Soccer players talk retirement: '10 years of my life went into the abyss'

Retirement can be daunting for everyone, but it’s even more challenging for former athletes to adjust to ‘normal life’ and a loss of identity. Five former players tell ESPN about their difficult transitions.

The post Soccer players talk retirement: '10 years of my life went into the abyss' appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

Texas man with 'one of the most extensive' child pornography collections sentenced to 30 years in prison

A Texas man was sentenced to three decades in federal prison after pleading guilty to receiving and possessing hundreds of thousands of pornographic pictures and videos of children.

Scott Thomas Provost, 64, was convicted in January of receipt and possession of child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani via FOX 26 Houston. Provost had more than 300,000 images and 6,000 videos of obscene material involving children in his possession.

With the exception of 22 months, Provost was sentenced to 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge David Hittner, according to court records. He will also serve 10 years of supervised release when he is released.

Provost will be required to register as a sex offender and will have to pay restitution, which will be determined at a later date, to identify victims, the outlet reported.

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He will also have to comply with requirements restricting his access to children and the internet.

“Provost amassed one of the most extensive collections of child pornography videos and images we have seen in this district,” Hamdani said. “Each and every one of the files he had in his possession represents significant trauma and suffering to real children. Today’s sentence demonstrates our commitment to stop those who partake and assist others in viewing child pornography and the continued cycle of abuse these children endure.”

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According to FOX 26, law enforcement learned of Provost after he was identified as a user of a peer-to-peer network that uses a centralized data store to maintain and deliver information without concerns of censorship.

During a search at Provost’s home in January 2022, authorities discovered nearly four terabytes of pornography, including many downloaded images of child pornography stored on his personal hard drives.

According to court records, forensic analysis showed Provost had 6,718 videos and 313,356 images containing child sexual assault material – some involving children under 12, including infants and toddlers. Many of the images showed young children in bondage and other forms of violence, officials said.

“This is, by far, the largest recovery of child pornographic material by investigators in our FBI Bryan office,” FBI Special Agent in Charge James Smith said. “This individual is one of the worst purveyors of child porn our agents have seen – it was his daily obsession. Unfortunately, with the ever-increasing number of online images depicting sexual abuse of children and an ever-increasing amount of online activity by people seeking to contact them, Provost’s arrest and sentence doesn’t cure the rampant epidemic that is the sexual exploitation of our children.”

Provost will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.

Michigan couple welcomes 1st baby girl born into the family after 138 years of boys: 'Utter shock'

A Michigan couple is seeing pink as they welcomed a baby girl named Audrey in March, ending a 138-year streak of only boys being born into the family.

When Carolyn and Andrew Clark of Caledonia, Michigan, held their “gender reveal” party, they weren’t expecting any big surprises.

Andrew Clark had informed his wife before they married 10 years ago that they would not be having a girl — due to a long line of male-dominated births in his family.

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“I didn’t believe him because it’s a 50/50 chance of having a boy or a girl,” Carolyn Clark, 36, told Fox News Digital.

“So when he told me that, I just thought he was kidding,” she added.

Carolyn Clark said that the next time she saw her husband’s parents, she decided to get to the bottom of the family’s abundance of male births.

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“They told me, ‘Oh yeah, this is a real thing,” Carolyn Clark said. 

“My father-in-law pulled out some family tree to show me.”

Carolyn Clark said there was one name on the family tree — the person who was apparently the last girl to be born in the family. 

The family member’s birth year was 1885. 

“I said, ‘This does not seem right. I’ve never heard of this happening before,” Carolyn Clark recalled.

But there was more proof.

KENTUCKY WOMAN WITH OVER 230 GREAT-GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN MEETS GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDCHILD: SEE THE PHOTO

“My grandpa was really big into our genealogy,” Andrew Clark, 34, told Fox News Digital. 

“So, he traced it back and found all the birth certificates and marriage certificates and death certificates.”

And when the couple had their son Cameron, 4, it seemed that history was repeating itself, Carolyn Clark said. 

“I thought, ‘It must be true. His brothers only have boys as well, so I guess this is actually real.'”

Having all boys isn’t necessarily a point of pride in the Clark family, Andrew Clark said. 

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“It was just a crazy fact that kept occurring in our lives,” he said.

Still, every time someone in the family was having a baby, there was always a glimmer of hope that the child would be a girl.

“Even when we were biting into the cookie for our gender reveal, we were just expecting it to be blue,” Carolyn Clark said. 

The Clarks invited their family over to bite into cookies to reveal whether they’d be welcoming a boy or a girl. 

Carolyn Clark said she, her husband and their loved ones were in “utter shock” when they learned the streak would be broken (SEE THE VIDEO at the top of this article).

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“My sister-in-law and I were always saying, ‘There has to be a girl at some point, whether it’s us or maybe our boys will have a daughter at some point.’ So when we bit into [the cookie], I looked at her like, ‘Is this pink?’ And she freaked out.”

Carolyn Clark said she wondered if Audrey’s birth might pave the way for future Clark girls.

KENTUCKY WOMAN WITH OVER 230 GREAT-GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN MEETS GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDCHILD: SEE THE PHOTO

“We were happy either way,” she said. 

“We just wanted a healthy baby and it was just the icing on that cake that it was a girl. Andrew’s brother and his wife are wanting more kids,” she said — and added that she hoped it “gives my sister-in-law hope that it can be done.”

Before little Audrey was born, the Clarks had suffered a miscarriage, which is why the couple has called their brand-new daughter a “rainbow baby.”

A rainbow baby is a baby born after a loss due to miscarriage, infant death, stillbirth or neonatal death, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

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“Rainbow babies are considered ‘miracle’ babies due to the powerful impact they can have on helping parents heal after a loss,” the organization wrote on its website.

Carolyn Clark had been scheduled to be induced on March 16, but Audrey had other plans and arrived on the morning of the 17th — St. Patrick’s Day. 

“We just thought that was super special that she is our rainbow baby, and she came on the day of celebrating luck,” mom Carolyn Clark said. 

“So, she’s kind of our lucky charm.”

Top Options for $20k Loans If Your Company Has Been In Business for 3 Years or More

When we talk about building business credit and fundability, we do so with an end in mind. If you start working the process from the beginning, by the time you have been in business for 3 years or more you will have access to all the business funding you’ll need. That includes $20k loans or even higher.

Options for $20k Loans

If you follow the steps in order and handle credit responsibly, by the time you have reached this point you will be eligible for the best rates and terms available.

What are these options available to companies that have been in business for 3 years or more?

Term Loans

Banks are often the first place we think of when we consider financing. Yet, big banks only sign off on about 25% of the small business loan applications that come their way. Term loans often have lower interest rates than many other funding options. They also tend to be for higher loan amounts.

Generally speaking, the companies banks end up funding have:

  • Very strong financials and
  • Near-perfect credit scores
  • Owners with good personal credit
  • Collateral

You are more likely to meet these qualifications if you have at least 3 years in business and have been working on fundability and building business credit during that time.

Bridge Loans

A bridge loan is a short-term loan that a business or individual can use until they secure more permanent financing or remove an existing obligation. It allows the user to meet current obligations by providing immediate cash flow. Bridge loans are short term, up to one year. They have relatively high interest rates. Collateral such as equipment or inventory is common as well.

SBA Loans

Three years or more time in business will help make SBA loans a real possibility. It’ll be easier to get an SBA loan the longer you’re in business. This is because you can more easily show your business is established and making money consistently.

If you can show profitability and responsible credit and bank account management, your chances of getting an approval for an SBA loan will improve drastically.

SBA loans have great terms, so it’s worth it to work toward building eligibility.

SBA 504

The SBA 504 loan program is an economic development loan program that offers small businesses an avenue for business financing, while promoting business growth, and job creation.

This program provides approved small businesses with long-term, fixed-rate financing used to acquire fixed assets for expansion or modernization. Use it to buy currently existing buildings, construct new buildings, and more.

For corporations, anyone with a 20% ownership stake (or more) must fill out the application. This includes swearing they are not under indictment for any criminal offense. In general, the SBA provides 40% of the total project costs,  a participating lender covers up to 50% of the total project costs and the borrower contributes 10% of the project costs.

Under certain circumstances, a borrower may have to contribute up to 20% of the total project costs.

SBA 7(a)

This is the SBA’s most popular loan. The SBA guarantees 85% for loans up to $150,000 and 75% for loans greater than $150,000. The SBA makes the lending decision, but qualified lenders may be given authority to make credit decisions without SBA review.

Businesses must provide Articles of Organization, business licenses, documentation of lawsuits, judgments, bankruptcy, or other pertinent documentation. Also, lenders do not have to take collateral for loans up to $25,000.

For loans in excess of $350,000, the SBA requires that the lender collateralize the loan to the maximum extent possible up to the loan amount.

Online Lending

Online lending works well for those with less time in business, or in situations where traditional lenders will not work. Still, they will offer better terms and rates to those companies in business longer and with strong fundability. That means, it is best to not discount them even after you reach this point.

Some of our favorite online lenders are listed here.

After 3 Years in Business, $20k Loans May Not Be An Issue

If you are here looking for options for $20k loans for your business, and you have been in business for 3 years or more, you are probably going to be okay.  This is especially true if you have been working to build strong fundability and business credit as part of that.

If you are struggling to find $20k loans, start now building fundability, including strong business credit, and you’ll get there in no time.

The post Top Options for $20k Loans If Your Company Has Been In Business for 3 Years or More appeared first on Credit Suite.

How Can I Get a $10,000 Loan for My Business With 1 to 3 Years Operating

In terms of business funding, the longer you have been in business, the better. There are some nuances to this you may not expect however. How can you get a $10,000 loan for your business when you have only been operating for 1 to 3 years?

How Long Have You Really Been in Business?

You may not have been in business as long as you think. At least, not in the eyes of credit issuers.

For example, if you have been doing business as a sole proprietor, and then decide to incorporate, some credit issuers will consider the date the business began to be the date of incorporation. Another thing that can affect time in business in the eyes of a lender is the date you open your business bank account.

Many lenders require a separate, dedicated bank account for your business, and they consider the date the business began to be the date the bank account was opened.

How Does Time In Business Affect Funding?

Generally speaking, the longer you have been in business, the more funding you can get. And you can also get better terms and interest rates when you have been in business longer.

There are not as many funding options when you have only been in business a year or fewer as there are when you have been in business 2 years, 3 years, or more. The longer you are in business, the more financing choices you will have.

$10,000 Loan Options for Companies with 1 Year in Business

When you were in business for less than one year, your funding options were pretty limited. There are ways to get money, but few of them are actually loans. These include:

  • The Credit Line Hybrid
  • Retirement and Investment Financing
  • Angel Investors
  • Venture Capital
  • Crowdfunding
  • And grants

You have more choices for $10,000 loan options once you get beyond a year in business.  Still, the Credit Line Hybrid in particular is a good choice regardless.

Credit Line Hybrid

A credit line hybrid is a form of unsecured funding. With it, you can get interest rates as low as 0%.  It’s a credit card stacking program, and many of the cards report to business CRAs. This means, you can build business credit while funding your business.

You need a good credit score or a guarantor with good credit to get an approval. For the Credit Suite Credit Line Hybrid, this is a FICO score of at least 680. No financials required, and a $10,000 loan which this program is more than doable.  That is because often you can get a loan of up to $150,000.

Be aware, some cards may report on your personal credit. That means it can affect your personal credit score as well, so be sure you make your payments.

$10,000 Loan Options with 2 Years In Business

With another year in business, you can access the above funding types, plus you have the possibility of a few more. Here are some examples:

Business Revenue Lending

Although you can technically qualify with only one year in business, the annual revenue requirement is high enough that applying later may make more sense. With a similar basis for getting funding, business revenue lending can be considered a reasonable alternative.

This is a way to raise capital from investors who get a percentage of the enterprise’s ongoing gross revenues in exchange for money invested. In a revenue-based financing investment, investors get a regular share of business income until a predetermined amount is paid.

Often this predetermined amount is a multiple of the principal investment. It can be between 3 – 5 times the original amount invested. Since repayment of the loan is based on revenues,  the time it takes to repay the loan will fluctuate. The faster revenue grows, the quicker you’ll repay the loan, and vice versa.

The percentage of monthly revenues committed to repayment can be as high as 10%. Furthermore, monthly payments will fluctuate with revenue highs and lows and will continue until you’ve paid back the loan in full.

The terms for the Credit Suite business revenue lending program are:

  • You must be able to prove consistent revenue verifiable through bank statements
  • Loan Amounts from $5,000-$500,000
  • 3-36 month terms
  • 10-1.45%
  • 500 credit score or higher, with no recent bankruptcies
  • Annual business revenue of $120,000 or more per year
  • Or business must bring in at least $15,000 monthly revenue with 6 months’ time in business
  • In business for a year or more
  • The business must do more than 5 small transactions each month
  • Financial services industries are prohibited

Cash Flow Financing with Fundbox

Fundbox makes cash flow financing easy. All they need is information relating to business cash flow when deciding whether to approve. You can get a revolving line of credit for up to $100,000. Fundbox will auto debit your weekly payment from your bank account.

Even better, you don’t need to show a minimum personal credit score or minimum time in business. You pay in equal installments over the course of a 12 or 24 week plan, and available credit replenishes as you pay. There is no penalty to repay early.

The business must be U.S. based and you need a 600+ personal FICO score. Other requirements include:

  • $100,000+ in annual revenue
  • A dedicated, separate business checking account
  • Ideally 6 months in business or more

Equipment Financing

Equipment financing is when you use a loan or lease to purchase or borrow hard assets for your business. It is a business financing option you can use to buy any physical asset. Physical assets can include items such as a restaurant oven or a company car.

When you get equipment financing through Credit Suite, you need at least one year in business. You can get approved even with challenged credit, and no financials are required.

$10,000 Loan Options After 3 Years on Business

After your company has been in business for at least 3 years, many more funding options become available. That is, in addition to those already listed. These include many of the more common options you have probably heard of.

SBA Loans

It’ll be easier to get an SBA loan the longer you’re in business. This is because you can more readily show your business is established, and making money. Demonstrating profitability and responsible credit and bank account management will improve your chances of getting an approval for an SBA loan.

SBA loans have great terms, so it is worth it to do what it takes to become eligible.

Term Loans

Banks are often the first place we think of when we think of financing. Yet, big banks only sign off on about 25% of the small business loan applications that come their way. Term loans often have lower interest rates than many other funding options. They also tend to be for higher loan amounts.

Generally speaking, the companies banks end up funding have:

  • Very strong financials
  • Near-perfect credit scores
  • Collateral

There Is More to Fundability Than Time In Business

It’s important to remember that credit issuers look at much more than just time in business. Obviously things like whether or not you pay your bills or even make a profit come under consideration. However, even if you are currently paying bills and making a profit, you may not get approval if you do not have the time in business.

The post How Can I Get a $10,000 Loan for My Business With 1 to 3 Years Operating appeared first on Credit Suite.