Once you start talking about business, it is almost impossible not to talk your cash flow. It is very strategic, play a vital role in the activities or operations. Even in the household even though the individual level, cash flow problems is not escaped from the subject of conversation. Controlling your cash flow meaning that determine the profit and cost of your business.

On the individual level, for example when the calendar is showing old date, many people who complain about their money that describe how the money is held in hand is low, while expenditure to meet the requirements can not be stopped.
These type of person have problems in managing personal cash flow. Smart people always manage their cash flow, they always counting the money should come out and for what are the expenses.

If the requirement can be suspended, so he does not need to spend money to buy it today. That way, his cash flow is always maintained and the main requirements (principal) can be met. Some resources could help you take care your cash flow issues, but if funding is your main concern, check out businessgrant.com, they might give you better solution.

Cash flow are very important, a businessman likens the cash flow is the king in the company, not the CEO or board of directors or board of Commissioners. The reason is simple, cash flow is the one who determines the course of the company, living off the company, not the CEO, directors and or commissioners.

If no cash flow, the directors will not be able to do anything. Any smart CEO or board of directors, and any sophisticated planning and expansion to be done, if not supported by a healthy cash flow, then its nothing.

Some classic issues such as balance sheet and income statement that usually occurs during financial statement reporting are also important issues. Yet, despite these two things important in the financial statements, but it is also very important to consider the problem in cash flows statement. Cash flow is the part that should not be missed.

Then what is the connection between money and loan? As we know the most common things we do to get money is by selling things, either its selling goods or selling your service or skill. But then come other needs that requires huge amount of money, needs such as go to college (student loan) or for funding your business. These kind of needs could be solve with loans, but do remember the calculation of it, and make sure you’re able to pay it back. Some medical or health issues also could raise loans as well, so make sure you do have some medicare supplement that cover your health insurance.

By its urgency loans could be categorized in two which are urgent loans and long term loans. For urgent loans, usually being use for business capitalization, which would be return when the consumer pay their debs, while in long term loans, most cases is for long term plan such as student loan, and auto loan. The paper work for getting loan right now are not as complicated as you thought, these days many services such as Cash Advance offers its fast loan, with less efforts. So lets have a look at loans sources.

There are several ways to get loans, categorized by the sources, below are some of it:
1. Family or relatives
Loans to families so have the risks and sometimes can make the uneasy feeling. To solve the problem loaners should do careful calculation and pay it on time also understand the term and condition from the lenders. On paying it, it could be it several installments, or directly. This type of loan source consider to be the most easiest and got many benefit, cause its from your own family or relatives, usually there are no interest charged.

2. Friends
The second source is from friends. Your fellow friends could be loaners alternative, but for getting it, you probably will be ask on the purpose or objectivity on what you’re going to do with the loan. Lending from friends usually for urgent loans which doesn’t require any paperwork.

3. Non formal institution
Typically, make loans to non-formal institutions that used to make loans often require collateral. For these type of loans are usually lenders must provide reasonable sufficient interest for both parties. The interest itself can be higher than prevailing interest rates even slightly higher than the interest rate on non-formal institutions.

4. Credit card
Credit card could be an alternative for lenders, its fast and doesn’t require much paperwork as well, and of course could be paid in installments as well. But always consider on the interest, most of credit card giving high interest, not to mention their administration fee.

5. Formal institution
Some formal institution of course is the last loan sources, and some of them requires collateral. It is considerable choosing this type of loan sources, especially for long term loan. Ideally the interest should be less then your profit, so you’ll be able to pay the installment.

Promotion is a form of activity to introduce products or goods, in order to notify consumer the virtues and benefits of the product, with the main goal of attracting consumers to buy the products. Promotion must not be done just once, but continuously, even though the goods have been purchased. The goal, namely to increase the number of customers, increase revenue and quantity of goods sold. Several ways such as giving discount and promotion ads with media such as Amsterdam Printing promotional products are just an example of promotion strategy, find out more about it below.

There are several ways of promotion strategy that often used by people to attract buyers, which are:
1. Discounts.
Yup, whose not interested of discount or sale sticking into a product? I guess no one, at least take a peep of it. Methods of promotion with this discount is mostly done by the shop owners to attract buyers. How, by providing discounts on a particular product, or even the whole product that is in his shop.

2. Credit.
Goods are sold at high prices certainly will burden consumers. They become frustrated to buy. But, if goods can be purchased with installments, it will greatly facilitate the buyers and attract them.

3. Provision of samples.
These type of promotion is also the most exciting consumer interest. Consumers are given an example / sample products to make them more familiar with and know the details of the product. Usually, this means promotions made ​​to introduce food products / beverages or certain cosmetics.

4. The exhibition.
Promotional activities conducted through the exhibition and bazaar to introduce products to the public. Typically, coupled with cheap sales or discounts.

5. Sweepstakes and coupons.
How, by providing a kind of ticket or paper sheet that is filled with names and IDs to consumers, then within a certain period of coupons that have been collected randomly selected to determine the winner will qualify for the prize.

6. Ads.
Through the media, both print and electronic media, or even through advertisements in the streets through which many people, expected to attract customers. The ads could be placed in a cup or notebook, or any other places that could be easily reach as well.

7. Sponsor.
This method is usually used by companies to show the greatness or how big the company or the product being used by consumer, by paying back in a way of contributing to certain activities such as sponsoring sports event, etc.

* Nominal Value (Face Value) is the principal of a bond’s value to be received by holders of bonds on the bond matures.
* Coupon (the Interest Rate) is the value of interest received by the bondholders (the prevalence of bond coupon payments are every 3 or 6 months) Coupon bonds are expressed in annual percentages.
* Maturity (Maturity) is the date when the bondholders will receive principal payment or the value of the bond. The maturity date of the bond varies from 365 days to more than 5 years. Bonds that will mature within one year will be easier to predict, so have the risks are smaller than the bonds that have maturity period within 5 years. In general, the longer the maturity of a bond, the higher the coupon / interest.
* Publisher / Issuer (Issuer) Knowing the bond issuer is a very important factor in bond investing. Measuring the risk / likelihood of publishers bond can not make a payment coupon or principal amount on time (called default risk) can be seen from the rankings (ratings).

Instead of Bonds, some sort of other investments such as real estate investment are considerable as well. Real Estate business have been rapidly increase and showing a good prospect for long investment. Thus if you got issues of budget, you could get loan which could sort your things.

Unlike the stock price is expressed in the form of currency, bond prices expressed in percentages (%), ie the percentage of its nominal value.
There are 3 (three) possible market price of the bond issue, namely:
* Par Bond’s price equal to the nominal value
* At a premium: Bond prices greater than face value
* At discount: Bond prices lower than the nominal value

Yield Bonds:
Income or yield, or return to be derived from investment expressed as a yield bonds, which results to be obtained if the investors put their funds to buy bonds. Before deciding to invest in bonds, investors should consider the amount of bond yields, as a gauge factor of annual returns will be accepted.

There are 2 (two) terms in determining the yield of current yield and yield to maturity.
*Current yield is the yield calculated based on number of coupons received during one year to the price of the bonds.
* Meanwhile yield to maturity (YTM) is the rate of return or income that would be obtained if the investor has a bond until maturity.

Bonds has several different types, namely as below:
1) Judging from the publishers:
a) Corporate Bonds: Bonds issued by companies, either in the form of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), or private entities.
b) Government Bonds: Bonds issued by the central government.
c) Municipal Bond: Bond issued by local governments to finance projects related to public interest (public utility).

2) Judging from the interest payment systems:
a) Zero Coupon Bonds: Bond does not make periodic interest payments. However, interest and principal payable at maturity at the same time.
b) Coupon Bonds: bonds with coupons that can be cashed periodically in accordance with the provisions of the publisher.
c) Fixed Coupon Bonds: bonds with a coupon rate of interest that have been established before the bidding in the primary market and will be paid periodically.
d) Floating Coupon Bonds: bonds with a coupon interest rate is determined before that time period, based on a reference (benchmark) such as average time deposit (ATD) is a weighted average interest rate of deposits from private banks and the government.

3) Viewed from the right of redemption / option:
a) Convertible Bonds: Bonds which entitles the bondholders to convert bonds into a number of shares owned by the publisher.
b) Exchangeable Bonds: Bonds which entitles the bondholders to exchange shares of the company into the number of shares of the issuer’s affiliated companies.
c) Callable Bonds: Bonds which entitles the issuer to buy back the bonds at a specified price over the life of the bonds.
d) Putable Bonds: bonds that give investors the right to require the issuer to buy back the bonds at a specified price over the life of the bonds.

4) In terms of guarantees or collateral
a) Secured Bonds: Bonds are secured by a specific property of the issuer or with any other third party guarantees. In this group, which includes:
- Guaranteed Bonds: Bonds are interest and principal repayment guarantee from a third party with guarantee
- Mortgage Bonds: Bond interest and principal repayment is secured by collateral mortgages on the property or fixed assets.
- Collateral Trust Bonds: Bonds are secured by securities owned by the publisher in its portfolio, for example, shares owned subsidiary.
b) Unsecured Bonds: Bonds are not secured by a specific property but the property secured by the issuer in general.

5) In terms of nominal value
a. Conventional Bonds: Bonds are commonly bought and sold in a single nominal, $ 1 billion per one lot.
b. Retail Bonds: Bonds that are traded in units of small nominal value, both corporate bonds and government bonds.

6) In terms of the yield calculation:
a. Conventional Bonds: Bonds are to be reckoned by using the coupon system.
b. Shariah Bonds: Bond yield calculation using the calculation for results. In this calculation there are two kinds of Islamic bonds, namely:
- Bonds Mudharabah Sharia is Islamic bonds that use profit-sharing agreement so that the income earned on bond investors are aware of income earned after the issuer.
- Syariah Ijarah bonds are Islamic bonds that use lease contract so that the coupon is fixed, and can be known / considered since the beginning of bonds issued

Next articles, lets discuss about bonds characteristic.