Mutual NDAs for Small Businesses: Define It, Mark It, and Sign Before You Share
A mutual NDA binds both sides — and the residuals clause, the marking rules, and two separate clocks decide whether yours survives a dispute.
#contracts
Contracts
Client contracts, scope of work agreements, and legal documentation for service businesses
Tech E&O Insurance: What Software Developers and IT Consultants Are Actually Covered For
Tech E&O insurance pays your legal defense and damages when buggy code, bad advice, or missed deadlines cost a client money — solo policies run $60–$110/month.
A101, A201, A401: A Small Contractor's Guide to the AIA Contract Family
A401's pay-if-paid clause decides whether a slow-paying owner becomes your problem. What A101, A201 and A401 each do, and which blanks to negotiate first.
Cause Marketing With a Charity? The Commercial Co-Venture Rules You Must Clear Before Launch Day
A "$1 per sale" charity promise makes you a commercial co-venturer in 20+ US states. Register in 7, name the number in every ad, and avoid the IRS UBIT trap.
Source-Code Escrow for Small SaaS Vendors: Terms, 2026 Fees, and the Bookkeeping
US SaaS vendors face enterprise escrow demands. Self-service plans start near $139/month and traditional agents around $2,200 — negotiate release triggers and book setup, annual, and verification fees.
Buying on Contract? How a Contract for Deed Works — and the Federal Protections Most Buyers Never Hear About
In a contract for deed, the seller keeps legal title until your last payment while you pay the taxes, insurance, and repairs. Since the CFPB's 2024 advisory opinion, covered sellers must assess ability to repay, disclose the APR, and face limits on balloon payments.
Terminated for Convenience: What FAR Part 49 Still Pays You
A federal termination for convenience is not a lost contract — it is a settlement claim. This guide covers the three deadlines (120 days for inventory schedules, one year for the final proposal, 90 days for an equitable adjustment), the four cost buckets plus recoverable settlement expenses, the SF 1435/1436/1438/1439 forms, and the cost segregation that decides how much you actually recover.
Subletting Extra Office Space? Why You Stay Liable on the Master Lease (and How to Book the Income Right)
Subletting unused office space leaves you fully liable on the master lease while making you a landlord to your subtenant — why written landlord consent comes first, how to book sublease income separately from rent expense, and how advance rent, security deposits, and CAM pass-throughs are taxed.
Conditional vs. Unconditional Lien Waivers: Which One to Sign, and When
A lien waiver comes in four forms, and two words decide whether you kept your lien rights. Conditional waivers release rights only if the payment clears, so they go out with the invoice; unconditional waivers release immediately whether or not you are paid, so they go out only after funds clear the bank. Includes the through-date, retainage, and preliminary-notice rules that make the system hold up.
Water Softener Dealer Bookkeeping: Salt Routes, Service Contracts, and the Warranty Reserve
A water conditioning dealership runs four businesses on four different clocks — equipment installs, salt delivery, service plans, and rentals. Split them into separate income accounts, defer prepaid service revenue under ASC 606, accrue a warranty reserve at 2–5% of equipment sales under ASC 460, and capitalize rental units over a 7–10 year life instead of expensing them.
New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor Licensing: What Changed and How to Stay Compliant
New Jersey is converting home improvement contracting from registration to licensure under P.L.2023 c.237, with licensing provisions effective February 1, 2026. Registration still costs $110 a year, requires $500,000 in general liability coverage and a displayed 13VH number, and any contract over $500 must be written — violations are automatic Consumer Fraud Act unlawful practices carrying treble damages plus attorney's fees, while unregistered contractors generally cannot sue to collect payment.
Section 1234A and Termination Payments: Why a Forfeited Deposit or Canceled Purchase Option Gets Capital, Not Ordinary, Treatment
Section 1234A treats gain or loss from the cancellation, lapse, or termination of a right in capital-asset property as capital — so a forfeited earnest-money deposit is usually a short-term capital loss, a lapsed option premium is short-term capital gain, and a merger break fee is a capital loss capped at $3,000 of ordinary income per year for individuals. Services contracts, Section 1231 business property, and debt retirements fall outside the statute and stay ordinary.