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Cash Flow February 22, 2026 · 6 min read

Why “I just need 90 more days” is the most expensive sentence in business finance

Bridge-thinking is what gets owners stacked. The data on what 90-day extensions actually cost — and the alternative that doesn't compound.

Delancey Editorial
+ UPDATED 2026 · Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder · Reviewed by · 6 min read
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Why “I just need 90 more days” is the most expensive sentence in business finance

The single most common phrase we hear at intake: "I just need 90 more days." The owner has identified an upcoming receivable, a pending insurance claim, a contract close that will fix the cash gap. They want to bridge to it.

Bridge financing is rarely cheap, but the worst version is unavoidable when the only available capital is a fourth MCA. Here is the trap, in numbers.

The 90-day MCA at face value

A $50K advance with factor 1.42 over 13 weeks: $5,460 weekly debit. To the owner, that's the price of survival. To the math: the implied APR is roughly 290%.

When the receivable slips

Receivables slip. The contract close moves to Q2. The insurance claim is contested. Now the bridge isn't a bridge — it's a position you're servicing for 26 weeks instead of 13, with no offsetting cash inflow. The implied effective rate doubles.

The alternative: structured restructure

When a business has a real upcoming receivable, the better play is almost always to restructure existing debt against that receivable — rather than add a new layer on top. We've negotiated forbearance agreements that reduce monthly debt service by 50–70% pending a documented liquidity event. The funder gets paid more in the long run; the owner survives the gap without compounding the principal.

TL;DR
If the bridge fails, the bridge becomes the problem. Restructure the existing debt against the expected liquidity event. Don't add a new layer.
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