Jeff K. Davis, managing director of Mercer Capital’s Financial Institutions Group, attended Creditflux’s private credit conference in New York a couple of days before the Brexit vote.  He explains that there was not much concern mentioned among mostly U.S. credit investors about it as a market or economic catalyst; nor was there much concern expressed about an aging credit cycle. To read the full article in ...

Complying with Rule 26 of the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (Part V of VII) What does Rule 26 of the Rules of Federal Civil Procedure provide? Using FRCP 26 as a basis for what is needed in federal court and possibly state court, the author discusses what is required from experts in their report. ...

Consideration for Closely Held Securities—DLOM Theoretical Models (Part II of II) This article summarizes the factors (and the empirical evidence) that the analyst may consider in the measurement of a discount for lack of marketability (DLOM) valuation adjustment associated with non-controlling securities of a closely held company. This security-level DLOM is different from the entity-level DLOM that is app ...

Hidden Headaches of Jointly Owned Annuities Annuities are considered wonderful vehicles for savers, no more so than for married couples.  The opportunity to obtain tax-deferred growth in a non-qualified deferred annuity is a key feature, particularly for individuals in high tax brackets who have already maxed out other available tax shelters.  However, annuities present a significant complication.  Michael ...

Brexit Market Losses Reached a Record $2T Global markets lost more than $2 trillion in paper wealth following news that the UK had voted to leave the EU.  That made the largest single-day drop in history, surpassing a $1.9 trillion sell-off during the financial crisis in September 2008.  Edward Krudy describes what happened. To read the full article in Reuters, click: Post-Brexit Global Equity Loss of Over ...

Guidelines Released for Employee Wellness Programs The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released guidelines for structuring employee wellness programs that adhere to health privacy regulations and anti-discrimination rules.  Employers should notify workers about how their health data will be used and encrypt sensitive information to ensure confidentiality.  Bertha Coombs, CNBC reporter, also sugg ...

Will Your Methodology be up to Snuff? Beyond Frye and Daubert (Part IV of VII) The methodology employed by the expert is a critical factor determining the admissibility of the testimony. Frye, Daubert, and Kumho provide guidance regarding the admissibility of the testimony. In this article, the author discusses these and recent cases, including: Manpower, Inc. v. Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvan ...

Consideration for Closely Held Securities, Part I of II Valuation analysts may be asked to value closely held company securities for various reasons. These reasons include transaction pricing, financial accounting, taxation planning and compliance, and litigation (related to both breach of contract and tort claims). Depending on: 1) the business valuation approaches and methods applied; and 2) the benchmark ...

One Way to Address Succession Issues With leaders from the baby-boom generation retiring, the CPA profession is looking for new leaders to step forward.  This has increased the urgency around retaining and developing women in leadership positions in the profession.  Ken Tysiac, JofA editorial director, reports. To read the full article in the Journal of Accountancy, click: Succession Issues Likely to Fuel U ...

Three Pointers for Choosing a Company Retirement Plan Simple IRAs and 401(k)s are typically the best retirement-plan options for companies with more than 10 or 15 employees.  Kathy Kristoff, finance writer, explores what to consider when setting up such plans, including the safe-harbor provision and the discrimination tests that apply to 401(k) plans. To read the full article in Inc., click: Pick the Right ...

Accounting-Related Class-Action Suits Rose In 2015 The number of securities class-action lawsuits related to accounting rose to a four-year high last year, with 71 actions filed, according to a study from Cornerstone Research.  The total value of settlements in these cases also rose significantly, surpassing $2.6 billion.  Michael Greene explains that these cases often involve allegations of internal-contro ...

The Appraisal Practice Board of the Appraisal Foundation released The Valuation of Customer-Related Assets.  As Karolina Calhoun, senior financial analyst with Mercer Capital, explains, the non-authoritative best practices guidance elaborates on valuation approaches and methodologies that can be used to measure fair value of customer-related intangible assets. To read the full article in Mercer Capital's Fi ...

The Question of Admissibility (Part III of VII) Are you ready to serve as an expert witness? Your training and experience are critical factors establishing your qualifications, but not a license to testify on matters beyond your scope of expertise. In this article, the author shares her experience evaluating your admissibility as an expert. ...

How do Sponsorships Rank as a Strategy for Business Development? How effective are sponsorships developing business leads? Sponsorships provide visibility to a captive audience and ideally convey the firm’s commitment to the cause or event. In this article, Dr. Frederiksen shares his findings on this subject, as well as discusses findings involving the pay to play sponsorships and the community sponsorship ...

Forum Discusses Future State of the IRS Nina Olson, the national taxpayer advocate, heard from tax practitioners and taxpayer groups on how the Internal Revenue Service can modernize its taxpayer services.  Troy Lewis, chair of the AICPA's Tax Executive Committee, called for better training and technology and IRS cooperation with stakeholders.  Ann Marie Maloney, AICPA communications manager, reports. To re ...

The Benefits of Active Listening Practicing active listening can be difficult in the distraction-filled business world, but it's critical for engaging employees and letting them know you value their ideas and opinions.  Managers should still ask for input and feedback from their direct reports even if they aren't sure they will be able to fix the issues that are raised.  Samantha White, CGMA Magazine senior ...

The regulator says the firm had "widespread failures" in its anti-money laundering programs for both its employee and independent channels.  This is the largest penalty the regulator has dished out for that type of infraction, describes Andrew Welsch, senior editor of On Wall Street. To read the full article in Financial Planning, click: FINRA Fines Raymond James Record $17M for Compliance Failures. ...

This blog outlines some recent changes to the impairment testing regime which provides corporate finance managers with periodic updates and commentary around several topics including impairment testing.  Lucas Parris, senior member of Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group, provides some insight as to what impact this may have. To read the full article in Mercer Capital's Financial Reporting B ...

Estate, Gift, and Tax Projects in the Horizon At the ABA Mid-Years Tax Section Meeting, Cathy Hughes and Melissa Liquerman of the IRS Office of Chief Counsel revealed a number of projects that are underway at the Service. In this article, several of those projects pertinent to valuation analysts are discussed, including the status of sec. 2704 regulations. ...

What is Generally Accepted by the Relevant Community? (Part II of VII) What is the Frye standard? How does it differ from Daubert? In this article the author details the Frye standard and what is “generally accepted”. ...