Financial Poise™ has one mission: to provide reliable plain English business, financial, and legal education to individual investors, entrepreneurs, business owners and executives.

The distribution waterfall for private equity funds is generous to fund sponsors: after fees and carried interest, private equity compensation is over 20%.

Many people don't know they can invest tax-advantaged retirement funds into private equity for growth. The strategy isn't for everyone. Is it for you?

The JOBS Act Title II allows entrepreneurs and small businesses to conduct general solicitation and advertising of a private equity offering.

How is private equity structured? The PE industry includes private equity sponsors and financial sponsors who manage private equity funds. 

In a business sale, tangible assets can be more desirable than physical assets, which may have strings attached (like mortages and union contracts).

No up-front fees and more details about investments are two differences between fundless sponsors and more traditionally structured private equity funds.

1031 exchanges are not cop-outs for the wealthy. Like-kind exchanges actually stimulate the economy. Here are 4 myths about 1031 exchanges, debunked.

America is facing a retirement crisis. Less than half of Americans are confident in their retirement security. What can you do to retire at 67?

Investing abbreviations prove shorthand isn’t just for Millennials. Find out how this entrepreneur turned a love for acronyms into an investable website.

Hedge fund returns can be big even in a bad market, but they are often risky, alternative investments. Do the benefits of hedge funds justify the risk?

When the apocalypse hits, assets like gold won’t help you survive. Why should you invest in tangible assets such as farmland and water instead? 

How do you choose the best crowdfunding platform? For accredited investors, an equity crowdfunding site the way to go. Get tips to find the right platform.

Before you implement sales tactics, you need to have a sales strategy. Do you know your company’s strengths and weaknesses? Do you know your audience?

Private equity firms buy or seek to control private companies through financial leverage. When did it start, and how does private equity look today?

The advantages of franchising can make it an extremely attractive model, but it also has its challenges. How will you know if it’s right for you?

As companies grow, culture can get lost. Learn to maintain company culture and embrace disagreements as more voices enter the room. 

A business owner refused to sell the company amidst a changing market and growing debt. Here’s why waiting too long to sell hurt his business exit. 

Learn about the three most important aspects of a venture capital deal: liquidation rights, management participation and control, and exit rights.

Evaluate Your 401(k) Service Provider with These Questions The new year is a great time to take stock of your company offerings, and for plan sponsors, that should include a thorough review of your retirement plan provider. With fiduciary duty[...]

Will investing in your employees increase productivity and drive growth? Or will training employees drain resources that will be lost when they leave?

The letter of intent to purchase or acquire a business is the first step in the M&A process. As a seller, these are the terms to look for in an LOI.

The return on your investment depends on how your investment is structured and is not necessarily the same as the performance of the company. How's an investor to measure?

A parking ticket can teach you a lot about unethical business practices. Find out how rent-seeking behavior affects consumers and society. 

401(k) lawsuits are on the rise. Take these four important steps to ensure retirement plan options are transparent and reasonable.

How to Lessen the Impact of the New Tariffs Recently, The U.S. raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of products from 10% to 25% with a threat to levy additional tariffs on an additional $325 billion worth of goods from[...]

Optimizing Returns in Core, Value-Add and Development Real Estate When investing in real estate, there are a variety of factors that can influence the stability of your cash flow, as well as your upside potential and overall projected return.  One[...]

Given the wealth of options, investing decisions can be overwhelming. Narrow the field with your exchange traded funds (ETF) selections and keep it simple.

Your company’s online footprint constitutes an important part of the overall value of its goodwill. Indeed, the ability to create an online experience for a brand and to use online channels to reach new customers and retain existing ones is[...]

As a retirement plan sponsor, can you justify its mutual fund fees? Find out how to identify and assess plan fees to the benefit of employees.

Sunk costs from the past can affect your future business decisions, resulting in missed opportunities. Find out how you can avoid the sunk cost fallacy.

Handled well, the ESOP functions as a means of financing the ownership transition of a closely-held business in a tax-favored manner. But it's not right for everyone.

A letter of intent is used in the purchase and sale of a business to set forth the framework for the negotiation of definitive transaction documents and closing of a transaction. Normally, a letter of intent does not create a[...]

What is a private placement? Read Financial Poise’s guide to private placement types, rules and private placement memorandums.

Most people are familiar with the concept of a stock exchange and publicly traded shares of companies that are listed there. But the private equity market is less well-understood.

When it comes to stocks and bonds in the public equity market, prices can reflect new data quickly, and almost everyone is privy to the same information. However, there is a second, much larger market—the private company market—that has the potential for outsized returns and portfolio diversification through private equity investment. But how do you select a fund (and a fund manager)?

The last major farm crisis is now 40 years in the rear view, but today’s farmers are experiencing a parallel phenomenon, especially where it comes to farm sector debt.

Normalization of marijuana continues to push legislatures towards legalization, which will have an important effect on private equity firms as they invest in cannabis.

Whether you are a lone wolf angel, part of an angel group, or investing in a VC fund, the threshold question is: is investing in venture capital for you?

Safeguarding Your Business with a Solid Risk Management Plan All business entities face risk.  Some aspects are insurable, while some are not. But just because it’s insurable, does that mean you should buy insurance?  Organizations today are transitioning from simply[...]

Investing in Hollywood diversifies a portfolio for investors who deem it “worth the risk,” with the potential for venture capital-style returns.

The Purchase Agreement is the principal arena of negotiation. Understanding the document and its risks is foundational to the sale of your business.

More than 42% of Americans will retire broke, according to a survey taken by GOBanking Rates. For the third year in a row, thousands of individuals were polled to ascertain how much the average American has set aside for retirement, and the results may, and should, shock you.

Looking to invest in a startup? Learn about investing in venture capital, the perfect stage to invest and what to know about VC fund management fees.

The crowdfunded securities of yesterday were rife with illiquidity. Today, secondary markets for crowdfunded securities have emerged and continue to grow.

Whether you’re considering investing in cryptocurrencies, cannabis, businesses that leverage blockchain or the latest emerging technology, you’re ultimately considering investing in non-traditional, “alternative” investments.

What happens when a family business with debt and no exit strategy faces a crisis? Read about their alternative solution: a distressed debt investor.

Consumer trends are changing rapidly due to technology, social consciousness and emerging industries, making the consumer goods industry an exciting one to consider adding to your portfolio.

There is considerable potential in equity crowdfunding, but all investors should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages to such investing.

Equity crowdfunding has changed in notable ways since its introduction in 2012, and is now primed to revolutionize how we finance companies and investments.

Learn how EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, facilitates financial comparison among companies in the same sector.

Your company has decided which marketing tactics to use, now how do you use digital marketing analytics tools? Learn about google analytics and other tools.

In Part 2 of the series on online marketing, we explore social media marketing strategy, email marketing, pay per click and blogging as effective tactics.

Read this first of three articles on online marketing for entrepreneurs, and learn the importance of building a website and mastering SEO.

Get high returns by diversifying your portfolio with tangible assets like sports memorabilia, fine art and precious metals. Invest in an existing hobby and diversify with your diversion.

Are you planning to sell your business or otherwise transition its leadership? Here's how to plan and stage your company for transitioning at maximum value.

What is the difference between angel investing and VC? The first difference is money. Angel investors invest much smaller amounts. VC takes it from there.

Divorce is more than a legal process. It’s an emotional one, too. Read about the four divorce process steps, including the announcement and the aftermath.

How does the court calculate damages in trade secrets misappropriation cases? Learn how to measure actual loss, reasonable royalty rates and other remedies.

Think of the LOI as akin to a father asking his daughter’s date, “What are your intentions with my daughter, young man?” but doesn’t have to be that intimidating.

Crowdfunding has evolved from rewards-based funding to equity crowdfunding under Title III of the JOBS Act. Is crowdfunding for you?