It takes vision, a lot of courage, and some practical know-how to make a small business competitive! A new business can struggle with a lot, from budget to brand awareness, but there are simple ways to succeed against larger, more well-established companies. Here are five tips for being more competitive in the marketplace:

Photo courtesy of JHerbstman on WikiMedia Commons

What do you know about bonds? Not James Bond, investment grade bonds. If you guessed "something having to do with the stock market," you're on the right track but not completely there! The question you should be asking is “are bonds a good investment?”

When you invest in stocks, you know that you own a piece of the company’s value. When the demand for that stock increases, the market value goes up. If you sell when the market value is high, you make a profit.

When you invest in bonds from a bond market, they are much like loans with you acting as the bank. You get a certificate showing that a business, city, or government owes you money to repay you for your investment in their spending on growth, equipment, construction, and other projects. When your bonds mature, you can cash them in for more than you paid for them. Some coupon bonds pay off steadily throughout the maturation of a bond (payout times depend on terms) in the form of coupons and the remainder is paid off when the bond reaches maturity.

So what does that mean for you? Are bonds a good investment option for your portfolio? Keep reading to find out!

Everyone wants to strike it rich in the stock market, but not everyone wants to- or even knows how to- put in the work to maintain a healthy portfolio. A financial portfolio is a collection of assets that includes, among other things, stocks, bonds, and property. The portfolio is a positive investment when it meets an expected return on investment (ROI), your risk tolerance, and the asset liquidity. Obviously all investors wants to maximize ROI, but not everyone wants to accept the risk of uncertainty or barriers to converting investments to cash. By taking steps like hiring an investment advisor and spreading your risk, you can give your investments a health injection in 2018. 

You know you're supposed to be saving for your retirement years, but whose advice do you follow? A search on Google will turn up so many different kinds of personal financial advice, and some of it is definitely questionable. So, how do you know who to turn to? That depends entirely on your situation- we all need different types of guidance for different stages in our lives. Are you fresh out of the military and venturing into civilian life? Did you just graduate college? Are you recently married or a new parent? Maybe you've had a 20-year career and have grandkids on the way. No matter your situation, these five personal finance influencers are the top names in the game for any stage of life.

Diversifying your investments - it's a phrase you've heard, and you know you should do it, but what does it actually mean? Essentially, it means that putting all of your financial eggs in one basket is a bad idea. The market is notoriously unpredictable, and diversification will play a vital role in fortifying your interests. You can reduce your investment risk, stabilize your income flow, and have a better shot at long-term financial success by investing in a wide variety of different assets that are in line with your goals and risk tolerance. 

Many Americans know the importance of investing; however, it is not uncommon to have questions about where and when to invest, how to diversify savings, and what alternative investments to consider when building a portfolio. How much time and knowledge should you, well, invest in your investments? A huge concern many face as they prepare to enter the world of investing is the necessary time commitment, and, of course, trusting that the risks match the potential rewards—not to mention budgeting to diversify savings in order to receive the greatest returns.

If you produce a physical product, there are many reasons to maintain controlled inventory levels. Unsold inventory carries storage and depreciation costs, but not having enough product on hand can be just as unfortunate. How should you decide if you need to have more inventory? Here are three things to consider for your veteran-owned small business.

In our earlier blog series on government contracting, we looked at how small businesses can enter GovCon, factors contractors must include in an award-winning proposal, and tips to succeed in the government contracting world. But government contracting is more than just putting together the ‘perfect’ proposal. It requires hard work, persistence, and immense networking to bag a government contract. While you may think you are prepared to enter this domain, failing to adhere to the rules and regulations can have an adverse effect on your business. This time, we present six things you should be prepared with in order to win a contract.

The best budget is the one you actually stick to, no matter whether you are a disciple of Dave Ramsey or Suzi Orman. A personal finance app can help you understand when and where you are spending money, by linking up to bank accounts or notating when you purchase something. They also make record keeping so much easier, allowing you to take pictures of receipts and adding the details to spreadsheets for you. But what is the best personal budget app to use? Here are seven for your consideration.

Today, Mark L. Rockefeller was thrilled to announce the team finalists for the 2018 StreetShares Foundation Veteran Small Business Award- check out our announcement on Facebook Live below to find out who won!