Market Watch

I spent my 43-year professional career working in or for architecture and engineering (AE) firms. I have been an owner in four of them, a board member in several more, and the firm we founded in 1988 that is today Zweig Group is the leading management consulting, research and training firm serving the industry. So, I have a good perspective on the industry. And while some may think AE firms are raking in the big bucks with the construction boom we still have underway here, they face many challenges. Here are some of them: Lack of public awareness and understanding of what these firms do. Most people think architects and engineers build things. For the most part, they don’t. They design them. And the design is critical to the success of any construction project. You can’t put a project out to bid unless you have detailed plans and specifications that allow you to know that every contractor is pricing out the same thing. You can’t get a building permit without a proper set of plans. You can’t design a site without a survey. Architects design buildings, both inside and out. Civil engineers and landscape architects develop the sites the […]

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CHICAGO (WLS) — Scammers work year-round but they are especially busy during the tax season. With Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday also on the horizon, online thieves are pulling out all the stops. The Better Business Bureau is alerting the public to the schemes that con-artists will use over the next several weeks. It will be taxing as people prepare to file with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). And, as the tax season picks up, scammers will capitalize on the pressure taxpayers are under. This year’s filing deadline is Tuesday, April 18. "No matter how you get your taxes done, you could encounter a scam attempt," says Steve J. Bernas, BBB president and CEO. "As the 2023 tax season opens, tax scammers come out of the woodwork. These cons come up with creative methods to entice busy consumers to fall for their tricks. They utilize imposter phone calls, texts, emails, and even phony letters to capitalize on the fears and emotions when filing taxes." BBB tax time tips: The best way to avoid tax ID theft is to file your taxes as early as possible before a scammer has the chance to steal your information and file a […]

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In 2018, WBJ published a six-part investigation called The Boardroom Gap about the lack of gender diversity in Central Massachusetts business leadership, which showed the region lagged behind both state and national averages in having women in executive leadership and board seats. The findings were so shocking and well read, the next year WBJ launched its annual Women in Leadership edition, with an update to The Boardroom Gap as the centerpiece. WBJ Editor Brad Kane For five years, WBJ published its annual The Boardroom Gap report, meant to hold to account the business community’s commitment to diversity by researching the gender of more than 1,600 leaders at 75 of the region’s most prominent organizations. Last year’s report showed Central Massachusetts was making slow progress toward more inclusive leadership, with 37% of the positions filled by women, but still a far cry from equal representation. This year, I decided this Women in Leadership edition would be the first without The Boardroom Gap investigation attached to it. This was a very difficult decision to not pursue this report for at least one year, after it had become so meaningful to the Central Massachusetts business community, particularly efforts toward diversity and inclusion. […]

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CHARLESTON, WV — Gov. Jim Justice announced today that West Virginia’s General Revenue collections for January 2023 are $162.2 million above estimates and 8.5% ahead of prior year receipts. Year-to-date record collections are $995 million above estimate. "Without any question in the world, our continued revenue surpluses prove that we can very safely and conservatively move forward with a 50% tax cut in the state of West Virginia, especially if we do it wisely, and we do it over three years and phase it in,” Gov. Justice said. “So this is our opportunity to do something for hard-working West Virginians and put money back in their pockets.” The following is a brief summary of the major components: January General Revenue Fund Severance Tax collections totaled $90.3 million versus $81.9 million in January of last year. Monthly collections exceeded the official estimate by $64.3 million. Record year-to-date general revenue fund severance tax collections of $631.2 million were 87.8% ahead of last year and $497.8 million above estimate. The Severance Tax accounted for 50% of the total year-to-date revenue surplus. Overall collections were nearly double last year largely due to higher energy prices. January Personal Income Tax collections totaled $305.3 million. […]

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New Homeownership Pilot Program in Corridors of Opportunity Provides Up to $80,000 in Assistance A new homeownership pilot program from the City of Charlotte will provide up to $80,000 in assistance for eligible residents purchasing a home in "areas of influence" within the Corridors of Opportunity. House Charlotte Plus offers an additional layer of financial assistance to the existing House Charlotte homeownership program . Through this new pilot program, an eligible resident can receive an additional $50,000 as a 0% interest deferred loan. House Charlotte Plus must be used in conjunction with House Charlotte, which currently offers up to $30,000. Together, an eligible homebuyer could receive up to $80,000 in assistance through these two programs. As part of the $60 million in current and planned investments renewing the city’s commitment in the Corridors of Opportunity , House Charlotte Plus is only available in designated areas inside the Corridors of Opportunity known as areas of influence . To be eligible for House Charlotte Plus, a homebuyer’s income must be 80% of the area median income (AMI) or less. The maximum purchase price is $300,000 for existing homes, and $315,000 for new construction. The entire loan balance must be repaid if […]

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American Cancer Society and ACS CAN Continue Commitment to End Cancer As We Know It, For Everyone WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2023 / PRNewswire / — On the one-year anniversary of the reignited Cancer Moonshot, the White House looked back on a year of progress and announced several public and private commitments to continue to work toward the initiative’s mission to, "End cancer as we know it today." Among the commitments of the private and nonprofit sectors shared by the administration, the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), are highlighted for ongoing work across the enterprise to support the Moonshot’s five key priority areas: (1) close the screening gap, (2) understand and address environmental exposure, (3) decrease the impact of preventable cancers, (4) bring cutting-edge research through the pipeline to patients and communities, and (5) support patients and caregivers. "The American Cancer Society and ACS CAN are well aligned with the Moonshot’s mission, and remain steadfast in our commitment to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families," said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society and ACS CAN. "The progress we’ve realized to date […]

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More than four years after launching its opportunity zones program to attract investment to economically underdeveloped areas, Colorado is winding it down — and declaring it one of the bigger successes among similar programs throughout the United States. While exact figures are scarce due to a lack of reporting requirements surrounding the federal tax credit, Colorado officials believe that roughly $1 billion has been invested in opportunity zone projects here, and a similar amount has been raised from state investors. Colorado generated the third-largest per-capita investment level among states and the funding reached areas from remote Western Slope town Naturita to rarely developed southeastern towns like Granada, according to the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Some three-quarters of the money from opportunity zone investments has gone to multifamily housing projects. Critics of the program worried that developers would take advantage of the tax breaks to build luxury residences on the edge of some opportunity zones, and the majority of apartment projects in Colorado — 21, including all of those in the Denver area — are at market rate. But 15 workforce-priced apartment projects sprawled in more rural areas of the state, producing more than 1,000 units […]

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Source: N.C. State University’s Dept. of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development The application period for 2023-2024 school year Opportunity Scholarships opened Feb. 1 and closes March 1. Each scholarship is worth up to $6,492 a year toward private school tuition. Applications for the Opportunity Scholarship Program opened Feb. 1 in North Carolina, marking the beginning of what is sure to be another year of growth for the school-choice program. As of the morning of Feb. 3, 3,853 applications had been received for Opportunity Scholarships, according to the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority, the state agency that oversees the program. The NCSEAA also published new guidelines on the value of each scholarship and the income thresholds needed to apply. Each scholarship is now worth up to $6,492 a year for tuition and fees at a private school, while the yearly income cap for a family of four is now $111,000. The Opportunity Scholarship Program, in existence since 2013, enables North Carolina families of moderate means to send their children to a private school. OSP students get 90% of per pupil allotment In recent years, lawmakers in the General Assembly have expanded the program to more middle-class households. As recently […]

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Retirement Weekly Valentine’s Day: 4 tips for the financially single Getty Images/iStockphoto We’ve all been there: Single on Valentine’s Day. And while finding yourself in such a situation can range from mildly irritating to downright heartbreaking, there is at least one type of singleness on Valentine’s Day where financial advice can help: being “financially single.” What does it mean to be ‘financially single’? This can include all kinds of situations, from single parents to those in a relationship but keeping finances separate, or simply those living and maintaining your finances all on your own. Whatever the case, being financially single can often feel like a weighty responsibility, but the good news is that there are some simple strategies that can help you plan for the unique opportunities and challenges that come with independence. As a financial single, you will have different tax options than married couples. You’ll also have sole responsibility over covering your expenses, earning an income, and planning for your future in terms of retirement, eldercare, and estate planning. On the other hand, you’ll likely also have fewer financial obligations to others, which may translate into being able to save and invest more in what interests you. […]

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal. Problems like educational achievement gaps, racial wealth gaps and lack of access to affordable housing aren’t abstract issues. These matters affect real people, and those people live in real places. When issues are divorced from the places where they happen, the result is investments spread thinly or haphazardly overlapped in ways that consistently fail to generate lasting positive change. The Neighborhood Opportunity Index covers more than 1,700 neighborhood “block groups’’ in seven counties of Central Florida. Block groups are the smallest unit of measurement for U.S. Census data. Each block group was assessed on indicators related to income, employment, crime, housing, education and health. High opportunity in a neighborhood means that there is low crime, low unemployment, good health, good access to attainable housing and strong household income. In a low opportunity neighborhood, the rates of crime, unemployment and poverty are high, while educational attainment and health indicators are low.

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