Blog
Practical guides on lending, collecting and balancing the till. No fluff, just numbers.
By Equipo Prestafolio
What does loan software really cost across Latin America?
A $10 subscription doesn't cost $10 in your country. Taxes in Argentina and Colombia, currency caps in Bolivia, inflation in Venezuela: what you really pay and what to do if it doesn't work for you.
By Equipo Prestafolio
How to migrate your Excel portfolio to Prestafolio (without losing anything)
Bringing your portfolio in from a spreadsheet or a notebook does not touch your cash drawer or wreck your clients’ credit. Here are the full rules and how it works.
By Equipo Prestafolio
Does an informal lender pay taxes in the Dominican Republic?
Yes, even without an RNC: the interest you charge is taxable income. How the 10% withholding works, when you have to declare it yourself, and why ITBIS does not apply.
By Equipo Prestafolio
Is it legal to lend money with interest? DR, Colombia, Mexico and Peru
Yes it is legal, but each country caps it differently. How interest is regulated in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, with official sources and a verification date.
By Equipo Prestafolio
What lending "al rédito" (interest-only) means
The client only pays interest, the principal never drops until the end: what lending "al rédito" means, how it compares to a fixed instalment, and the risk almost nobody sees coming.
By Equipo Prestafolio
How much money can you make lending money?
The gap between the rate you charge and what you actually keep: how arrears, default and operating cost eat into a large share of the gross interest.
By Equipo Prestafolio
An Excel template for lenders (and exactly where it will break)
How to build a spreadsheet that tracks loans with daily, weekly, biweekly and monthly payments, and the four things Excel simply cannot do for you.
By Equipo Prestafolio
Flat interest vs. interest on the balance: the real gap
With the exact same numbers, a flat-interest loan can cost the client almost double one on the declining balance. The instalment-by-instalment comparison, plus a calculator to try your own numbers.
By Equipo Prestafolio
What a san or tanda is and how it differs from a loan
The interest-free rotating fund known as a san, tanda or savings chain depending on the country, its real risks, and why it is not the same as (and does not work like) lending money.
By Equipo Prestafolio
Collector fraud: how to detect and prevent it
The eight most common fraud patterns in street collections, the signals that give them away before it is too late, and the controls that actually prevent them.
By Equipo Prestafolio
How to start a money lending business
The complete guide to starting a lending business: capital, rate, who to lend to, how to formalise each loan, and the mistakes that sink a new lender.
By Equipo Prestafolio
How to calculate arrears on a loan
The exact formula, what grace days are, the base it applies to, and a worked example with real numbers.