Business
Nickel Advisors Isn’t Approving Personal Loans for Debt Consolidation

Nickel Advisors has begun flooding the market with debt consolidation and credit card relief in the mail. The problem is that the terms and conditions are at the very least confusing, and possibly even suspect. The interest rates are so low that you would have to have near-perfect credit to be approved for one of their offers. Best 2020 Reviews, the personal finance review site, has been following Nickel Advisors, Coral Funding, Neon Funding, Ladder Advisors (also known as Carina Advisors, Corey Advisors, Pennon Partners, Jayhawk Advisors, Clay Advisors, Colony Associates, and Pine Advisors, etc.).
According to recent studies, people’s most commonly cited reason for taking out a personal loan was debt consolidation. A study by Bankrate in April collected answers from more than 160,000 participants on why they seek personal loans.
Almost 40% of participants stated that they took out personal loans for debt consolidation in quarter one. Similarly, another 5% of the participants from the study cited credit card refinancing as the primary reason behind seeking a personal loan.
Another report by LendingTree, an online lending marketplace, stated that almost 36% of people seeking a loan were doing so to consolidate debt in December of 2019. Moreover, more than 30% of loan applicants gave the reason of credit card refinancing as their primary motivation behind seeking a loan.
Both sources also showed loans requested for debt consolidation to have the largest dollar amounts. These amounts were quite higher than loans requested for other purposes such as emergency funds, special occasions like weddings, vacations, and even home-related expenses.
What is the Difference Between Credit Card Refinancing and Debt Consolidation?
As shown by the studies mentioned above, the two most common reasons why people seek out a personal loan are either for debt consolidation or credit card refinancing, such as for APR on a high-interest debt. Sometimes, it was even both reasons together. But what exactly is the difference between the two?
To consolidate debt means to combine several different kinds of loans or liabilities into one to make it easy to pay it back. For instance, if you have several credit cards and instead of paying each back separately, you combine them so that you must pay only one monthly bill.
One way to do this is through a personal loan. You can borrow one large personal loan and use that to pay off all your other debts. After that, you just have to focus on paying back that one personal loan every month.
An American usually has around four credit cards, and if each card has different rates, monthly payments, due dates, as it usually does, it can be quite a hassle to keep track of all of them. Therefore, debt consolidation through a personal loan is a good way to make your life easier.
While debt consolidation helps to simplify things for you, credit card refinancing can help you save money by lowering the interest rate on your debts. When you need more time to pay off the balance of a certain debt, but the high interest rates keep pulling you back, you can go for credit card refinancing to get ahead on your payments.
Both of these sound quite different, but you can achieve them both through a personal loan. Personal loans usually come with low interest rates, regardless of whether you get them from a physical bank or an online lending marketplace. However, they’re not always the best option over credit cards, so you need to understand how these loans work before you take one out.
How do These Loans Work?
A personal loan to refinance a credit card or for debt consolidation is somewhat like how you use a balance transfer credit card. However, there are some differences. With a personal loan, the cash is instantly accessible as it is deposited into your checking account.
So, you can use it to pay back other debts right away. After that, you can pay back that personal loan at a fixed low interest rate every month as decided by the loan issuer. Initially, you may have to pay certain service charges or origination fees, but usually, it’s only the interest.
If you’re eligible for it, a balance transfer credit card can also be quite helpful. With these, you have a specific time period, usually between six and 21 months, in which they charge you 0% interest. So, you can pay back all your credit card debt without additional charges.
Moreover, you only have to pay a small percentage as transfer fees, which is usually 2 to 5%, and if you happen to qualify for a no-fee balance transfer card, you don’t even have to pay that transfer fees. You can transfer all your other debt into this card and pay it back within the 0% interest period.
For instance, with the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card or the Citi Double Cash Card, you can transfer debt from your other cards to this card for a 3% transfer fee. However, balance transfer credit cards do require you to have an excellent credit score. Personal loans are better in that regard as they are available for people with even good or fair scores.
Average Debt Consolidation Loan
In the studies mentioned at the beginning, the number one reason why people took out a personal loan was for debt consolidation. According to LendingTree, debt consolidation loans in 2018 came to an average of $12,670, while loans for credit card refinancing averaged at $14,107.
According to Bankrate, the amount requested for a personal loan fell between $2,000 and $25,000. However, almost 50% of loans between $10,000 and $24,999, as well as those greater than $25,000, were to consolidate debt.
How Can a Personal Loan Help Save Money?
According to Fed’s data from February of 2020, the average rate on consumer credit cards was around 16.6%. In comparison, the average rate for a two-year personal loan was 9.63%, which is almost half of the credit card.
So, let’s say you had a debt of $10,000 on your credit card. You would have to pay around $2,660 in interest, with the rate of 16.61%. On the other hand, with a $10,000 personal loan, you would only have to pay $1,450 in interest at the rate of 9.63%.
This equals to a saving of more than $1,200. While there are people who find the sudden increase in personal loans quite alarming, it is quite apparent that these personal loans offer quite a few advantages to people who have debts to pay off.
Business
Remote Professionals Getting More Value for Their Work Thanks to Borderless Banking

Not too long ago, the idea of working remotely from an island in Thailand or a co-working space in Berlin sounded like the kind of fantasy only tech moguls or backpacking freelancers could afford.
Fast forward to today, and it’s as good as a global reality. Millions of professionals have cut the cord from traditional office life in exchange for flexibility, freedom, and a work-life balance that fits their personal rhythm and not their employer’s timezone.
However, as remote work has reshaped how people earn a living, it’s also pointed out the existing limits to most of the world’s financial systems. Traditional banking simply wasn’t built for a workforce that’s always on the move, operating in multiple currencies, and getting paid across borders.
Thankfully, that’s where borderless banking like Black Banx have proven vital, and has quietly transformed the way money is managed for people vacationing and working overseas alike.
The Rise of the Remote Work Economy
Remote work isn’t just a pandemic-era trend that faded with Zoom fatigue—it’s become a defining feature of the modern workforce. A recent survey revealed that over 39% of Gen Z and Millennials planned to live and work abroad for extended periods this year, many staying six months or more in a single location. That’s beyond a short trip, and can be considered as good as a sabbatical with a substantial lifestyle shift.
According to recent estimates, the digital nomad economy now also contributes as much as US$787 billion annually to the global economy. And this isn’t just entry-level gig work. A third of digital nomads earn between US$100,000 and US$250,000, while another third take in US$50,000 to US$100,000 annually.
It is indeed evident that the manner in which many make a living has changed. Unfortunately, most financial systems haven’t kept up.
Where Traditional Banks Are Still Falling Short
For those who have ever tried to open a bank account abroad or receive payment from a foreign client, they already know the drill: the paperwork is endless, delays are frustrating, and the fees? So much to do, even for the smallest amounts of money.
Just to name few of the hurdles remote workers still face with conventional banking:
- Account setup restrictions: Need proof of residence, tax IDs, or a local job offer—things many digital nomads simply don’t have.
- Slow international transfers: Payments can take days to process, which is a nightmare when rent’s due.
- High foreign exchange fees: Currency conversions often come with steep, hidden costs.
- Limited multi-currency support: Most banks still force users to operate in a single currency, making financial planning chaotic at best.
And perhaps most tellingly, many banks have digitized their operations but haven’t personalized their services. According to Accenture’s 2025 Banking Trends Report, while digital transformation has improved efficiency, it often sacrifices the customer experience. That’s not great news for people who live outside the lines.
Borderless Banking for Professionals Across the Globe
The concept of borderless banking goes far beyond wiring money internationally. Fundamentally, it’s also about being able to eliminate the friction between people and their money, no matter where they are in the world, and maintaining an ecosystem where geography, bureaucracy, and currency don’t stand in the way of financial freedom.
A working example of this is Black Banx, a Toronto-based fintech founded by German billionaire Michael Gastauer. Since launching globally in 2015, it has grown to serve over 78 million clients in 180+ countries as of Q1 2025, proof that people take to digital banking solutions when it is accessible, affordable, and is useful in just about any locale.
In the first three months of this year, Black Banx had also earned US$4.3 billion in revenue and US$1.6 billion in pre-tax profit, more than double from the same quarter the previous year and showing it has consistently delivered tangible value to global customers—remote professionals included
How Borderless Banking Maximizes Value for Remote Workers
1. Instant Account Access—No Strings Attached
The times of hunting down local branches or collecting endless documents just to open an account are finished. With borderless banks, users can open an account in minutes using just a photo ID—no proof of address or income required. That’s a lifesaver for anyone living outside their passport country or hopping from one location to another.
2. Multi-Currency Mastery
Managing money in multiple currencies used to mean juggling several accounts—or worse, losing money on conversions. Borderless platforms like Black Banx support 28 FIAT currencies and allow real-time currency conversions at competitive rates. That means remote workers can:
- Invoice clients in one currency
- Spend or save in another
- Hedge against local currency fluctuations
- Avoid excessive conversion fees altogether
3. Seamless, Real-Time Global Payments
Getting paid late, or paying others late, isn’t just inconvenient; it can damage relationships and disrupt your cash flow. With real-time payment support, remote workers can receive funds instantly, no matter where their clients are. This is particularly valuable for freelancers and entrepreneurs juggling multiple contracts across time zones.
Plus, bulk payment features and API integration streamline processes for those running teams or businesses.
4. Built-In Crypto Options
It isn’t surprising that many digital nomads are already deep into crypto. Whether it’s for investment, faster transactions, or avoiding traditional finance red tape, crypto is becoming essential.
Since 2016, Black Banx has allowed users to send, receive, and convert crypto (like BTC and ETH) within their accounts. That integration saves users from having to manage separate crypto wallets, and adds another layer of flexibility to their financial toolkit.
5. Secure Transactions
Remote workers often log in to work from cafés, coworking spaces, and airports, to name a few. Of course, this flexibility of being able to work almost anywhere should never come at the cost of security. Borderless banks like Black Banx use end-to-end encryption, AI fraud detection, and two-factor authentication to keep accounts safe from risky elements.
Financial Freedom, Not Just Convenience
Perhaps the most overlooked benefit of borderless banking is the freedom it provides. Not just to access money, but to fully participate in the global economy. For millions of professionals in underbanked regions like Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, borderless banking has become a gateway to financial inclusion and a way to take on opportunities that typically wouldn’t be available to them if not remote.
By removing barriers to entry, platforms like Black Banx empower underserved individuals to both take control of their finances and increase their earning power by working with companies from higher paying markets. This democratization of finance isn’t just good for individuals, it’s good for the global economy as a whole.
As Black Banx CEO Michael Gastauer put it: “Our multi-currency solutions enable businesses to tap into global talent without worrying about payment complexities. We make cross-border transactions as seamless as local ones.”
The Road Ahead
By 2030, the number of digital nomads worldwide is expected to soar past 60 million, according to the Forbes Technology Council. That means tens of millions of workers will be navigating foreign currencies, time zones, and financial systems—all while expecting the same seamless experience they’d get at home.
Indeed, remote professionals aren’t just looking for places to work—they’re looking for systems that work for them. In a lifestyle built on flexibility, traditional banking is proving too rigid, too slow, and too expensive.
Borderless banking services like those offered by the likes of Black Banx, on the other hand, offer exactly what today’s global workforce needs: instant access, multi-currency support, real-time payments, crypto integration, and enterprise-level security—all in a streamlined experience.
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