There has been much talk about the potential changes to the Autism Diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) when the updated, fifth version is published (the projected date of publication is May of 2013). One of the expected changes is to combine several disorders including, Autism,Asperger’s Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) into one category called Autism Spectrum Disorder. Although this change concerns some people, most people in the fields of medicine, community services and education already lump these diagnoses together.The major concern is over the potential changes to the specific criteria that people will have to meet to receive the official diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the current manual, a person can qualify for the diagnosis by exhibiting six or more of 12 specified behaviors. The proposed changes to the criteria narrow the field; a person would have to exhibit three or more deficits in social interaction and communication and exhibit at least two repetitive behaviors. The fear is that this will leave out a large group of people who are considered high functioning (including a huge portion of children with the current diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS). Currently, scientific, trial testing of the new criteria is under way and this data will be used to make final recommendations.Although changes to the diagnosis will likely affect service delivery in the medical field and the community services field they are not projected to make significant changes in the education field because qualification for special education is not based on a particular diagnosis but on educational needs. Currently the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines the educational category of Autism as “a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.” Each state has their own interpretation of this law so it is worthwhile to search for your state’s educational definition of Autism.Some people fear that a change to the official DSM diagnosis will give school districts a way to stop or decrease services for certain students who currently qualify for services. If schools attempt to do this, many experts believe that children who are on the higher functioning end of the Autism spectrum may still qualify for special education under the category of Other Health Impaired. It is also important to note that a school district cannot discontinue providing a service such as Speech Therapy or Occupational Therapy unless the child exhibits significant improvement and there is no longer a need for remediation in that area.
Get a Payday Loan If You Do Not Qualify For Your Bad Credit Car Loan
Say you need transportation – a car, and you do not have any cash to make the down payment. Transportation is essential, and so you need to avail it. Getting a guaranteed car loan with little or no cash, and poor credit ratings as well as low credit scores might make you feel buying your car might be next to impossible. Well, the fact is if your financial conditions are not good, you can still avail your car finance and buy your vehicle. One of the options available is the payday loan. It is not that difficult to get such a loan. You need to prepare for the loan by getting some information as to how the loan works, and what the credit facility is all about. The following tries to provide some information regarding payday loans.What are Payday loans?As the name implies, payday loans are temporary credit facilities, which can be availed against your monthly pay. The process includes three easy steps, before you can get the cash. Individuals having poor credit ratings can also apply for payday loans. The main processes involved are:o First of all, it is required to fill up the online application form. Information like the applicants address, contact number, present employment details, monthly income, and bank details need to be mentioned within the online application. Once the form is filled up, it is important to submit it in the proper way as specified by the company.o Once the form is submitted, the system tries to match your application details with appropriate loan providers and credit lenders, who usually support car loan for bad credit. The system also determines the probability of you getting the loan based upon your current credit ratings and scores, and prepares a list of probable moneylenders.o It is recommended you check out the list for what kind of interest rates lenders offer to the applicants. The rates keep on varying up to a certain extent depending upon the creditor, and the same happens with the terms and conditions associated with the loan. So it is advisable to choose your lender wisely, by working out the net payable interest using the online calculators generally provided by the lenders website. The information specific to the loan, its rate of interest and the clauses included within the terms and conditions can be obtained from the creditors portal. Once you decide upon your creditor, you might be asked to provide some additional information by your creditor for verification purposes. Some lenders call the bank or the employer to verify the authenticity of the application.Loan approval, disbursement, and turnaround timeOnce the loan is approved, the money gets electronically deposited in the bank account specified in the form. The process can take from a couple of hours to 48 hours depending on the creditor. Usually lenders supporting bad credit auto loan also support payday loans as a car buying option and generally deposit the credit within 24 hours. However, it is important to work out the specifics associated with the credit facility provided before giving the final confirmation to the loan provider. On your next payday after the loan disbursement, the actual loan amount and the interest charged will be debited from your bank account – the same account in which the loan credit is deposited. The process occurs in a predefined manner, and so manual activity is required on the part of the borrower to redeem the loan. Upon successful redemption, it is possible to again avail the payday loan from the same lender.Using payday loans to buy your carGetting bad credit car loans can be difficult. Availing a car loan in the form of a payday loan can be a good option. Even though one can buy a new car, it turns out to be more beneficial to avail a used car, since used cars cost less and are easily afforded. Majority of the lenders support payday loans to buying second hand or used cars because the loan amount required is less. The main advantages of payday loans are:o They are easy to avail.o The processing time involved is very less.o The credit ratings and credit scores do not play such an important part in deciding the loan disbursement.o The interest charged is less compared to traditional auto loans since the turnaround time of the loan is very less.o Almost all lenders will provide a free quotation that does need any commitment from the applicant to proceed ahead with the loan once the application is approved. The applicant has the option to reject the application if he or she happens to find a better loan provided. However, the loan application needs to be canceled before the disbursement is carried out.
Alternative Financing Vs. Venture Capital: Which Option Is Best for Boosting Working Capital?
There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.
In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.
But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.
Different Types of Financing
One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.
Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.
But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.
Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.
Alternative Financing Solutions
But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:
1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.
2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.
3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.
In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:
It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.
A Precious Commodity
Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).
Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.
Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?