Construction Industry Advisor
Showing 129–144 of 262 results
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Cybersecurity: Are you prepared?
Fall 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 426
Abstract: Increasing reliance on cloud computing and mobile devices has made the construction industry particularly vulnerable to data breaches. Fortunately, there are also many ways for contractors to prevent cyberattacks and mitigate the impact of any breaches. This article offers tips on how to keep a company safe.
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How to self-insure your construction business
Fall 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 652
Abstract: With all of the risks inherent in a construction business, it’s important that contractors have sufficient insurance coverage while also keeping policy costs under control. This article provides information on how captive insurance can be a great way to do both. With captive insurance, it’s possible to establish a subsidiary company to self-insure a business. Bigger companies may set up the arrangement independently, but a group of smaller businesses also can form a captive by banding together to buy insurance.
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Cost segregation studies can benefit you and your clients
Fall 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 529
Abstract: Construction companies looking for a competitive edge should become familiar with the mechanics of cost segregation studies and the significant tax benefits they offer. This article explains how contractors can use the study to reduce their own tax bills. Moreover, it shows how consulting on a company’s studies can create a new source of revenue.
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Year end tax planning for construction companies
Fall 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 879
Abstract: As year end approaches, construction company owners should work with their tax advisor to review options for reducing their 2015 tax bills. This article provides some tips on how to reduce those bills, as well as how to project income and expenses going forward into 2016. The article also provides a handy sidebar explaining even more year end tax savings.
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Contractor’s Toolbox – Your insurer may not cover construction defect claims
Summer 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 438
Abstract: Contractors often assume that their commercial general liability insurance policies will cover them in the event of a construction defect claim. But that’s not necessarily the case. As this article explains, coverage may be denied if construction defects either: 1) aren’t considered accidental “occurrences” under applicable state law, or 2) fall within one or more policy exclusions. If a construction company finds that there are gaps in its insurance protection, it might find it wise to purchase supplemental coverage — such as builder’s risk or professional liability coverage.
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Do you know where your company stands financially?
Summer 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 744
Abstract: To maintain a competitive edge, it’s critical for a contractor to know where he or she stands financially. One way to do so is by benchmarking. Under this process, a construction company owner selects metrics, or “benchmarks,” to measure his or her construction company’s performance against its own past performance or against other, similar construction businesses. This article explores the details and benefits of this helpful activity.
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Surviving the economic recovery depends on your cash flow
Summer 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 668
Abstract: As the economy continues to improve, many construction companies are shifting from survival mode into growth mode. That’s good news, but it’s critical for contractors to take a cautious approach to growth — the failure rate for construction companies during an economic recovery is triple the failure rate during an economic downturn. Why? Because growth, while healthy, also puts a strain on a company’s cash flow. This article offers seven tips for managing cash flow wisely.
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Devise your exit strategy – An early start helps ensure a good outcome
Summer 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 851
Abstract: Every construction company owner needs an exit strategy — whether that involves transferring the business to family members or selling it to a management team or to a third party. Regardless of the strategy chosen, the earlier the process is started, the smoother the transition will likely be. This article discusses enhancing value and developing an appropriate taxation strategy, while a sidebar looks particularly at goodwill as a tax-saving opportunity.
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Contractor’s Toolbox – Working out of state? Don’t leave home without a license
Spring 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 456
Abstract: In today’s competitive environment, an increasing number of contractors are looking for business opportunities that cross state borders. This article warns that contractors considering this strategy should start planning as early as possible to give themselves plenty of lead time to comply with out-of-state licensing requirements.
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How to tackle the issue of profit fade
Spring 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 613
Abstract: Profit fade is a financial malady that typically occurs as a contract nears completion. Contractors who have experienced profit fade on a past project know just how frustrating it can be to see their expected profits going down the drain. This article explains how to nip the problem in the bud, including looking at historical data and getting a handle on contract language.
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8 tips for improving productivity
Spring 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 544
Abstract: In an industry as labor-intensive as construction, there are few things that can hurt a contractor’s profitability more than unproductive workers. This article offers eight tips for improving productivity, including focusing on unproductive time, conducting an activity analysis, and taking advantage of technology.
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The tax implications of the new revenue recognition standard
Spring 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 892
Abstract: Last year, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The new standard, which takes effect in 2018 for privately held companies (2017 for public companies), creates a single, comprehensive revenue recognition model to replace today’s industry-specific — and often inconsistent — rules. This article offers a comprehensive review of the new standard and its potential tax implications. A sidebar looks at how progress on a contract might be measured under the new standard.
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Contractor’s Toolbox – Use JPM to track productivity during jobs
Winter 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 443
Abstract: Traditional measures of productivity are applied after the fact, so they do little to help contractors spot issues during a job — while there’s still time to do something about it. This article looks at one remedy: ASTM International’s Job Productivity Measurement (JPM) standard. Adopted in 2010, the standard enables contractors to measure productivity throughout a job and serves as an “early warning system” for potential productivity problems down the road.
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Impressing your surety in an iffy economy
Winter 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 600
Abstract: With the ups and downs in today’s economy, it can be difficult for a construction business to demonstrate that it deserves a solid “thumbs up” from its surety that its bonding capacity is all that it should be. This article describes the financial indicators that particularly interest sureties and what a contractor needs to do to improve them.
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Succession planning – Will your buy-sell agreement work when you need it?
Winter 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 580
Abstract: To ensure a smooth ownership and management transition from one generation to the next, all closely held construction companies should have a succession plan. And a key component of that plan is a buy-sell agreement, which provides for the orderly transfer of ownership and control and creates a market for otherwise unmarketable ownership interests. However, as this article explains, a buy-sell agreement should have a carefully designed — and current — valuation provision, which sets the purchase price for a departing owner’s shares.
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Simpler accounting option now available for leasing entities
Winter 2015
Newsletter: Construction Industry Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 908
Abstract: FASB’s Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-07, Applying Variable Interest Entities Guidance to Common Control Leasing Arrangements, offers private companies a simpler way to account for certain related leasing entities. Construction businesses that adopt the alternative can avoid the potentially costly variable interest entity (VIE) analysis associated with these entities and need not consolidate these entities on their financial statements. This article explains why this can be advantageous for contractors. A private company may opt out of the VIE rules with respect to a leasing entity, but, as a sidebar explains, this isn’t right for every contractor.