Companies Look to Track Data About Employee Health Some companies are moving to track employee health data, which is linked to business performance.  Aimee Picchi looks at how tracking and disclosing this type of data could make workers uneasy and perhaps lead to discrimination, critics say. To read the full article in CBS Moneywatch, click: The Growing Movement to Track Employee Health. ...

The IRS announced that it is withdrawing proposed regulations released last September that would have allowed charities to file information returns with the IRS and donors instead of providing contemporaneous written acknowledgments of charitable donations (REG-138344-13).  Charities that elected to use the new procedure would have been required to obtain donors’ Social Security or other tax identification ...

Should Pension Participants Take the Lump-Sum Option? Traditional pensions are increasingly offering participants a lump-sum payment in lieu of monthly payments over the rest of their lives.  This option makes sense in some cases, but a monthly payment can reduce the chances of running out of money in retirement.  Ann Carrns explains how, unfortunately, not all employees are able to make informed decisions. ...

Last week, Lands’ End, Inc. announced it would write down the value of its flagship trade name asset.  Management’s preliminary guidance could lower the asset’s value by 20%.  Lucas M. Parris, senior member of Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group, explores that obviously, a non-cash impairment charge is just that, non-cash, but what does it mean for stakeholders and how is such a charge actu ...

Post-Grant Review, Inter Partes Review (IPR) and Ex Parte Re-Examination (EPR) alternatives to Litigation Litigation of Intellectual Property is costly. What alternatives do parties have to costly and protracted litigation? This article discusses various options to litigation. ...

A Meaningful New Year’s Resolution Why is compliance so important to business? What are the reasons and consequences for failing to have a compliance program? In this article, Peter J. Comodeca, Esq. with the law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP discusses the legal reasons to comply and costs of failing to comply. ...

The Best Source of Referrals is One Not Readily Considered How can one maximize referral opportunities? What separates the most successful professional services firms from the rest? One key difference is surprisingly simple, and often overlooked: successful firms understand the process of referrals. Most firms work under long-held referral assumptions that are not effective. Most believe that winning new bu ...

Economists Express Concerns About Global Growth The majority of economists polled by Reuters say that global economic growth is slowing in both developed and developing markets.  Their main concern is trouble in China.  Rahul Karunakar examines the results and how still, most economists said there is an "insignificant" chance of a global recession this year. To read the full article in Reuters, click: Momen ...

When clients die, tax practitioners can take a number of steps on their clients' individual income tax returns for their final year that can help the family save on taxes.  Karen Cohen, CPA, explains what they are. To read the full article in The Tax Adviser, click: Taking Control of the Final Form 1040. ...

Risk management requires constant collection and assessment of internal and external information.  Mike Skorupski, head of finance governance, discusses how risk intelligence is collected and managed at Siemens Wind Power in Denmark. To read the full article in CGMA Magazine, click: How to Gather Risk Intelligence. ...

If lenders could look into the future, what would they see?  Jeff K. Davis, managing director of Mercer Capital’s Financial Institutions Group, discusses what could be in store for the energy sector this coming year. To read the full article in Mercer Capital's Financial Reporting Blog, click: Dimon Was Spot on Last Week. This article is republished from Mercer Capital's Financial Reporting Blog.  It is rep ...

Benchmarking Your Reports and Examining What Hypothetical Conditions and/or Extraordinary Assumptions You Have Made! However, thanks to WikiLeaks, “The Interview”, and Sony Pictures, a rather sizeable repository of sample reports exist free of charge. These reports, as you might expect, are from the transaction arms of Big Four firms as well as leading national shops. Anyone who has been doing this for a wh ...

Income Recognition, Deferrals, and Methods Valuation professionals that provide either consulting or tax reporting services will encounter taxpayers with unique questions regarding what income to report. This article provides CPAs and consulting professionals with an overview of what to report and why. ...

IP Valuation—Beyond the Income and Cost Approach Valuation analysts (“analysts”) are often asked to value debtor company intellectual property (IP) within a business bankruptcy context. Some of the bankruptcy reasons to value IP include the assessment of the following: the debtor’s solvency, a secured creditor’s collateral and protection, the fairness of a Section 363 IP asset sale or license, the debtor’s ...

Where to go to get Case Law Research can be daunting in and of itself. However, researching case law can be overwhelming, especially if you do not have the fanciest databases or are not aware of what is offered on a more economic level. Thankfully, there are tools and resources available to help you find what you are looking for. ...

Reviewing a purchase price allocation report can be a daunting task if you don’t do it for a living.  Lucas M. Parris, senior member of Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group, presents this guide which focuses on providing an overview of the structure and content of a properly prepared purchase price allocation report. To read the full article in Mercer Capital's Financial Reporting Blog, clic ...

Why You Might Feel Less Assertive After Using a Smartphone Hunching over to use a smartphone or other device can make people less confident and more likely to recall negative memories, research has suggested.  People should be aware of their posture and hold their phones at eye level.  Vivian Giang examines new research that shows the more you hunch over your smartphone, the less likely you are to stand up ...

Earnings Season Likely to Confirm U.S. Profit Recession Major U.S. companies stand a good chance of reporting fourth-quarter results that show earnings have fallen two quarters in a row, marking a recession.  Forecasts call for a 4.2% decline in earnings and a 3.2% decrease in revenue for companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.  Bernard Condon, AP business writer, discusses the issues and what to ...

The Ongoing Research and Analysis Relating to the S Corporation Valuation Puzzle What premium, if any, should S Corporations command? How reliable are the current models? How reliable is the evidence that supports the position of the leading U.S. Tax Court cases? What should valuation analysts and consultants consider as they advise newly formed corporations considering making the S election and S corporati ...

In Appraising Outpatient Enterprises Healthcare related outpatient enterprises are those that provide services that do not require hospital admission and may be performed outside the premises of a hospital. Valuation of healthcare related outpatient enterprises, similar to the valuation of any business, should include consideration of the three general approaches to valuation, i.e., the income approach, the ...