What discount rate should you use? Economic damages in litigation must be reduced to present day dollar values to avoid over-compensating the Plaintiff for harm caused by the defendant. This article explains present value theory in simple terms and addresses different methodologies used in reducing future economic damages to a present day dollar value.
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A good start for a forensic accounting engagement Statistical data is commonly presented in litigation reports. The data provides valuable information to test the hypothesis. This article provides an introduction of how some statistical techniques that are readily available can be used in practice.
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Barely six months into 2014, General Motors (GM) has recalled more vehicles than it sold in the five years since it filed for bankruptcy. In February alone, 2.6 million vehicles were recalled for an ignition problem that’s been attributed to at least 13 deaths. Even so, the GM stock price has remained completely neutral since April. How is the stock valuation immune to such a corporate and public relations nightmare? Visit CNNMoney to find out. [button color=”blue” link=”http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/27/investing/general-motors-stock/index.html?iid=HP_Highlight” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]Read Full Article[/button]
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The Expert’s Role The article offers the comments of one expert on how the courts (judges) could improve the end process.
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Anticipating questions allows us to think through the best ways to phrase our responses Questions about an expert’s skills and work can be phrased in ways that make it difficult to answer accurately on the spot, but advance preparation can smooth the process.
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Since 2008, policymakers have kept interest rates at or near zero. All this cheap money was intended to heal the wounds of the financial crisis and encourage business owners to invest in and grow their businesses. Although this approach has helped a bit, business valuations tend to be running at higher than usual rates. AVC.com has reviewed recent data and determined whether this is a business valuation bubble forming and when it may burst. Of concern are non-linear asset value/earnings ratios that go against the norm. You can read the full article below. [button color=”blue” link=”http://avc.com/2014/03/the-bubble-question/” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]Read Full…
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Understanding the nature and risk of expected cash flow This discussion summarizes the interrelatedness of the weighted average cost of capital and the weighted average return on assets within the context of a purchase price allocation for financial reporting purposes. Failure to understand this fundamental relationship can lead to inaccurate estimates of value for the acquired assets and, therefore, inaccurate reported asset values and amortization expense on the financial statements of the acquirer. The WACC can be viewed as a weighted average of the required rates of return for the individual assets of the acquired company. The selected intangible asset…
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The impact of hoarded cash in valuations The impact on business valuators in this economic and political climate is largely observational. Observational because any forecasted financial information installed in any formula must include the impact of managements’ sources and uses of “hoarded cash.”
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Up until now, all the corporate M&A talk for 2014 has surrounded the $45 billion deal Comcast has made for Time-Warner Cable. That’s not just because of the price tag. If approved by regulators, Comcast would end up as the internet gatekeeper for one out of every three homes and businesses in the country. That’s also a lot of power and control over internet access, quality and service for one third of the country. As media titans continue to consolidate, many are asking whether it’s wise to put so much power into so few hands. The latest questions surround an…
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Proposed rule amendments for small businesses and additional exemptions under Section 3(b) of the Securities Act On December 18, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission released their long-awaited proposed rules on Regulation A+. The amendments to Regulation A were proposed pursuant to Title IV of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. The proposed rules are intended to increase access to the capital markets for lower middle-market firms since Reg. A has been sparingly used; there were only 19 qualified Reg. A offerings between 2009 and 2012. While pre-revenue firms, start-ups and those in the early stages will not…
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Forensic professionals endure trench warfare Discovery provides a window of opportunity to gather evidence and develop expert reports. A trained forensics professional can ascertain whether cash deposits were all accounted for or secreted. It is advisable and well worth the time, trouble, and money to retain a forensic professional to conduct an analysis.
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The Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) has released the Second Exposure Draft for proposed changes to the 2016-2017 Uniform Standards for Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). The scheduled revisions include: Defining the term “report” Edits to eliminate confusion regarding report drafts Revisions to Standard 3 to enhance consistency with other standards and clarify dates identified and reported Edits to eliminate confusion regarding confidentiality Other edits to improve clarity and enforceability of USPAP Comments are due by June 2, 2014. They can be submitted to ASBcomments@appraisalfoundation.org. You can read the full second exposure draft at the link below. [button color=”blue” link=”https://appraisalfoundation.sharefile.com/download.aspx?id=s1b2357c1dc74621a#” target=”_blank” font=”arial”…
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Believe it or not, Hawaii’s top marginal tax rate is 367,100 percent. That makes France’s 75 percent and 100 percent tax rates seem like a downright bargain. A new paper released by the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Texas Tech University and The Institute for Business and Finance Research details how state tax laws in Hawaii create a tax cliff of epic proportions where a single extra dollar in income can trigger marginal tax rates that are nothing short of income confiscation. The paper titled, Marginal Tax Rates Around the Hawaii Itemized Deduction Cliff, details how a single dollar that…
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New changes to the law could mean new client service opportunities The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a No Action Letter that allows unlicensed professionals to receive commissions for the sale of privately held securities in a sales transaction.
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Use of photography in forensic and valuation engagements The purpose of this article is to provide the CPA/expert a brief introduction to the use of photography in a valuation or forensic engagement. It is not intended to be an all-inclusive training manual in forensic photography. Criminal forensic photographic procedures may, due to the differences between civil and criminal law, be materially different.
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After the media gaffe that disgraced LA Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, the mogul was fined $2.5 million by the NBA. There’s a misconception that he’s being required to sell the team as part of his lifetime ban from the sport, but that’s not actually true. NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, is asking the NBA Board of Governors to force Sterling to sell, which requires three quarters of the league’s owners to sign on. Common sense would ask that if Sterling has been banned from the league for life, how is it possible to own and operate a team within it? Wouldn’t…
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Four things valuators should know about medical claims and coding In this second installment of his review of medical claims coding, Mr. Moffatt sets forth his final two examples that explain the unique circumstances of the medical practice revenue cycle that affect cash flow and how they relate to the valuation of a medical practice. Part 1 of this article was published on March 4, 2014.
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Good communication skills are essential for the expert Witness Expert witnesses and litigation support professionals generally do not consider the importance of communication skill training and practice as part of their preparation process. Communication is the third leg of expert witness preparation and separates the average witness from the great witness.
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While mergers and acquisitions within the healthcare sector are expected to grow this year, the bulk of the deals will likely involve targets such as large, outpatient care centers and allied healthcare facilities, as opposed to large in-patient hospitals. This analysis comes as part of a white paper recently released by Ponder & Co. Also included were projections that nonprofit institutions will be the more popular target, with a renewed emphasis on combining regional systems and another tough year for the traditional, community hospital. You can get the full details at the link below. [button color=”blue” link=”http://www.ponderco.com/downloads/Ponder-MA-White-Paper-Q1-2014.pdf” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]Read…
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Professor, Aswath Damodaran, of the NYU Stern School of Business has released his 2014 Data Page online. Updated annually and exhaustively researched, the data page offers in-depth information on 41,000 companies in 131 worldwide markets, including measures of operation, leverage, pricing, equity risk premiums and country risk. One of the major changes to this year’s data page was the switch from Value Line to Morningstar, Bloomberg and Capital IQ for all U.S. firms. You can review the data page at the link below. [button color=”blue” link=”http://people.stern.nyu.edu/adamodar/New_Home_Page/data.html” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]Read Full Article[/button]