Audit teams and engagements suffer when members feel unsafe about raising questions or admitting mistakes.  This blog defines what psychological safety means and the best practices to put audit team members at ease. To read the full article in the Journal of Accountancy, click: Why Audit Teams Need the Confidence to Speak Up. ...

CBO: Partial Repeal of ACA Could Lead to 18M People Losing Insurance Some 18 million people could lose health insurance in the first year after a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and the number could grow to 32 million by 2026, according to a Congressional Budget Office report.  However, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the analysis represented "a one-sided hypothetical scenario" that did not accoun ...

The magnitude of the equity risk premium, or required return in excess of the risk-free rate, is a perennial question for valuation specialists.  Travis Harms, Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group lead, explains that the aggregate equity premium is typically broken into two pieces: 1) a market risk premium, and 2) a size premium. To read the full article in Mercer Capital's Financial Reporti ...

Engage and Assist Legal Counsel It is critical that the right person with the right expertise, training, and background be selected. This article will describe the various areas of specialization in which a forensic accountant performs, how counsel should select the right professional for the job, and the benefits of using a forensic accountant. ...

A Critique of the Ibbotson Methodology In this paper, the author argues that the Size Premium in Excess of CAPM (and other similar size premium measures) should not be used by valuation practitioners because: a) it is inconsistent with the empirical evidence; b) it is constructed using a method that is inconsistent with how practitioners estimate their CAPM cost of equity; and c) it does not properly calcul ...

A Donald Trump administration, combined with Republican control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes legislation to reform the taxation of business income more likely.  Hank Gutman, in this detailed report, explains that, despite the increased likelihood of legislative action, the specific content of reform legislation is more elusive than has been suggested by many, as is the path to ...

Intense Competition for Skilled Candidates is Creating a Need for More Efficient Hiring Practices There may never be a better time for organizations to carefully scrutinize their hiring processes to make sure they are optimized for delivering the best hires.  Ken Tysiac, CGMA Magazine, explains that the global job market is tilted towards candidates right now, and many candidates are not eager to wait long ...

On December 27, 2016 Toshiba Corporation announced the possibility of a goodwill impairment charge related to its U.S. nuclear power plant construction business, which was acquired for $229 million in late 2015 by Toshiba’s Westinghouse Electric Company subsidiary.  Karolina Calhoun, senior financial analyst with Mercer Capital, describes that both the buyer and target have been plagued by financial difficu ...

Part II of II This is the second of a two-part article. In this second part, Edward Mendlowitz illustrates how stocks can be acquired and what factors to consider when developing or modifying a stock portfolio. Read Part I here. ...

Use of Benninga-Sarig to Estimate Debt Betas in a Valuation Engagement In the July 8, 2016 In re Appraisal of DFC Global Corp. Opinion (DFC Opinion), the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware suggested that debt betas should be estimated for individual companies and it cited Pratt and Grabowski’s Cost of Capital as a source for debt betas based on the firm’s credit rating. In addition, the Court also a ...

Tips for Achieving Your Financial New Year's Resolutions The odds are against people who make New Year's resolutions, with research suggesting that less than half of resolutions will be kept six months later.  Here are tips for following through on financial objectives, beginning with setting goals that are specific, measurable, and realistic. To read the full article in CNBC, click: How to Make Your Financ ...

The vast majority of Americans report not feeling engaged on the job.  Fortunately, if you know what to look for, you can find job satisfaction. To read the full article in The New York Times, click: In Choosing a Job, Focus on the Fun. ...

Capital structure decisions have long-term consequences for shareholders.  The purpose of this whitepaper is to equip directors and shareholders to contribute to capital structure decisions that promote the financial health and sustainability of the company. To read the full article in Mercer Capital's Financial Reporting Blog, click: Capital Structure in 30 Minutes. This article is republished from Mercer ...

Stand Out and be Noticed! In this article, Dr. Frederiksen discusses 10 steps to create a “killer” website. ...

Part I of II Everyone knows there is a stock market and cannot help but hear daily updates—whether they understand it or not. Here are some basic principles and terminology that can help clients better understand the stock market and their investment decisions. ...

As the start of another tax season draws closer, practitioners would do well to review the new due diligence requirements for preparing returns that claim child tax credits and the American opportunity credit, Internal Revenue Service warnings to safeguard client data from cybercriminals and other important developments. To read the full article in Journal of Accountancy, click: Getting in Shape for Tax Sea ...

Is Cybersecurity Preparedness Lacking Among Boards? Some company boards are failing to take the necessary steps to defend against cyberattacks, with one survey finding that only 19% of directors say their boards have a high level of understanding of the issue.  Many states have data breach notification laws on the books, although such a provision has yet to pass at the federal level. To read the full articl ...

The inauguration of a new POTUS is now behind us.  Time, then, to add to the cacophony of pop-prognostications.  This blog post will make broad observations regarding potential changes to select corporate tax and other pro-growth economic policies in hopes of teasing out inferences for inputs to a basic valuation framework. To read the full article in Mercer Capital's Financial Reporting Blog, click: Corpor ...

An Expert Witness Tells All Martin H. Abo, CPA, ABV, CVA, CFF shares the story of a fraud engagement, where he was retained to analyze the business practices of FirstPlus Financial. Mr. Abo shares his experience getting the engagement and testifying in the racketeering case. ...

Negotiating, Structuring, and Reaping the Reward The authors share their views on what business owners should consider doing in anticipation of selling their business. The authors also share structuring considerations to close the transaction and reap the reward. ...