About TermLantern
TermLantern exists because most owners meet business funding at the worst moment — a slow month, a tax bill, a supplier deadline — and get a sales pitch where an explanation should be.
We write the reference we wished existed: what each product is, what it costs in dollars and in APR-equivalent, what the agreement's words mean, and when each option fits. Banks, SBA, lines of credit and advances sit on the same table with the same columns.
Every explainer opens with a direct answer, carries a published and an updated date, and is checked against current funder agreements and public sources before it goes live. An advance is never called a loan; no figure is presented as an offer; nothing promises approval.
Calculators use the arithmetic an underwriter uses and show their working. Their outputs are illustrative — the terms that apply to you are only those in an agreement you sign.
How we are paid
TermLantern is compensated by the funding partner when a request it refers is funded. Readers never pay to read, to apply, or to receive options. Because partners stop working with referrers whose files underperform, our interest is a fit, not a sale — which is why the site says plainly when a bank is the better route.
Our network
TermLantern works with an exclusive network of funding partners and marketing partners. When you submit a request, we may share your information with those partners to evaluate and present funding options. We do not sell your information for unrelated purposes.
- Answer first
- Every explainer opens with a two-or-three-sentence direct answer, then the detail. Question headings become the page's FAQ.
- Costs in two currencies
- A factor rate never appears without its cost in dollars and its APR-equivalent over the stated term. Ranges are labelled as ranges.
- Categories, not companies
- We compare kinds of funding — bank term loan, SBA 7(a), line of credit, advance — never named lenders.
- Dated and maintained
- Pages carry a published and an updated date. When products or law change, the page changes. Tell us when something is out of date.
Corrections
Found something out of date or wrong? Email info@termlantern.com. Fixes are made and noted on the page.
Ready to see what your numbers come back as?
One request, three months of statements, options from our network of funding partners in plain dollars — or an honest note that a bank is your better route.