Loans

In a previous post I discussed various options that people use to send money and remittances to their family. The primary method that is used is Western Union, though more and more people have been considering Paypal due to their extensive advertising campaigns attempting to become a popular choice for remittences.

When you send money through Paypal, Paypal reviews the transaction to determine whether or not they think that its legitimate. If its going to an old account that has been around for years, in most cases they assume its good and let it go through. However, if the recipient is a new user, they often place excessive holds on the funds, resulting in huge delays. The average delay is 180 days, because Paypal feels that 6 months is an appropriate amount of time for people to wait.

Is it an appropriate amount of time to wait? Of course not. If your relatives are expecting to receive a payment, they don’t expect to wait 6 months for it, while still paying Paypal’s ridiculous fees. Whats worse, Paypal often then makes ridiculous demands for ID and other personal information. If you fail to provide that information within a few days, they permanently freeze your account and seize your funds.

To read more about how Paypal scams their customers, I recommend reading an excellent post on a blog that we frequently read: http://prevent-id-theft.org/?p=59

So before you consider using Paypal to send funds to family or friends, be sure that you’re aware that they’ll likely never receive them!

Pressured print media may be signing their own death warrants by raising the cost of advertising.

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photo credit: badjonni

One of my newsletter members recently asked if using a list broker was a good source of marketing leads to attract private lenders and, if so, how is it done. The answer is yes but with several precautions.

Precautions

It is important to understand that I strongly recommend that marketing for private lenders is done on a local and low key way. I do not recommend any sort of website advertising or newspaper advertising because it can be viewed as a solicitation to an unsophisticated investor and attract calls from your state’s SEC. You do not want one of these calls!

The SEC and state authorities monitor Craig’s List and other similar bulletin boards for people doing unauthorized advertising for private lenders. (more…)

photo credit: gcoldironjr2003

Private Lending Topic – I have received a number of email questions recently on very similar issues and thought I would address them as a group versus individual emails. The questions are broken down into general areas and include things to do and things not to do. The Don’ts include advertising on Craig’s List and the use of the word “Guarantee”. The Do’s include what are the best marketing methods. My comments on each are below….

Don’ts

Private Lending Advertising on Craig List – I do not recommend that you advertise on Craig List. It is too public and there are state and federal watchdogs looking for people who may be violating securities rules. I have said on many occasions that I do not recommend any advertising that is on a national scale including your own web site. This kind of advertising will get you into trouble with securities regulators and may be considered a securities offering to the public.

I know this from personal experience. Several years ago a person responded to my Craig’s List ad requesting information about my investment program. After several emails, the individual said he was ready to invest and I directed him to my title company to prepare the appropriate documents. Strangely, I never heard from the individual again after that. (more…)