About The Barlow Finance Institute
The Barlow Finance Institute was started because owners usually first deal with business funding at the worst possible time, such as a slow month, a tax bill or a supplier deadline, and are handed a sales pitch when they needed an explanation.
This is the reference we wanted and couldn't find: what each product is, its cost in dollars and in APR-equivalent, what the wording in the agreement means, and when each option makes sense. Banks, SBA, lines of credit and advances are all laid out in one table using the same columns.
We check each explainer against current funder agreements and public sources before it goes live, and every one starts with a direct answer and shows both a published and an updated date. Nothing here calls an advance a loan, presents a figure as an offer, or promises approval.
Each calculator runs the same math an underwriter would and shows every step. What they produce is only an illustration, since the only terms that apply to you are the ones in an agreement you sign.
How we are paid
When a request we refer gets funded, the funding partner pays The Barlow Finance Institute. It costs readers nothing to read, apply or get options. Partners drop referrers whose files perform poorly, so what we care about is fit rather than a sale, and that is why the site tells you directly when a bank is the better choice.
Our network
The Our funding partners and marketing partners form an exclusive network that Barlow Finance Institute works with. Those partners may receive your information from us once you submit a request, so they can evaluate and present funding options. None of your information is sold by us for unrelated purposes.
- Answer first
- Each explainer starts with a direct answer of two or three sentences, and the detail follows. Question headings become the page's FAQ.
- Costs in two currencies
- We always show a factor rate alongside its dollar cost and its APR-equivalent over the stated term. Ranges are labelled as ranges.
- Categories, not companies
- We compare types of funding, such as bank term loans, SBA 7(a), lines of credit and advances, but never specific lenders.
- Dated and maintained
- Every page shows the date it was first published and the date it was last updated. We update the page whenever products or the law change. Let us know if anything here has gone stale.
Corrections
Found something out of date or wrong? Email contact@barlowfinanceinstitute.com. When we correct something, we note it on the page.
Want to see how your own numbers come out?
Send one request with three months of statements and get options from our network of funding partners in plain dollars, or a straight answer that a bank would serve you better.