A paycheck advance is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower’s expenses until his or her next paycheck. Legislation regarding paycheck loans varies widely between different countries and, within the USA, between different states. For example, there are some states that do not allow paycheck advance loans and others that limit the amount a consumer may borrow at any given time.

Borrowers visit a paycheck lending store or a trusted online payday loan lender secure a small cash loan, with payment due in full at the borrower’s next paycheck (usually a two week term). In the United States, finance charges on paycheck loans are typically in the range of 15 to 30 percent of the amount for the two-week period. The borrower writes a postdated check to the lender in the full amount of the loan plus fees. On the maturity date, the borrower is expected to return to the store to repay the loan in person. If the borrower doesn’t repay the loan in person, the lender may process the check traditionally or through electronic withdrawal from the borrower’s checking account.

If the account is short on funds to cover the check, the borrower may now face a bounced check fee from their bank in addition to the costs of the loan, and the loan may incur additional fees and/or an increased interest rate as a result of the failure to pay.

Paycheck lenders require the borrower to bring one or more recent pay stubs to prove that they have a steady source of income. The borrower is also required to provide recent bank statements. Individual companies and franchises have their own underwriting criteria.

Online paycheck loans are marketed through e-mail, online search, paid ads, and referrals. Typically, a consumer fills out an online application form or faxes a completed application that requests personal information, bank account numbers, Social Security number and employer information. Borrowers fax copies of a check, a recent bank statement, and signed paperwork. The loan is direct-deposited into the consumer’s checking account and loan payment or the finance charge is electronically withdrawn on the borrower’s next paycheck.

The acceptance of risk is an integral part of business, as is the principle that the higher the risk, the higher the rate of return needs to be. The willingness to take risks of both a personal and a financial nature is one of the defining characteristics of the entrepreneurial decision-maker.

Interestingly, a 1999 study commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers concluded that whereas in continental Europe strategies are generally oriented towards avoiding and hedging risk, Anglo-American companies view risk as an opportunity, consciously accepting the responsibility of risk management as necessary to achieving their goals.

Successful decision-makers understand this. They take steps to ensure that the risks resulting from their decisions are measured, the likely consequences are clearly understood and the danger signals are identified. Avoidable risks are pinpointed and eliminated, and others are reduced. Such decision-makers also take a holistic view of risk, going beyond the direct financial perspective and actively managing risk as it affects the whole organisation.

Accepting that risks exist provides a starting point for other necessary actions. Foremost among these is the need to create the right climate for risk management. People should understand why control systems are needed. This requires communication and leadership so that standards and expectations are set and clearly understood.

Financial decisions affect everyone. They should not be left entirely to the “experts” in the finance department or among specialist advisers. Financial issues and techniques – such as dynamic cost management, the importance of cash flow and the time value of money – affect all managers with a financial responsibility and are influenced by everyone.

Make financial expertise widely available Every manager in the business should understand the importance of financial management for profitability and success. People need to feel ownership of their part of the process of financial control, to have the information and expertise to make the best financial decisions and to consider all relevant decisions from a financial perspective.