Opinion Topics

Asset Management

Invest in Your Company, Not Depreciable Assets

As the owner of a business, you need to take that same viewpoint when you are looking at investing in assets. Every business has a value and it does not matter which valuation method you use to determine it. Some... read more

May 2018

Best Practices

The Importance of ‘Day after Tomorrow’ Thinking for Equipment Financing

Most executives spend their time dealing with the issues they are facing today. Some are focused on the near-term, meaning the next 12-24 months. But very few spend enough time thinking about the long-term future or engaging in “day after... read more

November 2017

Credit / Underwriting

Automation Bringing New Norms to Small Ticket Equipment Financing

When I was a kid, people smoked on airplanes. When I was in college and flying to Europe on a regular basis to visit my girlfriend, now wife, airlines began introducing “non-smoking” flights. It was an awkward transition. But today... read more

December 2015

Equipment Sector

Shift to Digital Imperative as Competition Grows More Intense

By and large, 2017 has been a positive year so far for the vendor equipment finance industry. We’re seeing solid year over year performance, as well as an optimism among industry leaders that hasn’t been felt for a number of... read more

August 2017

Lease Accounting

Banks Will Be Cast Adrift If Their Loan Origination Systems Aren’t Up to Scratch

Banks are beginning to prepare for the biggest accounting change in living memory. Because the current system of financial reporting was too slow to recognize losses on loan and debt securities during the financial crisis, the global accounting framework for... read more

May 2017

Legal

Don’t Get Blinded by a Lessor’s Fraud

Periodically in the equipment leasing industry, cases crop up involving schemes in which equipment is marketed as being essentially “free,” because the lessee will supposedly receive payments for advertising on the equipment, in an amount roughly the same as the... read more

March 2015

Management

What White-Collar Employers Are Forgetting About the New Overtime Rules

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) — it isn’t just for blue-collar workers anymore. Starting December 1 of this year, any employee who is paid less than $47,476 per year — even full-time, salaried workers — could be eligible for... read more

November 2016

Of Interest

100% Depreciation and Aircraft Personal Use

Can a prospective aircraft owner benefit from claiming 100% “bonus depreciation” even though the owner expects to fly the aircraft for personal use? Yes, with limitations and careful structuring under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). However, in doing so, it... read more

March 2018

Performance Improvement

Leveraging Bank Referral Programs to Enhance Originations

With 78% of businesses using financing to acquire equipment according to a recent Equipment Leasing and Financing Association study, it’s more important than ever for equipment leasing companies to stay ahead of the competition and look for ways to grow... read more

February 2017

Pricing / Structuring

Planning a Financial Structure that Anticipates Change

When you think about putting together a finance structure that accommodates changes in the economy, there are a number of factors you need to take into consideration. Those include asset cost, equipment specification trends, used asset values, inflation, changes in... read more

September 2017

Sales / Marketing

Examining Sales Commission Plans and Pricing

In my role as CEO of Ivory Consulting, I visit with many of our customers and attend quite a few industry events every year. During 2017 I noticed several CEO’s talking about revising or improving their commission plans for their... read more

January 2018

Technology

A Look Ahead at Equipment Finance in 2018

2017 was an impressive and successful year for the equipment financing industry, with a 4% YTD increase in new business volume and a projected 4.3% expansion in equipment and software investment in Q4/17. As 2017 comes to a close, it’s... read more

December 2017

Recent Articles

What is the State of California Up To? Proposed Amendments Harmful to Business

Andrew K. Alper

May/June 2018

The California Financing Law contained in Division 9 of the California Financial Code, commencing with §22000, requires licensing and regulation of finance lenders and brokers making and brokering consumer and commercial loans, except as specified. It prohibits misrepresentations, fraudulent and... read more

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The New Definition of Success: Evolving Vendor/Captive Finance for a Fintech Future

Patricia M. Voorhees