single digit percentages, you’re not going to see all of the banks launch by this time next year. I think we’ll be in the single digit percentages, almost certainly. And then within three or four years, I have no doubt that we will be in the low double digits, but our aspirations are to be around 30%.

Peter Renton  24:02

Well that would be a serious business right there. I’m curious about, you’ve got this product that really is working well, solving a pain point that’s very specific. But what other features are you adding here? Or can you add? I mean, it feels like it’s, it’s a binary thing. You’ve created the product. You can iterate on it to make it more user friendly. But what other features are you looking at adding?

Rory O’Reilly  24:29

Great question. So this might be, this might be a really good question in a couple of months when we release a suite of new products. I’ll give you a little bit of a of a teaser, if you will. We think of ourselves very similarly to Plaid. Plaid is not just auth it’s also identity, it’s also transaction, it’s also fraud. Now they’re also KYC, right? The list goes on and on. They have connected with banks and they utilize that data and dozens of different ways. We connect with the merchant and right now we do card switch, and that’s what everyone has seen. But over the past year, past year and a half, we’ve been building five distinct new product lines, that all necessitate logging into the merchant, maintaining a connection, and then doing something on the user’s behalf. So one that I can say, that is likely rolling out this quarter is subscription manager. And this one, you’ve seen products that look like subscription management before, where you can cancel. With ours, you’ll be able to cancel, pause, add new users, etc. Everything you could normally do on the Netflix interface, but now you’re doing it without the GUI via API via Knot. So we’re really excited about that one, every other subscription manager, it’s kind of it really humans in the background, emailing on your behalf, et cetera, it takes 14 days to close the account. For us, it’s 20 seconds, we hit the API, cancel this account, pause this account, etc. So that one is one that we’re really excited about, and we’ve got some great partners who are launching with that one, likely by the end of the quarter.

Peter Renton  25:55

That is another problem that is unsolved. I know Alex Johnson has written about that a bit. And would I know he’s a supporter of yours, and I’m sure he would love to see a great product in that area.

Rory O’Reilly  26:07

Yeah, he’s wonderful.

Peter Renton  26:08

Okay, then, final question, as you kind of, I’d like you to take a step back before you answer this and just sort of say, what’s the vision for Knot? I mean, where are you going with this? Where do you think you’ll be in five or 10 years? I mean, maybe Plaid will just buy you, but where do you think you will be if you are an independent company in five or 10 years?

Rory O’Reilly  26:29

You know what, I’m sitting down, so I’ll lean back, instead of taking a step back. In five years, I think that we might look very similar to Plaid. I do think that there is a real world where we could have a Plaid like outcome, Plaid connects to the banks, and there’s, let’s say, 4600 banks in America, there are millions of merchants. And there are hundreds of things you could do on the merchants, much more in some ways than what you can do relate it to banks, you could buy things, cancel things, you could change things, you could gather intel information, so many different things you could do at merchants. So our goal is to be the merchant connectivity layer, connects to the merchant, do something on the user’s behalf. And I think that that can take us five years into the future. Maybe we’re similar to Plaid, and maybe we have a real ecosystem, maybe we are a real ecosystem player. And maybe there are hundreds, if not 1000s of businesses built on top of Knot and built on top of some of the new products that we’re launching soon.

Peter Renton  27:28

Right. What do you call? The merchant intelligence layer? Or what was it?

Rory O’Reilly  27:32

I like that. I was saying merchant connectivity layer, but merchant intelligence layer, I like that.

Peter Renton  27:38

You can see all the data there that is, that you’re going to have I mean, that’s that’s going to be valuable in and of itself, which a lot of people will probably pay you for. But anyway, we’ll have to leave it there. Rory, really great to chat with you today and really interesting learning about what you’re doing, and best of luck.

Rory O’Reilly  27:55

Peter, it’s been a great pleasure. Thank you so much for having me on the podcast.

Peter Renton  28:00

Well I hope you enjoyed the show. Thank you so much for listening. Please go ahead and give the show a review on the podcast platform of your choice and go tell your friends and colleagues about it. Anyway, on that note, I will sign off. I very much appreciate you listening, and I’ll catch you next time. Bye.

  • Peter RentonPeter Renton

    Peter Renton is the chairman and co-founder of Fintech Nexus, the world’s largest digital media company focused on fintech. Peter has been writing about fintech since 2010 and he is the author and creator of the Fintech One-on-One Podcast, the first and longest-running fintech interview series.

Peloton’s Hannah Corbin and Hashimoto’s Disease: A Hidden Struggle

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Hannah Corbin is widely recognized as one of Peloton’s most dynamic fitness instructors, motivating thousands with her high-energy classes. On the surface, she is the epitome of physical health. But beneath the surface, Hannah faces an invisible challenge that many wouldn’t expect from a fitness professional: Hashimoto’s disease.

In a candid conversation, Hannah shared her struggles with an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid, leaving her exhausted and battling symptoms that drastically affect her quality of life. Her story sheds light on the challenges of living with a chronic illness that doesn’t always show outwardly—and it highlights the importance of support systems like long-term disability (LTD) insurance and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for those who may face similar challenges.

What Is Hashimoto’s Disease?

Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland. This can lead to hypothyroidism, where the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones to regulate essential body functions. Common symptoms include:

  • Chronic fatigue: A hallmark of the condition that leaves individuals drained after even minor exertion.
  • Weight changes: Often unexplained and difficult to control.
  • Brain fog: Difficulty concentrating or remembering details.
  • Joint and muscle pain: Persistent pain that interferes with daily activities.

What makes Hashimoto’s particularly challenging is its invisibility. Many people, like Hannah, look physically healthy, but they are fighting a relentless internal battle that can make it difficult to perform even basic tasks, let alone maintain a rigorous work schedule.

Invisible Diseases and Disability Claims

For those living with Hashimoto’s or similar conditions, securing disability benefits through long-term disability insurance or Social Security Disability Insurance can be a lifeline. However, navigating these systems can be daunting.

Long-Term Disability Insurance Challenges

  • Proving the Impact of Symptoms: Unlike visible injuries, the effects of Hashimoto’s can be difficult to quantify. Detailed medical documentation, symptom logs, and testimony from healthcare providers are critical.
  • Overcoming Biases: Insurers often assume that applicants with invisible diseases are exaggerating their symptoms. This stigma can lead to unnecessary denials.
  • Navigating the Claims Process: Filing a claim for LTD benefits requires extensive paperwork, clear evidence, and persistence. Without proper guidance, many claims are denied or delayed.

Social Security Disability Insurance Challenges

For those who qualify, SSDI provides financial assistance to individuals whose medical conditions prevent them from engaging in substantial gainful activity (SGA). However, proving eligibility can be particularly challenging for individuals with conditions like Hashimoto’s.

  • Meeting the Medical Criteria: Although Hashimoto’s disease isn’t listed as a condition in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) “Blue Book,” claimants can still qualify if they can show that their symptoms prevent them from working and are expected to last at least 12 months.
  • Residual Functional Capacity (RFC): SSDI claims often rely on a claimant’s RFC, which assesses their ability to perform work-related activities. Evidence must show how fatigue, brain fog, and other symptoms make even sedentary work impossible.
  • The Appeals Process: Denials are common on initial claims. However, persistence through reconsideration and a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) often leads to better results.

How to Strengthen a Disability Claim for Hashimoto’s or Other Invisible Diseases

If you or a loved one is facing a chronic illness like Hashimoto’s Disease and considering long-term disability or SSDI benefits, these tips can help:

  • Keep Detailed Records: Use daily logs to track symptoms, medication side effects, and how the condition affects your ability to work. This will provide valuable evidence to support your claim.
  • Work Closely with Your Doctor: Make sure your doctor thoroughly documents your diagnosis, symptoms, and the limitations they cause. A strong medical opinion can make or break a claim.
  • Be Persistent: Insurers and the SSA often deny claims initially, hoping claimants will give up. Persistence—and the help of an experienced attorney—can greatly improve your chances of being approved.

The Role of an Attorney in Disability Claims

Disability claims for invisible diseases like Hashimoto’s often require expert legal guidance. Attorneys familiar with both long-term disability insurance and SSDI claims can:

  • Gather and organize the necessary medical evidence to strengthen your claim.
  • Help you file an initial SSDI application or LTD claim correctly to avoid unnecessary delays.
  • Handle appeals after a denial and represent you at hearings or in lawsuits, if necessary.

Even if you’ve been denied, don’t lose hope. A skilled attorney can turn things around by presenting your case in a way that’s impossible to ignore.

From Awareness to Action: Navigating Disability Claims

Hannah Corbin’s story is a powerful reminder that even the strongest among us can face hidden struggles. Her willingness to share her experience with Hashimoto’s inspires others to seek help, advocate for themselves, and prioritize their well-being.

When you’re living with a condition that affects your ability to work, disability benefits—whether through long-term disability insurance or SSDI—can provide much-needed financial relief. At the Ortiz Law Firm, we’re dedicated to helping people secure the benefits they deserve, especially when insurers or the SSA make the process unnecessarily difficult.

Don’t face this journey alone. Contact us to learn how we can help you navigate your claim or appeal. Call (888) 321-8131 to schedule your free case evaluation today.

Loan options for seasonal businesses

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Loan options for seasonal businesses

There are many types of business that could be described as seasonal, relying on specific times of the year to generate the bulk of their income.

While the likes of ice cream parlours, Christmas decorations retailers and wedding planners may see demand rise and fall throughout the year, one thing will remain constant – the need to meet the ongoing costs that come with running a business. 

If you own a seasonal business, a loan could be a valuable tool to help you manage your cashflow during the slower seasons and be prepared for growth when demand increases again. You could use the loan funds for a variety of purposes, including:

  • Covering operating expenses, such as rent, utilities, wages and marketing costs
  • Purchasing stock in readiness for your peak trading season
  • Investing in your business, for example buying new equipment or training staff

A business loan may be a good option if your business experiences seasonal fluctuations in income, but it’s important to make sure you can afford the monthly repayments and that you understand the terms of the loan before you sign a contract.

Making your monthly repayments on time can improve your credit score, which may increase your likelihood of being accepted when making loan applications in the future.

Before taking out a business loan, always consider the following points:

  • Repayment terms: The length of time you will have to repay a business loan can range from a few months to several years, so you’ll need to be mindful of the need to make ongoing monthly repayments during the term of the loan.
  • Personal guarantees: If you provide a personal guarantee on a business loan, you are personally liable to repay the debt if the business is unable to do so. It is important that you consider getting independent legal advice to ensure you understand the terms of any personal guarantee required by a lender.
  • Terms and conditions: If you breach any of the terms and conditions of a business loan, this could affect your business’s ability to borrow money again. For example, lenders will generally inform credit reference agencies when repayments are missed, so it’s important to understand the terms and conditions before you take out a loan and make sure you keep up to date with repayments.

If you own a seasonal business, a loan could help you to bridge the gap between your slow and busy seasons – but it’s important to make sure that this is right decision for you and your business. If you ever find that you are in financial difficulty, you should let your lender know as soon as possible so you can work together to find the best solution.

It takes just minutes to apply for a LendingCrowd business loan – start your journey today.

Please note: all applications are subject to LendingCrowd’s risk appetite and will be subject to clearance of AML and Cifas checks.

Article author

Loan options for seasonal businesses

Gareth Mackie

Housing target scepticism and the value of aligned approaches – Mortgage Strategy

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Housing target scepticism and the value of aligned approaches – Mortgage Strategy

Housing target scepticism and the value of aligned approaches – Mortgage Strategy
The past year has been challenging for the UK housing and mortgage market, with political and economic uncertainties, alongside geopolitical turmoil, creating significant hurdles for both buyers and lenders.
Shifting economic conditions and policy instability have adversely affected affordability, buyer confidence, and overall market stability, factors which have also impacted housebuilders and the new build sector.
Focusing on new build, in our most recent webinar session, the feasibility of the new government’s ambitious housing targets was a major topic of discussion. As the housebuilding sector prepares for a transformative 2025, panel members and property professionals in the audience expressed considerable scepticism about the government’s aim to deliver 1.5 million new homes within the current parliamentary term. A live poll revealed that 95% of respondents viewed the target as unrealistic, though a small 5% remained optimistic about its potential achievement.
In addition to doubts around this housing target, the webinar also explored the evolving priorities of homebuyers, with a strong focus on energy efficiency. In a further poll, an overwhelming 85% of attendees said that energy efficiency would be either “very important” (20%) or “somewhat important” (65%) in future homebuying decisions.
The fact that only 5% felt energy efficiency was “not important” speaks volumes about the market’s shift toward sustainability. This reflects a broader trend driven by rising energy costs and growing awareness of climate change, suggesting that eco-friendly homes will become increasingly desirable in the short, medium and longer term.
However, opinions were more divided on whether the government should introduce a stamp duty holiday specifically for new builds. The poll revealed a near-even split, with 47% in favour and 53% opposed. This division highlights the complexity of using fiscal measures to stimulate the market.
While a stamp duty holiday could provide a short-term boost for new build sales, some industry professionals question its long-term effectiveness, emphasising the need for more sustainable strategies to address housing demand.
While diverse in nature, these findings highlight a shared need for a coordinated effort across the housing sector. Significant structural changes and robust support mechanisms are essential to accelerate homebuilding in the UK, with planning reforms being a critical factor in meeting these ambitious targets.
The challenges facing the housing market are complex, and there are no straightforward solutions. To better serve both younger and older generations, stakeholders must embrace collaboration and develop effective strategies without delay. For mortgage intermediaries, this means staying well-informed about shifts in the UK construction industry and new build housing sectors, which are currently influenced by economic pressures and evolving policies.
Although intermediaries don’t need to become construction experts, understanding the complexities of new build properties can be highly beneficial. Offering clients insights into these details can make a significant impact, helping them with immediate purchases and preparing them for long-term success when they eventually sell.
Despite the urgent need for faster housebuilding, some positive trends are emerging. The growing emphasis on energy efficiency, for instance, is expected to shape future housing demand.
Companies like ours are committed to advancing new build surveying practices. By collaborating with industry partners, we aim to support the delivery of sustainable and innovative housing solutions that will strengthen the market for years to come. This kind of aligned approach across the sector is essential for addressing complex challenges and providing high-quality, affordable housing throughout the UK—a goal that would benefit all areas of the industry.

Morné Jacobs is director of new build, Countrywide Surveying Services

Average Small Business Loan Rates: November 2024

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Average Small Business Loan Rates: November 2024

Whether you’re looking for financing to help pay for equipment upgrades or to get your new business off the ground, understanding current business loan interest rates and different loan types will help you pick the loan option that’s right for you.

The overall cost of getting a business loan can vary significantly with various loan options and a range of interest rates.

The right option will depend on how soon you need the money, the interest rate you qualify for, and if your business can afford the payments.

How do business loan interest rates work? 

Think of the interest rate as the cost of borrowing money from a lender. The term of your loan, the loan type (i.e., fixed or variable), and the interest rate all affect how much money the funding will cost you. However, it would help if you also looked at other factors, including the loan term and the amortization schedule. 

To figure out the basic interest you will pay on a loan if you do not pay it off early, you can use the following equation: 

Principal of the loan X interest rate X years of term = total interest paid 

There are several other factors that play a role in the total cost of the loan. To get a full picture of the cost of a business loan, you can request an amortization schedule from your lender or find one online. 

Factor rates

Some forms of business financing, such as a cash advance, use factor rate instead of interest rate. Unlike interest rates, a factor rate is a decimal figure that applies to the original funding amount rather than the remaining balance. For example, if you were to receive a cash advance of $20,000 at a factor rate of 1.5, the total payback amount would be $30,000.

Factoring fees

Factoring fees are a one-time payment, calculated as a percentage of the total value of accounts receivable being factored.

Now, let’s look at some interest rates available to small businesses today. 

How to find the right business loan.

There are many different types of loans, some of which have higher standards for approval than others. For instance, traditional bank loans and Small Business Administration loans require that a business has been established for two years. 

Here are a few types of business loans/financing that are available to businesses: 

  • General term loans: These often come with more strict approval requirements and are offered only to businesses that have been in operation for at least six months. These loans can have a variable or fixed interest rate and usually require monthly payments and a set payoff date.
  • SBA loan: Designed for more established companies, SBA loans offer funding for various projects and are backed by the Small Business Administration. As a result, their interest rates can be lower, but the approval process tends to be more extended.
  • Business Cash Advance: A Business Cash Advance provides fast access to capital, but it comes at a higher price tag. These loans are paid off using a percentage of revenue from the business.  
  • Business line of credit: This gives business owners flexibility in how they use the funds. It does not all need to be used at once and can continue to be borrowed as it’s paid off. A line of credit may have daily, weekly, or monthly interest rates that can vary considerably depending on the length of the loan.
  • Account receivable financing: This option provides business financing using your business’s unpaid invoices as collateral. 

Depending on how you’ll use the money, how quickly you need the funds, and how quickly you want to pay it off, you can select a loan type that works best for you.

Current average business loan rates.

Average business loan interest rates will vary based on the type of loan, creditworthiness of the business, loan term length, and economic factors.

Here are the current average business loan rates: 

Loan/financing type Average interest rates
Business line of credit 8% – 60%
Business term loan 8.49% – 36%
Accounts receivable factoring 3%+ (factoring fee)
Business cash advance 1.08+ (factor rate)
Equipment financing 7.5% – 24%
SBA loan type Interest rate
SBA 7(a) Maximum rates depend on the loan amount.
11% – 14.5% for variable-rate loans*
13% – 16% for fixed rate.*
SBA CAPLines Maximum rates depend on the loan amount.
11% – 14.5% for variable-rate loans*
13% – 16% for fixed-rate.*
SBA CDC/504 Tied to 10-year U.S. Treasury rates
SBA Disaster Loans Maximum rate 4% with no credit available elsewhere
Maximum rate 8% with credit available elsewhere
SBA Export Working Capital Program No maximum limit set
SBA Microloans 8% – 13%
*Based on the November 2024 Wall Street Journal Prime Rate of 8.0%.
SBA Loan Interest Rates

If you’re looking for a business loan today, you should consider the varying interest rates and select which one is best for you. Your loan will be based on many factors that impact your interest rate, including your business or personal credit.

Term length and interest rates.

40% interest rate? Yikes. If the rates above are giving you a case of sticker shock, it will help to break down the difference between the total interest paid vs the interest rate.

While a home mortgage will typically have lower interest rates, that loan is paid back over a period of years or decades with the total interest paid adding up over time. Many business loans are paid back in six months to a year, so even though the interest rate is higher, the total interest rate paid will be similar to a loan with a lower interest rate. 

Loan type Interest % Amount financed Total interest paid
5-year loan 8.95% $30,000 $7,325
6 month loan 26% $30,000 $7,800

What is the true cost of a business loan?

Your interest rate is only one portion of the cost of a loan for your business. Depending on the type of loan and the lender, there may be additional fees that you’re responsible for paying.

These fees may include:

  • An origination fee to process your loan application
  • An underwriting fee
  • Closing costs
  • Early payoff fee or a charge to refinance the loan later

It is essential to thoroughly understand the total cost of the loan by reading the loan agreement before you sign since these other business loan fees can change the cost of your loan.

To understand the cost of your loan, you will want to look at the annual percentage rate, which includes the percentage rate, as well as other loan fees like origination, underwriting, and closing costs. Not all lenders will provide an APR, so to accurately compare options, ensure you understand how they calculate the percentage. 

Fixed vs. variable interest rates

Another factor that plays a role in a business loan’s overall cost is whether it has a variable or fixed interest rate.

A fixed-rate loan will have a consistent interest rate and monthly payment. It will not change over the life of the loan. Loans that are distributed in a lump sum often have a fixed rate. 

A variable rate loan may have a lower interest rate initially, but the rate will change based on the index that fluctuates with the market. So if the underlying market increases, your variable rate will also increase. This can make it difficult to budget or anticipate payments month-to-month. 

How to get the best loan rate for your business.

When looking for the best loan rate, you should look at the average APR of different loan types to decide which loan may be best for you.

Depending on the type of loan you think would be best, you’ll want to explore the best lender and get ready to apply for a business loan. 

Your final interest rate will depend on your credit history, time in business, and business financials. The lender will also evaluate your business’s ability to repay the loan. Sometimes, the lender may also look at collateral from your business to help you get a better rate.

Some online lenders may be able to get you prequalified with a soft pull on your credit to give you an idea of your rate before you apply. 

Ready to find a business loan? 

Use a business loan calculator to help you compare the different loan options and see which one will cost your business more over the life of the loan.

Quickly compare loan offers from multiple lenders.

Applying is free and won’t impact your credit.

Average Small Business Loan Rates: November 2024

Charlie’s Story: Investing and Entrepreneurship

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Charlie’s Story: Investing and Entrepreneurship

Charlie Hiscox is the Founder and Director of uSports, an award-winning team of over 110 people that helps schools and nurseries provide positive sporting opportunities for as many children as possible.

A successful entrepreneur since a young age, Charlie has been investing with CapitalRise since 2019 and is a passionate advocate of the investment platform.

As part of our new ‘People of CapitaRise’ series – which looks at the stories behind our investors – we caught up with Charlie. Read more about his journey to becoming a business leader, what drives him forward, and why he invests with CapitalRise.


Getting the ball rolling

From an early age, I have always been really into sports. In fact, I remember little else from primary school! This made me quite a competitive person, which can be a good thing in business as well as on the playing field – if it is channelled the right way.

By secondary school, I was already keen to earn money and support myself. I didn’t like being reliant on others. From 6am paper rounds in the snow, to buying and selling second-hand videogames in the playground, to clearing fallen apples from neighbours’ trees (for £5 a bag!), I’ve always been entrepreneurially minded.

These early experiences taught me some important lessons. I came to appreciate the time and effort needed for even ‘simple’ ventures. Also, if someone says, “No, I’m not interested” then move on and don’t be afraid of getting knocked back. That is the resilience you need going into business.

A Change of Direction

I began sports coaching after leaving school and, on gaining my qualifications, it quickly built into a full-time career. After a bad experience working for another company, I decided to set up uSports when I was just 21 years old. It started with a couple of weekly after-school clubs with around nine kids in each. Now, running the business alongside my wife Steph, on just one day we coached around 430 kids at camps over 14 venues – so the business has grown pretty quickly!

After founding the business, I read ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki, which was very influential. To build wealth, it advises you only buy nice-to-haves from your ‘passive’, not ‘earned’, income. Passive income streams – like stock dividends or investments such as CapitalRise – should continue to put money in your pocket regardless of your main income. I realised I was relying entirely on my earned income, and had nothing to draw on outside of that.

Soon afterwards, I sold my nice car (a depreciating asset that I purchased with that earned income) and looked for somewhere to put those funds where they would instead generate passive income. That was when I started to investigate different investment options.

Investing with CapitalRise

Before coming to CapitalRise, I had used another investment platform. While they were good, I thought there was probably a better option out there. After reading the strong Trustpilot reviews, and doing my research – the average returns, whether they have defaulted and so on – I decided to try CapitalRise.

It gives me a sense of security knowing that the money I make from the business should continue to generate good returns for me through CapitalRise. With this other income source ticking away, it also gives me more confidence to try new things with my business.

It’s led to a mental shift for me. When I was younger, I used to earn money and think, “Great, now I can buy a nice car”. Now, rather than putting tens of thousands into, say, a car that loses value or a cash account that gets eaten away by inflation, I typically put the funds into CapitalRise investments where they have, so far, all gained value. These investments are important as they have given me that passive income stream I was looking for. 

Charlie’s Story: Investing and Entrepreneurship

Active Business. Passive Income.

When you read more about it, you often see people saying: “There’s no such thing as passive income”. To some extent that is true. I had previously invested in a Buy to Let (BTL) property but it involved so much work, maintenance and admin that it started to consume almost as much time as my main business! The same was true with Stocks & Shares investments, where I would be constantly tracking their performance and worrying whether to sell or not.

With CapitalRise, you still need to do some work as an investor – for instance, reading the information to decide between investment opportunities. But once I have made the investment, I trust the CapitalRise team to monitor the project and regularly communicate updates to me.

The more I have invested with them, the more trust I’ve built in the platform. I know all the information I need to make a decision is there, and I have got to know the team over the years. Now, whenever I release money from the business, I typically feed it into a CapitalRise investment. With the passive income I’ve received from CapitalRise, I can now spend more on a car or the house – rather than relying on my main ‘earned’ income from the business.

F.O.C.U.S.

Compared to those other investment options I tried – BTL property and stocks – CapitalRise is just so easy.  You lock the funds in for a loan term of, say, 12 or 24 months and – while you know the overall property market fluctuates – you can see how your individual investments are performing over that time.

As a business owner, this is really important. CapitalRise balances good risk-adjusted returns with being hassle-free, so I can get on with running our business.

I always go by ‘F.O.C.U.S.’ which stands for ‘follow one course until successful’. My main focus will always be uSports. Now, probably only 2% of my time goes into CapitalRise as I find it so easy to use, and I have the rest to dedicate to the business. That’s a big change from my stocks and BTL experiences!

Inspiring Role Models

My mum and dad taught me to stay true to what I think is right and gave me my entrepreneurial drive. I must also mention my wife, Steph, who is super caring and can’t do enough for anyone. Steph massively balances me out and, alongside running the business with me 50:50, she helps to remind me that life isn’t about just making money – and that we need to take time to appreciate everything we have.

Because, ultimately, why are you investing, making returns or building a business? For me it’s to build your family life, and to enjoy that nest with the peace of mind knowing that you’ve helped to create it. So, I am very lucky to have a support network that inspires me entrepreneurially, but also to give me something so important to work hard for.

The best piece of advice I was given was the last thing my granddad said to me before he passed away, and it was simply: “Enjoy it mate. Enjoy it.”

I always come back to that and think, whatever you are doing, you really should try and get satisfaction from it. Whether that’s at work or at home. I am so ambitious and driven that it is important to remain grounded and remember what is important to you.


Justin C. Frankel Overturns New York LTD Benefits Denial

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Law Office of Justin C. Frankel, P.C. Triumphs in Overturning New York Life Long Term Disability Benefits Denial

In a compelling victory for justice, the Law Office of Justin C. Frankel, P.C., recently achieved a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to fighting insurance companies.

We successfully represented our 61-year-old client, a former Advertising Sales Director for a large publishing company, who went out on disability after sustaining multiple traumatic brain injuries, leading to post concussive syndrome, and an array of physical and cognitive symptoms.

Our client, had been found disabled by New York Life for five years due to the debilitating effects of her brain injuries. Despite her clear medical history and the unanimous agreement of her healthcare providers, New York Life unjustly terminated her disability claim. The insurance company callously asserted that she could return to her fast-paced occupation, disregarding the severity of her condition and the profound impact it had on her ability to function.

Undeterred by the unjust decision, our firm rallied to her side, determined to prove the insurance company wrong. We collaborated closely with her neurologist to compile a comprehensive body of evidence that unequivocally demonstrated the extent of her impairment and the impossibility of her returning to work in her former capacity. Additionally, our client underwent rigorous neuropsychological testing, which yielded compelling results: a stark decline in cognitive functioning that further underscored the severity of her condition.

Armed with this robust evidence and fortified by Attorney Justin Frankel’s unwavering dedication to our client’s cause, we filed a strategic appeal against New York Life’s decision. With meticulous attention the medical evidence and a steadfast commitment to advocating for our client’s rights, we crafted a compelling case that left no room for doubt about the injustice of the insurance company’s actions.

After fighting tirelessly against the wrongful termination of her long-term disability benefits by New York Life, our client emerged triumphant, with her benefits reinstated. Shortly after submitting our appeal, New York Life reversed its decision and reinstated our client’s long-term disability benefits.

Comprehensive Guide to Bad Credit Loans

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Comprehensive Guide to Bad Credit Loans

Introduction

Understanding Bad Credit Loans

Bad credit loans are designed to assist individuals with less-than-perfect credit scores in accessing necessary funds. These loans can be crucial in times of financial need, providing a means to cover unexpected expenses, consolidate debt, or make essential investments. At Badger Loans, we specialise in connecting borrowers with a network of over 30 UK, FCA authorised lenders, ensuring that even those with adverse credit can find suitable financial solutions.

Why Choose Badger Loans?

Badger Loans offers a straightforward application process, competitive interest rates, and a focus on finding the right loan for your circumstances. Our pingtree platform quickly matches your requirements with appropriate lenders, often delivering a decision within minutes and disbursing funds within 1-2 days.

Comprehensive Guide to Bad Credit Loans

Types of Bad Credit Loans

Personal Loans for Bad Credit

These loans offer a more traditional borrowing option, providing flexibility in terms of loan amounts and repayment periods. They are suitable for larger financial needs or debt consolidation.

Payday Loans for Bad Credit

Payday loans are short term solutions designed for quick access to cash, typically repaid on your next payday. They are ideal for covering immediate expenses like emergency repairs or unexpected bills.

Short Term Loans for Bad Credit

Short term loans offer slightly longer repayment periods compared to payday loans, providing more flexibility in managing your repayments.

Specific Uses of Bad Credit Loans

Emergency Expenses

Bad credit payday loans are particularly useful for urgent financial needs that cannot wait until your next payday. This could include unforeseen bills or necessary repairs.

Debt Consolidation

Consolidating multiple high-interest debts into a single loan with a lower interest rate can simplify your finances and reduce overall costs.

Application Process

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility typically includes being employed, having a regular income, and demonstrating the ability to make timely repayments. Even with poor credit, showing financial stability can improve your chances of approval.

How to Apply

  1. Start Your Application: Click here to begin your application on Badger Loans.
  2. Provide Necessary Information: This includes personal details, income, and banking information.
  3. Receive a Decision: Often within minutes, with funds potentially available the same day.

Understanding Loan Terms

Loan Amounts and Repayment Periods

Loan amounts can range from smaller sums for payday loans to larger amounts up to £25,000 for personal loans. Repayment periods can vary from one month to five years.

Interest Rates and Fees

Interest rates depend on your credit score and the loan amount. It’s important to note that rates may be higher for those with poor credit as lenders account for the increased risk.

Maximising Your Chances of Approval

Improving Creditworthiness

Steps such as making on-time payments, reducing existing debts, and avoiding multiple loan applications can improve your credit score over time.

Avoiding Pitfalls

Be wary of terms like “no refusal loans” or “no credit check loans.” These can often be misleading and may indicate predatory lending practices. Always verify the legitimacy of the lender.

Using Brokers and Lenders Wisely

Brokers like Badger Loans simplify the process by connecting you with multiple lenders, increasing your chances of finding a suitable loan.

Conclusion

Planning for the Future

After securing a loan, focus on improving your financial habits to avoid future credit issues. Use the loan responsibly to rebuild your credit and aim for better loan terms in the future.


Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only. Always consult with a financial advisor before taking out a loan.

The post Comprehensive Guide to Bad Credit Loans appeared first on Badger Loans.

Side Hustles and Scholarships: Creative Solutions for College Affordability

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Side Hustles and Scholarships: Creative Solutions for College Affordability

Side Hustles and Scholarships: Creative Solutions for College AffordabilitySide Hustles and Scholarships: Creative Solutions for College Affordability

Embarking on your college journey can feel like standing at the edge of two cliffs—on one side, the bright future a degree promises, and on the other, the daunting abyss of potential debt. Navigating this pivotal time with strategies that help minimize financial burdens while pursuing educational goals is crucial. By integrating careful planning and innovative solutions into your college experience, you can significantly reduce the debt you might accumulate and emerge with your finances intact.

Cultivate Your Financial Garden

Starting a side hustle while in school can be a brilliant way to manage your expenses proactively. Whether it’s freelance writing, graphic design, or selling handcrafted goods online, a side business brings in extra income and enhances your resume. Dedicating a few hours each week to a venture that aligns with your interests or career goals can pay dividends, reducing the need to rely heavily on loans and helping you gain practical skills often sought by employers.

Unearth New Funding Sources

Another vital strategy is to actively seek out grants and scholarships, which can significantly offset the cost of tuition without the burden of repayment. Many organizations and foundations offer awards based on merit, need, or specific criteria such as field of study, cultural background, or personal achievements. Exhaustively researching and applying for these opportunities requires time and dedication but can result in substantial financial support, cutting down the need for student loans.

The Online Education Advantage

Choosing an online program for your degree reduces tuition costs and cuts out many secondary expenses, like transportation and campus housing fees. Getting an online healthcare degree allows you to make significant contributions to improving individual and family health outcomes. This mode of education also offers the flexibility needed to work while you study, maintaining a steady flow of income as you progress academically. By learning online, you save financially and advance your career without putting your professional life on hold.

Save on College-Related Expenses

You can effectively reduce your college expenses by selecting used or digital textbooks over new ones, which can offer considerable savings. Consider residing off-campus in more affordable accommodations or explore shared housing options to further cut costs. Utilizing public transportation or arranging carpools diminishes your commuting expenses and contributes to your overall financial management. Every conscious choice to spend less directly decreases your dependency on borrowed funds.

Earn While You Learn

Securing a part-time job while attending school is a time-tested method for managing college expenses. Employment provides a steady income and helps build a strong work ethic and valuable time management skills. Many colleges offer work-study programs that can connect you with jobs related to your field of study, which not only helps cover your expenses but also enriches your educational experience and builds professional networks.

Understand Loan Literacy

Before taking out any student loans, you must fully understand all your options and their long-term implications. This includes knowing the difference between federal and private loans, interest rates, repayment terms, and how your future earning potential could affect your repayment plan. Being informed helps you make wise decisions about how much to borrow and the best type of loan for your situation, ensuring you are not overburdened by debt post-graduation.

While the threat of student debt may loom, adopting a strategic and creative approach to managing your education finances can significantly ease this burden. By tapping into various income streams, you set yourself on a trajectory toward academic excellence and fiscal stability. Fully commit to these strategies to ensure that your degree pursuit is not just about personal enrichment but also establishes a solid financial foundation. This will bolster your career prospects and support your ambitions beyond graduation.

Article written by Christopher Haymon, chris@adultingdigest.com

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