Guides & Resources

Construction finance,
in plain English.

The concepts that decide whether your business makes money — WIP, billing position, job costing, cash flow — explained the way we'd explain them across the table. No jargon, no fluff, real numbers.

WIP & Job Costing
What Is a WIP Schedule?
The single most important financial document in a contractor's business — what it shows, how to read it, why your bank keeps asking for one, and a worked example.
6 min readRead →
Billing & Cash Flow
Over-Billing vs. Under-Billing, Explained
One of them feels great and hides a trap. The other quietly drains your bank account. How to tell which one is hurting you — and what to do about each.
7 min readRead →
Billing & Cash Flow
Why Profitable Contractors Run Out of Cash
The six ways construction eats your bank account while the P&L says you're winning — with the real numbers on how much cash a "profitable" job demands.
8 min readRead →
WIP & Job Costing
Markup vs. Margin: Why 20% Markup Isn't 20% Profit
The most expensive percentage confusion in construction. The math, a conversion table, and what your markup actually has to cover before any of it is profit.
5 min readRead →
Billing & Cash Flow
Retainage: The Revenue You Can't Spend Yet
5–10% of every invoice, held until closeout — often your entire profit on the job. How to book it, track it, plan around it, and actually collect it.
6 min readRead →
Billing & Cash Flow
AIA Progress Billing, Explained
The G702, the G703, and the schedule of values in plain English — plus the six pay-app mistakes that delay your cash 30 days at a time.
7 min readRead →
Billing & Cash Flow
The 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast
Your bank balance tells you where you are; this tells you where you'll be. What goes in it, a worked example, and how to keep it honest week after week.
6 min readRead →
Banking & Bonding
Cash Basis vs. Percentage-of-Completion
Why cash-basis books lie to contractors, what POC accounting actually does, and when your bank, surety, or own sanity forces the switch.
7 min readRead →
Banking & Bonding
What Your Bonding Agent Sees in Your Financials
Bonding capacity is calculated, not negotiated — from working capital, equity, and WIP quality. How sureties read your statements, and how to grow capacity on purpose.
7 min readRead →
Compliance & Audits
How to Survive a Workers' Comp Audit
What the premium auditor checks, why one missing sub certificate can cost thousands, and the records that turn the audit into a one-hour formality.
7 min readRead →

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