Over the last year, I have seen a dramatic rise in “hard Money” lending not only among investors, but by friends and family of investors. Almost all are doing so without understanding there are rules and risks with lending. To understand these rules and risks, we’ll start with defining lending terms.

Private lending is any loan between a borrower and a non-institutional lender. This could be a loan from your father for the purchase of a car or education. Private loans can be unsecured or secured on things like vehicles, personal property or inventory. Private loans are generally not regulated.

Hard Money lending is a private loan that is secured on a hard asset like real estate through a trust deed. Also, these loans are often referred to as “mortgage” loans. Mortgage loans are regulated. And may require a license to provide!

A closed-end mortgage is a loan for a fixed principal amount that is paid down, like most mortgages you think of. An open-e
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"The only way around is through." - Robert Frost

With unemployment numbers through the roof (officially at 14.7 %, though the real numbers are likely to be  Read More...

It feels to me that we're all in need of some good news.

I have some great news for the young (ish) and the old (ish), but before I get there, I'd like to encourage EVERY person who is reading this:

Keep your head in the game.

Yes -- we can so easily get caught up in seemingly nefarious schemes on every side. Whether you are Team ReOpen or Team StayLockedDown ... there are data points and new stories plentifully available to bolster your case.

But what are you doing about what YOU can control?

That's the game right now.

Many people receive these emails that I send out. But of all of them, in point of fact, there might be only a small handful that have actual power to enact change by influencing minds or implementing action.<
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Anytime (like now) that there is a rollout of government assistance, you can count on two things:

1)    Bumps in the road (it's hard to manage many millions of people needing help)

2)    SCAMS

I haven't yet heard of any of my clients or friends being taken in by this stuff, but I did want to alert you to this dynamic.

How to make sure your check is the right check.

Most of the Economic Impact Payments (i.e. stimulus checks) have been direct deposited by now. So if you have NOT received it, you might want to check the status using the tool the IRS has set up here:

https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments

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I'd like to simplify things for you today.

There is so. much. noise. right now about how to survive (even thrive) in the midst of this very difficult season.

"Pivot" they say.

And yes, if you are running a business, these times call for a bit of a shift. Only a very small amount of businesses haven't been affected in some serious way by this ongoing crisis, and if you need somebody else to tell you to pivot at this point, chances are good that you are already in trouble.

I've already been writing to my clients a great deal about this dynamic, and I hope you have been finding these messages helpful. We will continue to be out in front on these matters, simply because things are constantly changing, and we are uncovering new information and new benefits (and how to receive them).

It's all getting very complicated.

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