Galiotos v. Galiotos—The Tale of a Sibling Feud This legal update provides a summary of how the trial and appellate courts addressed a dispute amongst siblings that were co-trustees of trusts holding commercial real estate assets. The case provides valuation and litigation support professionals an opportunity to assess what has happened when an impasse of this nature results in litigation. “If you ever star ...

Conversations with ChatGPT In this article, the author discusses the conversation she had with ChatGPT regarding Bitcoin and Ponzi schemes. This question has been around nearly as long as Bitcoin itself (without the Charles Ponzi qualifier). How could I have a conversation with Charles Ponzi? Perhaps ChatGPT has ingested enough material about the historical figure to do it for me. I initiated a new conversa ...

Trust but Authenticate This 20th article in the Unimpeachable Neutrality series explores why and how valuation and forensic accounting experts may need to evolve toward a new standard: unimpeachable certainty. Neutrality, once the highest standard of expert credibility, must now be supplemented with verifiable authentication practices to ensure that expert conclusions are not built upon fabricated realities ...

Retain and Build Client Relationships Finding good clients can be a challenge. Even with good clients, maintaining the relationship and improving it takes a few easy steps. In this article, the author shares steps a firm can take to improve the relationships and minimize the chance of losing the client. Finding good clients can be a challenge. Even with good clients, maintaining relationships with them can ...

This article reviews 10 ways you can use AI in your consulting firm to improve efficiency. I have a lot of people tell me that AI is pretty cool but ask, how can I use it to boost the efficiency of my consulting practice? It is easy to get caught up in the hype of new technology, but there really are some immediate benefits that you can implement quickly to have more time with family and friends and less ti ...

(With the Help of ChatGPT) In this article, the author provides three versions of a data retention policy that appears compliant with GDPR or NIST. After taking NACVA’s cybersecurity course, a student reached out to me asking for a Data Retention Policy template that would be compliant with the statutes and frameworks discussed in the course, such as the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST ...

The Four Pillar Framework Rod Burkert has been spreading the gospel about BVFLS practice development since 2013. In this article, he discusses a framework that he has developed and can be used to close the gap between the practice you have and the practice you want. The people I talk to all seem to have slightly different ideas about practice development. Here is one definition from a Forbes article that I ...

and My Productivity Doubled How can one materially improve productivity in just two weeks? In this article, the author describes how she allowed artificial intelligence to start managing her work schedule. What happened next surprised her: the author gained nearly two hours a day and doubled her weekly task completion rate. I am a single mom with two kids under three years old. I work full-time as a forensi ...

Inside the Expert Battle Over Kroger’s Pharmacy Discounts What does “usual and customary price” mean? How does a plaintiff challenge such a broad assertion in a class action? What will a defendant assert to discredit a plaintiff’s expert? This article discusses the Daubert motion brought forth in Kirkbride v. The Kroger Co. and provides notice to how a challenge may unfold in other class action suits that h ...

Today, I am taking a risk. A risk of exposing weaknesses in AI and applying it to the business valuation profession. So, follow along with my experiment and let’s see what happens. First of all, you should know that I have the paid version of ChatGPT ($20/month) and I used the 4o model for my test. Since I am a tech wizard and not a CVA, I started simple. Prompt #1: What kind of data do you need to calculat ...

How Business Valuations Drive Smarter Lending Decisions This article provides a case study that highlights the methodology behind SBA-compliant business valuations. The article underscores the importance of grounding the analysis in standard valuation techniques, using reliable industry benchmarks, and properly documenting adjustments. The role and value of business appraisers to the lender and parties invo ...

Utilizing Data Analytics to Investigate Ponzi Schemes This article examines how data analytics combined with other forensic accounting tools can help investigators uncover how investors in both traditional and newer types of Ponzi schemes were victimized, and how data can be compiled to locate stolen assets and create an analytical report that aids regulators and in legal proceedings focused on recovering f ...

For Business and Financial Consultants (Explained Simply) Prompt engineering is just a fancy term for “asking better questions” when using AI tools like ChatGPT. Think of it like giving clear instructions to a smart assistant. The better your instructions, the better and more useful the answer. Why It Matters for Consultants If you are a business or financial consultant, you use your brainpower to solve pro ...

Tips to Successfully Transition to the Expert Level There are several steps to making the transition from generalist to specialist. For those who have gone through this process, the primary regret is often that they did not make the transition earlier. To help anyone sitting on the fence, I am sharing some brief tips from my own experience. There are several benefits to being highly specialized. One of them ...

The Importance of Growth Assumptions in Delaware Appraisal Rulings An important input to many valuations for disputes in the Delaware Court of Chancery is a business’s terminal value; the future value of a business that reflects all the cash flows expected to occur after the period for which management or analysts typically prepare cash flow projections. In this Q&A, the article’s authors explain how th ...

Beyond Heating and Cooling From coast to coast and everywhere in between, HVAC plays a critical role in economic performance and presents compelling opportunities. This article discusses factors business valuators must consider when they are engaged to value HVAC companies. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) services are not only essential, they are foundational to modern comfort and thriving ...

Self-reflection and the Engagement Process The buying process begins when a prospect or a referral source considers you for a new engagement, or when a client considers you for a repeat performance. In this article, Rod Burkert reflects on this aspect of the engagement process. The buying process begins when a prospect or a referral source considers you for a new engagement, or when a client considers you f ...

In First Month of 2025 In the first month of 2025, hospital revenue and expenses both increased, balancing each other out and resulting in continued steady financial performance for hospitals, according to Kaufman Hall’s January 2025 National Hospital Flash Report. This article reviews the report and the current state of hospital operations. In the first month of 2025, hospital revenue and expenses both inc ...

Forecasting Errors One of the common pitfalls in applying the income approach is committing forecasting errors. To understand the impact of this error, this article discusses the importance of the income approach in business valuations and areas that require careful evaluation. One of the common pitfalls in applying the income approach is committing forecasting errors. To understand the impact of this error ...

Gemini 2.5 Pro EXP Shines and Your Shortcut to Staying Current Just like I predicted in my last post, the AI chatbot race is heating up, with models leapfrogging each other constantly! This time, Google's new Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental made a splash, and based on my own quick test, it is impressively capable. [Check it out here: https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/pro/] Putting Gemini 2.5 Pro to th ...