The Financial Keys Within an Executive Summary that Can Impact a Case
November 22, 2017 by admin
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Summary: In business, executives often only read the executive summary out of a large proposal. Follow this guideline to ensure your construction claims reader is fully informed when he or she reads your claim to maximize cost effectiveness.
In the case of a construction claim where the contractor is submitting the claim against the project owner, the reader of an executive summary is the owner’s executive. They should have a basic understanding of the project, the event that caused the claim, what the contractor wants, and why the contractor is entitled to it. The executive summary is the first line of defense in a good claim. However, in construction claim preparation, it may be the last step the preparer completes. It has six sections as follows:
- Title
This section outlines the project, the claim, the project owner, the construction contractors, and the date. It is just as its name suggests and identifies who is involved.
- Project Description
This should be no longer than one paragraph. It describes the parties involved, a general description of the overall project, and the work that is subject to the claim.
- Event
This section describes what happened and may include pictures or graphics.
- Proposal
This section lays out what the contractor wants from the project owner. It can include monetary compensation or simply more time to complete the project.
- Entitlement
This is where the contractor states why he or she has the right to file this claim.
- Summary
Restate what happened and how it affected the contractor’s project schedule.
As you can see, executive summaries are a crucial part of a claim. They hold a lot of important information and brief the reader on what’s to come. Firms like Lyle Charles for instance, can provide you with assistance on how to proceed with your executive summary.
How to Send Money to Overseas Contractors Without the Hassle
July 26, 2017 by admin
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If you’ve started a business in the digital age, you’ll quickly realize that moving money overseas is an important component in completing the work you do. Most small businesses begin by hiring contractors from outside their home country, and that’s where the standard digital wallet can help or hinder you as a business owner. Here are some of the everyday challenges folks face when trying to pay the contractors they work with.
Locations
Not every digital wallet allows you to send money to any country, and some will outright refuse to transfer money to a contractor working in a particular country. The first step in working with your freelancer, if you’re not already using some third party to get into contact with this person, is to establish how they would like to be paid. See what the constraints are on your bank, and how you can move money.
If you fail to pay your freelancer on time, even if it’s because you’re having trouble moving money to their country, they may withhold the work they’ve done. If you want to avoid this, make sure you view the FAQ (or contact support) for that payment processor. Ask them if they service the particular country you want to send money to.
Rates and Fees
Flat fees can kill a freelancer’s income, so they may do a job for you but suddenly be unavailable for the next gig. If this happens to you, check your wallet to make sure that the transfer fees aren’t hurting the freelancer’s income. Don’t try and correct this problem by paying the freelancer a few dollars to cover the difference. In some cases, you might actually hurt them worse thanks to flat fee pricing taking a larger share of the higher payout.
There will always be some fees the freelancer (or you) will have to pay to transfer money, but you can find processors and wallets with reduced or minimal fees. The two big ones to watch out for are currency conversion fees and transfer fees to a third party account (such as sending to an account that isn’t a member of the organization you bank with).
Final Thoughts
Paying freelancers will always be a challenge throughout the life of your business, so make sure you do the research now to find a good digital wallet you can use to transfer money. You will save yourself both time and frustration in the long run.
This articles submitted by Charge.com. For six years running, Charge.com has been voted the #1 name in small business credit card processing.
How to Accept Credit Cards In Store and Online
April 26, 2017 by admin
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There are a few steps to pay attention to as you scout payment gateway services to find one that will work for your business. From specifying the type of product you sell (high risk or not), to establishing the rate and how you want to do business, it’s not as simple as swiping a card and calling it a day. Here are some tips to help you get what you want, pay for what you get and nothing more.
Find a Good Rate
As a store owner, you have a great deal of discretion for which credit card processing services you’ll use to process transactions for your business. Many websites talk about the virtues of interchange accounts, but flat fee is another good option for certain businesses.
An interchange fee offers variable rates depending on the transaction you’re processing, while a flat fee uses the same rate for every transaction. So why would you opt for either? Interchange fees charge based on the card the customer used at the credit card terminal. It works out great for businesses who see a large volume of customers every day or month, not as much for independents who are just launching their business.
Support is an Asset
One of the greatest assets you have on your side is the support of the merchant account. If something goes wrong, you’ll want to make sure someone is on the other end of the phone helping you get through the problem. It also helps if they provide setup support at no additional charge, which most providers will if you ask them for it.
Bio: Charge.com offers businesses a credit card terminal and software, with no setup fees, to accept credit cards online.
The Typical Transaction Process for an Online Merchant Account
January 25, 2017 by admin
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A typical merchant account consists of two components: the first is the account itself, the second is the payment gateway that acts as the vessel to move money from place to place. You can think of the account like a car, and the gateway like a highway. Except this car is anonymous, it has a license plate that changes every time it takes a trip down the highway. In that sense, the merchant’s payment processor helps to move money from a customer’s account to the business owner’s. Here’s a more detailed breakdown.
Placing an Order
First, the customer places an order. If the transaction takes place in store, he or she will swipe their card at a credit card swipe machine; otherwise the customer clicks “Submit Order” or “Pay Now”. Once the order is placed, information is encrypted with Secure Socket Layer encryption.
At this stage, the merchant’s information is forwarded via payment gateway services. These services encrypt the data and transmit it to the merchant’s bank.
Once the bank that will issue the credit receives the information, it looks for the credit in the user’s account and authorizes the request based on the available debit amount. They send a response back to the cardholder’s bank, which signals the transaction is authorized and for what amount. That authorization travels through the gateway in about 2-3 seconds.
Fulfillment
The merchant essentially receives an authorization, which functions a lot like an IOU. The difference is that funds are typically verified at the time of the transaction. The user may have overdraft fee protection, which allows them to authorize a particular card over its limit, but the process is otherwise limited to the cash the user has available.
Once the order is received, the merchant can start fulfillment. In store, the customer just goes on his or her way. Online, this can trigger the complicated process of shipping inventory across the country. All of the logistics behind this shipping are a completely different story altogether, but understanding how your merchant account fits into this process is important.
The primary takeaways are that these accounts allow for near instant fulfillment, equivalent to handing cash across the counter, but they are safer for both you and your customer. Within 3 days, merchants typically have the money transferred to their account and the transaction is completed entirely.
Charge.com offers the most affordable and secure merchant account solution available online.
Payment Processing Best Practices
October 24, 2016 by admin
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Customer safety is one of the biggest priorities a merchant should have when using a payment processor. Today, the exchange of information over the Internet is an integral part of processing a transaction. If a merchant provider fails to properly encrypt its gateway, allowing others to view data being sent or received, it presents a massive risk to everyone involved.
As the new chip systems become more common, customers understandably have some questions about how they work and what they do. Here are some best practices to keep in mind as you begin to work with this new mobile credit card processing.
Best Practices
- All customers should use the chip reader if possible. Ask customers at the beginning of the transaction to insert their chip card into the reader on your terminal.
- Chip cards may or may not ask for a PIN. This is common, so be prepared to explain this to the customer.
- PIN-verified transactions don’t require a signature.
- If you have an internet merchant account, you may want to double check receipt distribution and printing. You may be able to send a copy directly to the customer’s email inbox.
- Continue following best practices regarding CID numbers and card signatures. Be sure you compare signatures on the customer’s credit card and driver’s license.
All cards are equipped with the chip in addition to the magnetic strip. If the chip fails to read, or the terminal isn’t working for some reason, you can always ask the customer to utilize the more familiar “strip” card they are already used to.
Bear in mind, chipped cards are more difficult to duplicate or steal information from. It’s in everyone’s best interest for the customer to utilize a chipped card first.
Charge.com Payment Solutions, Inc. has helped businesses of all sizes set up their first Internet merchant account.
Get Approved for a Merchant Account with These Tips
September 17, 2015 by admin
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If you’re one of the many businesses contemplating an online component to your efforts, you might be surprised to find that merchant account providers consider you part of the high risk pool of applicants. A string of fly-by-night businesses has taught the industry to be more considerate throughout the underwriting process, which has made it harder for some businesses to accept electronic transactions. However, this does not apply across the board and there are tricks you can do to create favorable odds for approval.
Time is On Your Side
The first tip applies to those who are looking to create an online component for an existing brick and mortar store. The longer you have been in business, the more a merchant account provider perceives that you’re serious and possess an understanding of how to run your business.
Good Credit Always Helps
Obtain your annual credit report and dispute any charges that seem unfamiliar in any way. These charges are often simple mistakes, but they can hurt your credit if you’re not vigilant. You can also write to Equifax, Experian and Trans Union to ask for removal of particular items from your report if the matter has already been closed.
Show a Willingness to Pay More
At the end of the day, if securing the merchant account means successfully scaling your business then you have to weigh the pros with the cons. It’s very likely that your business in the high-risk pool will pay more in fees for the same basic services others in the low-risk pool get for less. Paying higher rates will help you get the account and get you started. Once you’ve shown some history, you can re-negotiate for lower rates.
Bio: Firoz Patel is the innovative and resourceful CEO of AlertPay Inc., founded in 2005. Firoz Patel currently oversees the development of the Payza platform, and resides in the Montreal area of Quebec.
Meet the First Man to Invest in Land Development on Long Island
May 5, 2015 by admin
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By Phin Upham
Daniel Denice Conover is notable for being the first person to invest in land development on Long Island. The projects he brought to the region completely changed the coastline.
He was born in 1822, and got involved with New York politics as a growing man. That transitioned him into a lifetime of political activism as he joined several prominent clubs. He also became involved in both municipal and national elections, raising support for the New York City Volunteer Fire Department. An organization that he remained close to throughout most of his life.
Governor John King appointed him street commissioner in 1857, but there was a problem. He was about to assume his post when Conover forcibly ejected from the building! In something of a shakeup, Conover was informed that the position had gone to another man, a move made by Mayor Fernando Wood. The papers were reporting that the other man had paid the tidy sum of $50,000 directly to the mayor, an allegation denied by both parties. Wood was eventually arrested, but released within an hour.
Conover responded by attempting to arrest the mayor for inciting a riot. The confrontation became known as a the Police Riot of 1857, a clash over power.
Records indicate mayor Wood never faced trial, despite his arrest. Several injured policemen were able to successfully sue the mayor at a later date, each claiming $250 to cover injuries they’d suffered during that time. Conover was the victor in the public eye, and he became a prominent industrialist after that moment. He helped grow New York’s street railway systems, and fought for a charter that eventually led to the creation of the Thirty-Fourth Street line.
Phin Upham is an investor from NYC and SF. You may contact Phin on his Phin Upham website or LinkedIn page.
Edison’s Light Bulb and Other Inventions
March 27, 2015 by admin
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It might surprise you to learn that Thomas Edison was largely self-educated, but it’s true according to records on the matter. His mother had been employed as a teacher, so she was well equipped to guide him and provide him with material to study. As a young lad, Edison received only about three months worth of formal education in a school house. The rest of his learning came from what he picked up at home.
Fortunately, Edison was a voracious reader. This is perhaps thanks in part to the unfortunate fact that his hearing was never very good. By his middle age, he’d be almost completely deaf.
Edison started his working life as a newspaper boy. He sold papers to passengers at train stations from a great trunk he carried with him. This inspired him to start an organization of his own, the Grand Trunk Herald. It did fairly well and earned him the money he needed to set up a small laboratory. Edison’s true passions were in tinkering: chemistry, engineering and all things science. He set up in one of the baggage cars, and would have continued unnoticed had he not started a fire during one of his experiments.
But Edison shifted from tinkerer to proper inventor once he moved to New York. It was there that he invented the stock ticker, which earned him a $40,000 payoff. This fueled extensive experimentation on ore, telephones and electric lighting. This is where Edison’s name carries the greatest recognition. Most people know him as the inventor of the light bulb, an accurate but broad description.
Edison invented the first commercial practical incandescent light, a bulb that promised 1,200 hours of continuous light.
About the Author: Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Samuel Phineas Upham website or Facebook.
The Beginning of Oracle
February 25, 2015 by admin
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Larry Ellison co-founded Software Development Laboratories with Bob Miner and Ed Oates in 1977. Ellison had expressed an interest in building relational database management systems, which could be leveraged in large stores of data.
Ellison and team began work, with some early stumbles, but solid product releases. By 1979 they had changed the company name to Relational Software Inc, then again to part of the name we know today: Oracle Systems Corporation. This was a move aimed at aligning the company with its flagship product, the Oracle database.
Oracle is used in many applications, primarily because it’s easy to port. This was a huge part of the company’s success during the early and middle stages of its lifespan. Because Oracle database is programmed in C, it is adaptable to many operating systems. The first version of Oracle ran on PDP-11 hardware, and it was officially released as “version two.” The reasoning for the numeric switch had to do with public perception, with the company believing its consumers were most likely to buy the database if it had already had a first release.
The company did not see losses until 1990, when it had to lay off hundreds as sales dipped. Ellison found a new president at that point, and the company bundles many of its products to remain competitive. The strategy largely worked.
Today’s Oracle is a much larger company, with Ellison dabbling in many different platforms. Big data has always moved toward intelligence and the processing of that data, and many of Oracle’s recent acquisition reflect those changing trends. It’s likely that at least some of tomorrow’s predictive anything will run on Oracle databases.
Phineas Upham is an investor from NYC and SF. You may contact Phin on his Phineas Upham website or LinkedIn page.
How to Minimize Risk to Your Construction Company All Year Round
January 29, 2015 by admin
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Minimize the risk your construction company faces with these helpful tips.
Construction is a risky business. There are plenty of ways for a project to face delays, have problems dealing with personnel and run into challenges related to budgeting. A good project manager will begin the planning process immediately, which is one of the best weapons you have in mitigating the risk your construction company faces.
Budgeting and Deadlines
Many disputes that end up in construction mediation center on either budgeting or deadlines. When a project manager sets a budget, he is also basing his projections on a particular deadline with certain materials ordered. If parameters from that order change at any point, the projection must change with it. This can be frustratingly common in construction projects, especially when building owners need changes for code or environmental reasons.
Deadlines are also affected by personnel shortages. Some workers are more reliable than others, and injuries can take some of your work force out of commission. In these situations, turnaround services help provide valuable support to you.
Be Adaptable
It’s a good idea to prepare for the worst early so you can change fluidly with the situation as needed. Talking with multiple suppliers before you place an order, for example, will help give you an idea of who has what you need and when they can get the supplies to you.
Flexible project managers tend to minimize the impact of risk, so when things go wrong you can pivot to your plan B. In a bind, it may also benefit you to hire a consultant to help untangle the mess. The costs of the consultant may be substantially lower than letting the problem spiral out of control.
:: Lyle Charles Consulting is a firm that specializes in construction delay claims and management services. Lyle Charles is a construction consultant who is certified as an expert witness.