Resource Type: Article

What Do You Need to Know About Life Insurance?

First off, do you even need life insurance? If anyone currently relies on you financially, you should have life insurance. When you’re gone, your family will not have the support of the income you had provided in the past so life insurance helps replace that financial contribution to your family. Whether it’s enough life insurance…

To Have and to Hold, in Sickness and in Health: Strategies for Managing Risk on Design/Build Teams

By Jonathan C. Shoemaker, Esq. Before joining a team to submit a proposal on a design-build project, it is important to understand the risks to the design professional’s firm associated with participating on a design-build team – including risks that arise even before the design-build team is awarded the project! This paper provides a framework…

Can Architects Rely on Manufacturer-Provided Information?

Recently, there have been disputes and judicial decisions addressing the responsibility of architecture firms to understand the composition, performance, and availability of specified products, materials, and systems. In most cases, absent an affirmative statement by the architecture firm that it will determine the attributes of components specified for a design, courts have not unreasonably extended…

FAQs About Disability Income Insurance

While disability income insurance is one of the most overlooked types of insurance, it is one of the most important. It can help provide a safety net for unexpected pitfalls in life, such as injury or illness that prevent you from performing your duties and obtaining your normal cash flow. Some frequently asked questions (FAQs)…

Back to Basics: An Effective Risk Management Program

A successful risk management plan requires consideration of exposure, capability, responsibility, and power. Regardless of how a firm positions itself and selects its clients, a carefully crafted risk management program is the basic foundation for a firm’s ultimate survival and a major contributor to a firm’s success and profitability.

Retirement & Financial Planning Tools

The AIA Trust offers resources to assist AIA Members with challenging financial and retirement decisions. Financial Management Resources Whether you’re just starting your own firm or running an established firm – managing your company financials is critical. This list of helpful resources will help you plan strategically for success. View > Financial planning online tool Developed…

Small Firm Programs & Resources

The AIA Trust develops tools, resources, and programs designed to help small firms. Small firm owners can learn about free practice resources and special small firm member benefit programs designed for them and their firms by the AIA member Trustees who help to identify, evaluate, and design these small firm programs and resources. Read more.…

Drone: Bird, Plane, Predator or Liability?

Unmanned aerial systems (more commonly known as drones) are soon to be an integral part of the design and construction industry. The U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) is moving forward on setting up general requirements and granting permits so that commercial entities can tap into the potential of drones for a broad range of observation…

Rectification Coverage Facilitates Design-Build Leadership for Architects

As the market for the creation of capital assets moves increasingly toward design-build, many architecture firms have found themselves in the difficult position of being a subcontractor to a design-builder who often is a construction contractor. Serving their client—the design-build entity—and not the ultimate project client can create communication and ethical problems for the architecture…