Juana Baumgartner | AFM

Beyond Pay Stubs: Personal Loans for Self-Employed with Bank Statements Only

Securing a personal loan can be challenging for the self-employed, even when their businesses are thriving. Traditional lenders often rely on W-2s and consistent pay stubs, documents that simply don’t exist for freelancers, contractors, and small business owners. The good news is that the lending landscape has evolved, and there are now viable avenues to secure personal loans for self-employed with bank statements only, which serve as direct proof of income and cash flow.

The Self-Employed Lending Hurdle

For salaried individuals, lenders assess risk based on two years of W-2s and recent pay stubs. Self-employed applicants face scrutiny because their income is often variable, tied to business expenses, and sometimes optimized for tax efficiency (which can make net income appear low).

Lenders who accept bank statements are looking beyond the tax return’s bottom line. They are focusing on gross deposits and cash flow stability to determine repayment ability.

Types

Business Finance

Cracking the Code: Calculating Break-Even Point for a Multi-Product Service Business

December 1, 2025December 12, 2025 - by Juana Baumgartner

For a multi-product service business, understanding when revenues will finally cover costs is critical for survival and growth. Unlike single-product businesses, which have a straightforward break-even calculation, a service provider with a diverse offering faces a more complex challenge. Successfully calculating the break-even point for a multi-product service business requires accounting for varying prices, cost structures, and sales mixes across different services. It’s a vital tool for strategic pricing, resource allocation, and identifying profitability.

The Core Concept: Break-Even Point (BEP)

The break-even point is the level of sales (either in units or revenue) at which total costs (fixed and variable) equal total revenue, resulting in zero profit.

Fixed Costs (FC): Costs that don’t change with the volume of services provided (e.g., rent, salaries, insurance).
Variable Costs (VC): Costs that vary directly with the volume of services (e.g., materials for a service, hourly wages directly tied to service delivery, commission).
Contribution

Personal Finance

Maximizing the Marathon: Best Index Funds for a Roth IRA for Beginners in Their 20s

November 26, 2025December 12, 2025 - by Juana Baumgartner

Starting a Roth IRA in your 20s is one of the most powerful financial decisions you can make, thanks to the decades of tax-free growth it offers. For beginners, the best investment strategy is simple, low-cost, and diversified—qualities perfectly embodied by index funds. Choosing the right index funds allows you to capture the market’s long-term returns without the stress of stock picking.

For young investors, the goal is maximum growth with minimal expense.

The Beginner’s Investment Philosophy: Growth & Simplicity

When you’re decades away from retirement, you have a high risk tolerance and the advantage of time to recover from market downturns. This means your portfolio should be heavily weighted towards stocks (equities) rather than bonds (a common allocation for those in their 20s is $\text{90\%}$ or more in stocks).

1. Prioritize Low Expense Ratios (ERs)

The single most important factor is the cost. An expense ratio (ER)…

Money

Direct Relief: Emergency Loans for Bad Credit (Direct Lenders Only, No Brokers)

November 20, 2025December 12, 2025 - by Juana Baumgartner

An unexpected financial crisis—a sudden car repair, a medical bill, or an urgent home repair—demands immediate action. For individuals with less-than-perfect credit, this emergency often leads to a frantic search for fast cash. The market is saturated with brokers who add fees and complexity. The safest, most transparent route to secure an emergency loan for bad credit is by working exclusively with direct lenders only, no brokers. This approach simplifies the process, often speeds up funding, and limits unnecessary costs.

Why Choose a Direct Lender?

The distinction between a direct lender and a broker is critical when your credit is compromised:

Direct Lender: A financial institution that handles the entire loan process in-house, from application and underwriting to funding and repayment collection. You deal with one entity.
Broker: A third party that gathers your application and sells your information to a network of lenders. This process can lead to

Business Finance

Fueling Growth: Invoice Factoring vs. Business Line of Credit for Small Business Cash Flow

November 11, 2025December 12, 2025 - by Juana Baumgartner

Managing cash flow is the perpetual challenge for small business owners. When expenses are due but client payments are 30, 60, or 90 days out, businesses need quick, reliable access to working capital. Two popular and distinct solutions are invoice factoring and a business line of credit. Understanding the core difference between these methods—one is selling an asset, the other is borrowing money—is crucial for choosing the right tool to stabilize and accelerate your small business cash flow.

Invoice Factoring: Selling an Asset

Invoice factoring (or accounts receivable financing) is the sale of your outstanding customer invoices to a third-party financier (the factor) at a discount.

How it Works: You generate an invoice, sell it to the factor for typically 80% to 90% of its value upfront, and receive the rest (minus fees) once the customer pays the factor.
Best For: Companies with reliable, creditworthy B2B or B2G clients