An ethical duty to ourselves, the profession, and our clients Business appraisers owe each other, the profession, and clients a duty to behave ethically and set aside our own biases and self-interest. ...

How much is that receivable really worth? Valuing receivables in a medical practice is never simply a matter of analyzing an aged receivables report. A number of factors must be considered to accurately value what could easily be the largest asset of the practice. ...

Procedural phases in litigation: the role of the expert from drafting of the complaint through trial In this first part of a four-part series titled “Providing Effective Litigation Services” Mark Shirley, CPA/ABV, CVA, MAFF, CFE presents an overview of the phases in a civil case, from filing of the complaint through trial.  An effective expert is a professional that understands the procedure, rules, his or ...

“Bank of America spokesman Terry Francisco told Bloomberg that the lender’s program prevents paperwork errors from delaying loan applications and that the overseas completeness checks don’t replace in-depth reviews done by licensed U.S. staff.” According to the Appraisal Institute and Bloomberg, Bank of America (BofA) has opened an office in Bangalore, India to deal specifically with reviewing valuation rep ...

Book Review ...

Fractional interest discounts allowed In Estate of Elkins v. Commissioner, the U.S. Tax Court sides with petitioners holding they were entitled to a ten percent discount from pro rata fair market value with respect to a decedent’s interest in various works of art.  In Fancher v. Prudhome, the Louisiana Court of Appeals upholds a trial court’s determination that using the Income Approach to value a withdrawi ...

How to apply the landmark cases Delaware MRI (2007) and Bernier (2012) Eric J. Barr, CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, CFE, analyzes two landmark court decisions—Delaware MRI and Bernier—and offers more clarity on the proper way to value an ownership interest in a pass-through entity under the fair market standard of value.  ...

Five key questions to determine whether it’s time to switch to a digital system At many firms, practice management software is often referred to as the “last frontier”, according to Matt Jagst, Director of Enterprise Product Management in the tax & accounting business of Thomson Reuters. Most firms manage to get by with outdated systems and processes. Switching to digital software that integrates time, ...

Important factors to consider in making tax adjustments to pass-through income Damodaran recently wrote about the potential devaluation of dividend-paying stocks if the preferred dividend tax rate were to climb back up to the ordinary rate.  This could inspire valuation experts to make a tax adjustment reducing untaxed Pass-Through Entity (PTE) income to equate it with corporately taxed income that qualifie ...

Understanding EBITDA applications is crucial to accurate buyout values. This analysis examines EBIDTA as an overused metric that does not represent real economic profit.  According to the author, eight subtractions are required to consistently and accurately determine true profit values.   ...

Should life insurance be considered a repurchase funding asset or a corporate non-operating asset and in what situations? ...

Fraudsters Are SophisticatedThis article examines the technology associated with Wi-Fi, vulnerabilities to commit fraud and preventative measures that can be taken to avoid becoming a victim of fraud. ...

Exits of private equity firms from investments fell 67 percent by volume and 81 percent by dollar value. ...

Valuation professionals must continually keep abreast of the latest news and developments.  Whether it’s the latest Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruling, a new, wide-ranging court decision, or newly issued standard, trying to stay on top of it all—while managing a practice—can pose a significant challenge.  But as Nancy Gault recently learned at NACVA’s Annual Consultants’ Conference, Around the Valuation ...

Changes in the capital markets utilized in financing healthcare transactions have transformed the way that the healthcare providers and enterprises operate within the current transactional marketplace, explains Robert James Cimasi.  These changes, particularly in recent years following the “Great Recession,”  relate to both the availability of capital sources and the types of financial instruments used.  As ...

Owners Looking to Protect Home Views Buy "Air Rights" to Stop Further Development.  See the Video to Find What One Homeowner Paid $600,000 to Preserve. The latest trend in Seattle's real estate market has homeowners looking up for some quick cash, reports Heather Graf at King 5 News (KVUE, an ABC affiliate)  in Seattle.  Depending on where you live, the air above your roof could be worth a lot of money.  He ...

If IRS Imposes a Penalty, That Penalty Cannot be Negotiated as Part of a Settlement on Another Tax Matter  The Internal Revenue Service is opposed to negotiating penalties with noncompliant taxpayers, a stance that should benefit appraisers and tax advisors because individuals will be required to assume more responsibility for their deductions, Bloomberg BNA (subscription required) reported this month.   Ap ...

A Majority ≠ Control or Liquidity Examining actual transactions in the private capital markets and court outcomes figure into whether holding a large block of stock equates with it control or even a premium.  The internal and external factors, legal provisions, and property performance drive this result.  ...

How Forensic Accountants Can Aid Auditors in Risk Assessment Should an assessment of corporate culture be a factor auditors should consider as part of a risk assessment process? These authors think so. Find out why. ...

One Medical Practice Could—Depending on How Rules of Thumb are Applied—be Valued at Several Radically Different Prices. Find Out Why! Paul Hyde, in a recent Around the Valuation World™ in 90 Minutes webinar, explained why rules of thumb are dangerous to rely on for valuation. The focus of his argument relied on six simple graphics that illustrated how the value of one hypothetical medical practice could—dep ...