Mike Helder Receives CLP Certification

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Walnut Creek, CA – Nov 1, 2010

First Star Capital is proud to announce that National Account Manager, Mike Helder, has been given the esteemed title of CLP (Certified Lease Professional). The CLP Foundation announced Mike Helder’s accomplishment on the morning of October 26^th of 2010. With this title, Mike Helder joins a group of premier individuals who are recognized and respected within the equipment leasing industry and its primary associations such as NAELB, UAEL, and ELFA.

To put into perspective, the equipment leasing and financing industry currently accounts for roughly $250 billion in annual capital equipment expenditures, with eight out of every 10 companies leasing and/or financing all or some of their equipment. This industry comprises of thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of individuals, but there are less than 250 Certified Lease Professionals.

The CLP title is only given to those individuals that have demonstrated success in the leasing industry for a minimum of five years and have completed a thorough training program covering 16 subjects and have passed the most rigid test in the industry.

Mike Helder started his equipment leasing and financing career at Capital Funding Group, spending six very successful years there, prior to joining First Star Capital. With almost a decade of experience and knowledge under his belt, Helder describes this accomplishment as, “the culmination of years of dedication to those I have worked with past and present, and a great accomplishment for myself, personally as well as professionally.” Helder continues with, “I would also like to extend a special thank you to Jim McCommon for helping me throughout this process.”

Brad Harmon, president of First Star Capital states, “All of us at First Star Capital could not be more proud of Mike. We pride ourselves in carrying some of the brightest talent in the equipment leasing and financing industry, and he is a testament to that. This certification is only just a prelude to the amazing future that Mike has waiting for him.”

For more information on Certified Lease Professionals and the advantages of working with a CLP, please visit:
www.FirstStarCapital.com
www.CLPFoundation.org

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First Star Capital is an established firm that has financed thousands of different businesses across the country and has funded hundreds of millions of dollars worth of capital equipment. They are an independent commercial lender with a specialty focus in equipment financing and leasing. First Star Capital is a direct lender with the ability to quickly and efficiently fund new financing requests between $10,000 and $10,000,000.

First Star Capital - October 2010 Newsletter

“If you need a machine and don't buy it, you ultimately find that you have paid for it, but don't have it.”

- Henry Ford - American Industrialist & Founder of Ford Motor Company (1863-1947)

Our economy has clearly shown resiliency and healing ability. Now that it has stabilized and begun to grow again many business owners are thinking opportunistically about the future. Although some business owners are still guarded, there is no question that the economic recovery is underway. Fears of a double dip recession have kept companies on the defensive but this stance has softened as the fears have proven to be unfounded. This is evidenced by second quarter statistics showing that capital spending finally began to outpace depreciation and maintenance costs, after trailing them during the recession.

The Small Business Jobs Act was recently passed into law. This bill aims to encourage small businesses to purchase equipment (new or used), to incentivize venture capital firms to invest in small businesses, and to motivate entrepreneurs to start their own business. Utilizing First Star Capital to purchase equipment through one of our term loans or equipment leases will allow your company to capitalize on these new tax breaks and incentives.

Although the bill is wide reaching with many different components, there are several provisions that are being heralded as timely and relevant because they create immediate tax breaks and incentives for the business community.

There are quite a few tax breaks, but here is a summary of five that have the most potential to positively impact the small businesses that are affected:

• 100% Exclusion of capital gains: The bill eliminates capital gains taxes on investments in qualifying small businesses. To qualify, a small business must be a C-Corporation (no LLC’s, S-Corp’s or Sole Proprietorships) with assets of less than $50 million. The investor must buy the shares directly from the company at “original issue” and must hold it for at least five years.
• Loss Carry Back provision extended to 5 years: When a business earns a profit, it pays income taxes on its earnings. However, if a business then shows a loss in later years, tax rules allow the business to “Carry Back” its loss and deduct the profits from earlier years. By filing an amended tax return for the earlier profitable year, the business can claim an immediate refund on the taxes that were previously paid. The bill lengthens the normal two-year “Carry Back” provision to five years.
• Increase of Section 179: “Section 179” of the tax code allows businesses to write off capital expenditures immediately rather than depreciating the asset over its economic useful life. This generates cash for a company quickly and is intended to motivate businesses to purchase equipment (software is included). The previous Recovery Act (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) increased the Section 179 expensing limit to $250K. This bill not only extends the benefit through 2011 but also increases the limit to $500K (seewww.EconomicStimulusInfo.com for more details).
• Bonus depreciation extension: Businesses can also follow a depreciation schedule to recover the cost of capital expenditures by writing off the cost incrementally over a number of years. Temporarily (under the provisions of the ARRA - Recovery Act), businesses can front-load that deduction by writing off 50% of capital expenditures made in 2008 and 2009. This bill extends that first-year depreciation for equipment purchased through the end of 2010 (this will expire December 31^st 2010 so time is running out).
• Help for start-up's: Currently, new companies can deduct up to $5K in start-up expenses (this amount is reduced by the amount that the start-up’s expenses exceed $50K). The new bill increases the deduction to $10K for 2010 and the deduction would be reduced by the amount that the start-up’s expenses exceed $60K.

Equipment leasing has always been exceptionally powerful during the fourth quarter. This is especially true in Q4 of 2010 due to the pending expiration of substantial tax benefits such as bonus depreciation. Choose First Star Capital as your funding partner in the 4^th Quarter and this significant tax write off can be attained with minimalout of pocket expense – the deduction can be realized by making as few as one or two monthly payments before the end of the year. For more detailed information please visit: www.EconomicStimulusInfo.com or www.irs.gov

First Star Capital was funding new business throughout the entire economic downturn which is something we are proud of because not every lender can say this. Heading into the end of the year, what can we do for you?

* Given that every business is unique please consult your accountant or tax advisor for specific details relevant to your company.

Please visit us at www.FirstStarCapital.com

Brad Harmon, CLP
(800) 604-4817
info@firststarcapital.com

First Star Capital - September 2010 Newsletter

“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.”

- George S. Patton Jr. – U.S. Army General

Most of us in the business community can appreciate this quote from General Patton. We have all weathered some challenges, and are now beginning to experience victories with increasing frequency. The outlook, for most, has brightened as worries of a double-dip recession fade. A double-dip decline in the economy would be inconsistent with all of the good news that has been reported recently such as:

• Manufacturing activity expanded for the 13th consecutive month in August and at a faster pace than forecasted as factories added workers and increased production.
• Consumer confidence also climbed more than forecasted in August as Americans turned less pessimistic about the outlook for jobs, easing concerns that households may retrench even further.
• Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated in late August that the Central Bank “will do all that it can” to ensure continuation of the economic recovery, and outlined steps it might take if growth slows.
• Corporate earnings: 459 of the S&P 500 firms have reported Q2 profits, with 75% exceeding expectations, 9% meeting them and only 16% falling short.
• Investment in equipment and software has been strong and is expected to continue to advance at a solid pace.
• Numerous business studies and surveys have exceeded expectations including better than expected business activity, lower than expected jobless claims, and stronger than expected home sales.

First Star Capital is on the proverbial front lines conversing with business owners and corporate executives across the country daily. Many businesses are experiencing stable or improved financial performance. However, optimism is guarded in certain industries such as those directly tied to residential real estate or consumer discretionary spending in specific geographies with higher than average unemployment.

The crew at First Star remains focused on promoting continuation of the economic recovery and fueling business growth. The First Star funding programs are designed to help businesses of all sizes prosper regardless of where we are in the economic phase, but they are especially powerful during a period of recovery. Many of our recently funded transactions have been geared toward making businesses more efficient which in turn produces top line revenue growth along with enhanced profit margins.

Equipment leasing has always been exceptionally powerful during the last few months of the calendar year. It could be especially advantageous this year due to the pending expiration of substantial tax benefits such as extra depreciation and the enhanced Section 179 deduction limits. Under the current parameters a business can deduct up to $250K against taxable income in the current fiscal year. Choose First Star Capital as your funding partner in the 4th Quarter and this significant tax write off can be attained with minimal out of pocket expense – the deduction can be realized by making as few as one or two monthly payments before the end of the year. For more detailed information please go to: www.EconomicStimulusInfo.com or www.irs.gov.

For more information please visit www.FirstStarCapital.com or email info@firststarcapital.com.

About First Star Capital

First Star Capital is an established national firm that has financed thousands of different businesses across the country and has funded hundreds of millions of dollars worth of capital equipment. We are an independent commercial lender with a specialty focus in equipment financing and leasing. First Star Capital is a direct lender with the ability to quickly and efficiently fund new financing requests between ten-thousand and ten-million dollars. Since we are a direct lender with our own funding and servicing capabilities we are able to deliver tangible value added financing solutions with the utmost flexibility. First Star Capital has the internal ability to underwrite a variety of different financing requests - nothing is too big or too complicated.

Brad Harmon is featured in CLP!

Brad Harmon, the President of First Star Capital, was recently featured on the front page of CLP (Certified Lease Professional). Please check out the article here!

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

First Star Capital Announces Three Working Capital Programs

San Francisco Bay Area based commercial equipment leasing and financing firm, First Star Capital has recently added three types of Working Capital programs: Merchant Cash Advance, Accounts Receivable Factoring, and Purchase Order Financing. This addition expands their current financing and leasing programs, with programs specifically designed for small-to-medium sized businesses that face the growing pains of cash-flow and liquidity strain.

“Throughout the past year we have seen increasing demand for Working Capital programs,” said Brad Harmon, CLP, president of First Star Capital. “Listening to our customers, we have been very diligent to create some of the most competitive Working Capital programs available.” Announcing the allocation of significant funding resources and personnel to these new programs, First Star Capital wishes to meet customer demand.

Accompanying the programs is a redesigned dedicated Working Capital webpage. “This webpage has been carefully designed to quickly educate, inform, and connect our customers to their specific working capital needs,” stated Brad Harmon, CLP. The working capital page contains all the necessary information and documents, allowing for First Star Capital to have pre-approval turnaround time of approximately 24 hours.

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First Star Capital is an established firm that has financed thousands of different businesses across the country and has funded hundreds of millions of dollars worth of capital equipment. They are an independent commercial lender with a specialty focus in equipment financing and leasing. First Star Capital is a direct lender with the ability to quickly and efficiently fund new financing requests between $10,000 and $10,000,000.

First Star Capital
3050 Citrus Circle, Suite 222
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
P: (800) 604-4817 F: (925) 262-8244
Email at Info@FirstStarCapital.com

Work With the Time Given, Not Against

"Without the management of time, you will soon have nothing left to manage." - William D. Reiff

Time is of the essence. It seems these days that there is simply not enough time in the day to do everything we would like to get done. The key is to be more productive in the time that you have. Sure, you can work twice as long and get much more done. However, the secret to true success is making the time you currently invest in your business twice as productive.

Successful people know how to divide their time well. They know when it's time to focus and be productive and when it's time to replenish and rebuild their strength. It's not uncommon to see people who appear to be highly productive burnout quickly. It is important to take time out for yourself and relax. Spend time with friends and family, exercise, sleep, or do whatever else that may help you regain your thoughts and energy.

Successful people are also strict about what types of interruptions they allow during productive business time. It is easy to let trivial interruptions disrupt our working life. For example, don't take inventory or clean out your desk during prime selling hours. Find ways to eliminate busy work.

Identify the most important thing you should be doing right now. Successful businesspeople always tackle the most important things first. The items of top priority are usually not the easiest. That's why we tend to put them off until later. Getting these heavier items out of the way will relieve stress and increase your productivity tremendously. Over time you'll notice that sales have increased and you're enjoying your work a lot more

-Brad Harmon, CLP
President of First Star Capital

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First Star Capital is an established firm that has financed thousands of different businesses across the country and has funded hundreds of millions of dollars worth of capital equipment. They are an independent commercial lender with a specialty focus in equipment financing and leasing. First Star Capital is a direct lender with the ability to quickly and efficiently fund new financing requests between $10,000 and $10,000,000.

Identity Security

"Trickery and treachery are the practices of fools that have not wits enough to be honest" -Benjamin Franklin

As a business owner, it is vital to know what's on your credit report so you can prevent errors that can inadvertently harm your company. One of the biggest threats out there today is identity theft. The ability to grow a business through help from lending institutions depends heavily on the credit profiles of the owners. Protecting your identity from thieves is crucial.

People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years and thousands of dollars cleaning up the mess the thieves have made of a good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims of identity theft may lose job opportunities, be refused loans for education, business, housing, or cars, and even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit. Humiliation, anger, and frustration are among the feelings victims experience as they navigate the process of rescuing their identity.

The US Federal Trade Commission recommends taking these precautions to avoid identity theft:

• Shred documents and paperwork that contain personal information before you discard them
• Don't give out personal information unless you know who you are dealing with
• Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your computers
• Don't use obvious passwords, like your birthday or mother's maiden name
• Be alert for discrepancies in your financial bills and statements and query them immediately
• Report fraud to the police as soon as you detect it and file a complaint with the FTC

If you have lost personal information or identification, place an initial fraud alert on your credit report with any (or all) of the three consumer reporting companies:

Equifax: www.equifax.com

Experian: www.experian.com

TransUnion: www.transunion.com

At First Star Capital, we recognize the importance of protecting our clients. We follow strict procedures to keep all personal information and sensitive data secure. First Star will never sell, rent or provide any customer data to a 3^rd party unless specifically instructed to do so in writing by the customer. Please review our corporate privacy policy to better understand the steps taken to protect our clients.

www.FirstStarCapital.com
www.FirstStarCapital.com/privacypolicy.html

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First Star Capital is an established firm that has financed thousands of different businesses across the country and has funded hundreds of millions of dollars worth of capital equipment. They are an independent commercial lender with a specialty focus in equipment financing and leasing. First Star Capital is a direct lender with the ability to quickly and efficiently fund new financing requests between $10,000 and $10,000,000.