BUSINESS STRATEGY
Fora Financial | September 22, 2022
Thryv Holdings, Inc, the small business platform for growing small- to medium-sized businesses, announced a partnership with Fora Financial to offer small businesses access to the capital they need to grow.Fora Financial will now be offered through Thryv’s growing marketplace, allowing business owners to apply for lending in minutes. Fora Financial offers terms up to 15 months, flexible payments, early pay-off discounts, and no restrictions on use of funds. The partnership offers a range of financing amounts from $5,000 to $750,000 with no collateral required. Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) loans, the most common in SBA’s portfolio, require collateral if the loan amount is greater than $25,000. The approval process for Fora Financial financing occurs in less than 24 hours, and once a financing is approved and terms have been accepted, capital is available in 72 hours. We have always been committed to helping small businesses solve a variety of needs, and in the current economic climate, helping them gain access to capital is a priority, said Ryan Cantor, chief product officer at Thryv. Whether it’s adding a truck to their fleet or a game-changing piece of equipment, small businesses have evolving needs and Thryv helps solve them.
“At Fora Financial, we are dedicated to providing small businesses with the fast, uncomplicated funding solution they require to succeed, As the economic environment continues to change, our consultative approach to understanding small business’ needs will offer the Thryv community the working capital required to grow and thrive.”
Fora Financial president Andrew Gutman
Thryv clients have seen significant advantages to joining the platform, including a 25% rise in the number of average customers, 61% increase in number of appointments booked, and 86% growth in annual revenue through bookings and payments. Learn more about the platform, including free, unlimited support 24/7 from small business specialists at thryv.com.
About Thryv Holdings, Inc.
Thryv Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:THRY) is a global software and marketing services company that empowers small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to grow and modernize their operations so they can compete and win in today’s economy. Over 46,000 businesses use our award-winning SaaS platform, Thryv®, to manage their end-to-end operations, which has helped businesses across the U.S. and overseas grow their bottom line. Thryv also manages digital and print presence for over 400,000 businesses, connecting these SMBs to local consumers via proprietary local search portals and local directories. For more information about Thryv Holdings, Inc., visit thryv.com.
About Fora Financial
Fora Financial is a leading business financing lender that has provided over $2 billion to more than 25,000 business owners nationwide. Fora Financial offers flexible financing solutions to small and medium sized businesses in need of additional working capital to sustain or grow their enterprise. The company places a high value on transparency and provides businesses with fast, personalized small business loans and revenue advances, leveraging its state-of-the-art proprietary technology, industry-leading sales capabilities and dedicated customer service. Founded in June 2008, Fora Financial employs over 200 people at its New York City, Miami and California locations.
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SMALL BUSINESS ADVICE
Equitable | September 26, 2022
Equitable, a leading financial services organization and principal franchise of Equitable Holdings, Inc., today announced the launch of a new 401(k) program for small businesses, including those with startup plans and plans with account values up to $500kThe new program, Retirement Gateway for Small Business, will serve a growing need in the underserved micro 401(k) market to create a simplified onboarding and administrative experience for plan sponsors and financial advisors from initial consultation to implementation. We anticipate the enhanced tax credits for small businesses establishing retirement plans included in the SECURE Act 2.0 proposal will help grow the micro 401(k) market over time,” said Keith Namiot, Chief Operating Officer of Group Retirement at Equitable. “We have aligned our new program with where the market is expected to grow, and we are excited to help plan sponsors and advisors overcome the administrative barriers associated with setting up 401(k) plans a hurdle that has historically deterred many small businesses from offering them. Retirement Gateway for Small Business is poised to capitalize on other proposed provisions of SECURE 2.0, like the automatic enrollment requirement for new plans created by businesses with 10 or more employees. The growth of state-mandated retirement plans is also driving the demand for this type of program. All new Equitable 401(k) clients with plan account values of up to $500k have access to Retirement Gateway for Small Business. The program offers packages of services—some of which are made available through partnerships with unaffiliated third-party providers—to help ease demands on plan administrators and improve participant outcomes. They include:
3(16) Administrative Fiduciary: Significantly relieves the fiduciary burdens of running a 401(k) for plan administrators.
3(38) Investment Fiduciary: Provides professional assistance with investment management tasks.
Automatic Enrollment: Reduces the amount of time employees spend on the enrollment process, which can lead to greater participation and increased savings rates.
Stadion Managed Accounts as the QDIA: Reduces the complexity of selecting investments by automatically investing participants in a personalized portfolio.
360 Payroll Integration: Reduces the amount of time and effort spent managing census and payroll files.
“Small business owners are focused on operating their organizations. That’s why it’s important to take the guess work out of choosing the right retirement plan design that can help them achieve the best participant outcomes,Predefined packages help advisors reduce the administrative burden and time spent selecting a plan, point their clients to the right amount of fiduciary coverage based on their specific needs, and streamline the overall onboarding process.”
Jay Zickerman, head of Product Innovation and Implementation for Equitable’s Group Retirement business
Another goal of the program is to help cut the time spent on getting plans up and running by quickly connecting advisors to a third-party administrator (TPA), who can assist with plan design, implementation and ongoing administration.
Compass Retirement Consulting Group, Inc., a retirement plan consulting firm, will serve as the plan’s TPA and 3(16) administrative fiduciary for the Retirement Gateway for Small Business program. Equitable’s Group Retirement business offers tax-deferred investment and retirement solutions for employer-sponsored plans and consists of small-to-medium size businesses, educators and other public sector employees. The business serves more than 1 million clients with $45 billion in account value and assets under administration as of 6/30/2022.
About Equitable
Equitable, a principal franchise of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH) has been one of America’s leading financial services providers since 1859. With the mission to help clients secure their financial well-being, Equitable provides advice, protection and retirement strategies to individuals, families and small businesses. Equitable has more than 8,000 employees and Equitable Advisors financial professionals and serves 2.8 million clients across the country. A Retirement Gateway® annuity contract or any state variation thereof is a group flexible premium combination fixed and variable deferred annuity issued by Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company (Equitable Financial), NY, NY. Co-distributed by affiliates Equitable Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) (Equitable Financial Advisors in MI & TN) and Equitable Distributors, LLC. Equitable Financial, Equitable Advisors and Equitable Distributors do not provide legal or tax advice and are not affiliated with Stadion or Compass Retirement Consulting Group, Inc. Guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company.
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MANAGEMENT
Capital CDC | September 27, 2022
Capital CDC strives to make a difference in the communities we serve through unwavering advocacy and reinvestment in local economic development.Recently, Capital CDC donated $15,000 to WESST, a non-profit, small business development and training organization committed to growing New Mexico's economy by cultivating entrepreneurship. Since 2013, Capital CDC has provided financial donations to non-profits and economic development organizations in New Mexico totaling $124,500. Capital CDC contributes to these types of organizations annually to help grow the resources available for small businesses in New Mexico.
"We are so grateful for the generous gift we recently received from Capital CDC! Thank you for supporting WESST's transformational work with New Mexico small businesses. With this support, WESST continues providing supportive business services and access to capital for the diverse entrepreneurs who need it most. This work wouldn't be possible without partners like you!"
Katie Knipe, VP of Development at WESST.
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