One answer is, FLDS men are highly industrious and very successful in the construction business. They have numerous companies spread across the Southwest, which until recently has seen a building boom, and their earnings are funneled back into the church and its leadership. The sect excels at underbidding other construction outfits, because it employs boys from its own community without having to pay them much—or nothing at all. Some have called this "slave labor." The FLDS has undercut its competition not just in the private marketplace, but also in government contracts.

Many men in the sect have been officially married to one wife, but might have a dozen or more unofficial "spiritual wives" who could qualify for welfare payments—another way to drain money from the government. The sect calls this tactic "bleeding the beast."