• Practice Management - QuickRead Featured

    Unlocking Client Value Leads to Firm Growth

    The Opportunity for Value Growth Services How can one differentiate oneself? Scale production or services? Whether you’re an M&A advisor, a business valuator, a CPA, a transition planner, or a turnaround consultant, you would probably be very successful if you could consistently execute this simple growth strategy. For most people, the challenges of differentiating and scaling often seem to prevent success. However, once you know the secret to differentiating, landing the highly profitable new client becomes exponentially easier. In this article, Kenneth Sanginario shares his views on how to unlock client value and unleash firm growth.

  • Practice Management - QuickPress

    Q&A: How to Present Your Prices to Customers

    How can your firm present different pricing options to customers, decide which pricing model is the best to use, and overcome pricing objections?  Chris Baysden, for the Journal of Accountancy®, sits down with Ron Baker for this sixth in a series of Q&A sessions. To find out more on the Journal of Accountancy article, click: How to present your prices to customers.

  • QuickPress - Valuation/Appraisal

    New Rules Aim to Claw Back Incentive-Based Pay

    The SEC has proposed new rules and requirements for certain types of incentive-based executive compensation.  Lucas M. Parris, Senior Member of Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group, explains the rules and how they would apply. To read more about the results of this report in the Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: New Rules Aim to Claw Back Incentive-Based Pay.  This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog.  It is reprinted with permission.  To subscribe to the blog, visit: http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.

  • QuickPress - Tax

    Regulations Determine Partnership Distributive Shares When Ownership Changes

    “The IRS issued final regulations on determining partners’ distributive shares of partnership items when a partner’s interest varies during the partnership’s tax year.”  Sally P. Schreiber, a senior editor for the Journal of Accountancy®, explains the exceptions and methods the proposed regulation influences. To find out more on The Tax Adviser® article, click: Regulations Determine Partnership Distributive Shares When Ownership Changes.

  • Case Law - QuickRead Featured - QuickRead Top Story

    Estate of Richmond v. Commissioner

    Guidance on How to Calculate the Built-in Capital Gains Tax?! Estate of Richmond is well known among experienced valuation professionals for at least two reasons. First, the U.S. Tax Court was critical of the experts’ lack of credentials and the fact that the estate submitted an unsigned, marked-up report with the 706. Second, the U.S. Tax Court did not allow a 100 percent BICG tax reduction. Rather, the Court provided guidance regarding the extent of the BICG deduction. The author, an experienced valuation advisor, shares his views on both of these issues.

  • Practice Management - QuickRead Featured

    Why Visible Experts are Transforming Firms

    And How to Become One We all know their names. They’re the industry stars that headline conferences and write the definitive books in their fields. Sometimes their names are known beyond their industries and they bring acclaim to their firms. We call these individuals Visible ExpertsSM, and it has become increasingly evident that they are changing the way professional services are purchased and understood. So what benefit, if any, does a firm derive from giving Visible Experts? In this article, Hinge Marketing’s Dr. Frederiksen reveals the findings.

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Featured

    Common Misconceptions Regarding Healthcare Entity Valuations

    Five of the 10 Leading Misconceptions (Part I of II) The following discussion summarizes and responds to common misconceptions that many analysts have with regard to the valuation of healthcare entity property and/or services transfers. These analyst misconceptions typically involve a misunderstanding of one or more of the relevant regulatory provisions. These analyst misconceptions typically relate to an erroneous understanding that “the Service only accepts this” or “the Office of Inspector General doesn’t accept that.” These analyst common misconceptions are addressed from the perspective of the regulatory compliance of the valuation analysis. In Part I of II, the article covers…

  • QuickPress - Valuation/Appraisal

    Rules for the Modern Investment Manager

    The SEC has proposed new rules and amendments that are more stringent and would alter requirements.  Mary Grace McQuiston, Senior Financial Analyst with Mercer Capital, offers insights and explores some of the ramifications these changes could bring. Read more about the results of this report in the Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting article, Rules for the Modern Investment Manager.  This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog.  It is reprinted with permission.  To subscribe to the blog, visit: http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.

  • Practice Management - QuickPress

    Ways to Ensure Your Firm’s Secrets Remain In-House When Employees Leave

    Today’s competitive market helps to create the attraction and real possibility of employee mobility.  James Pooley, author of Secrets: Managing Information Assets in the Age of Cyberespionage (Verus Press 2015), shares nine insightful tips every employer should consider and put in practice to protect themselves and their companies. Find out more on the RIA Biz article, click: Ways to ensure your firm’s secrets remain in-house when employees leave.

  • QuickPress - Valuation/Appraisal

    8 Things You Need to Know About Section 409A

    Are you aware of these interesting tips regarding Section 409A?  There may be more to it than you think.  Travis Harms, leading Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group, answers eight questions to offer practical and comprehensive information about how Section 409A works. Read more about the results of this report in the Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting article, 8 Things You Need to Know About Section 409A. This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog. It is reprinted with permission. To subscribe to the blog, visit http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.

  • Financial Forensics - QuickRead Featured

    Every Divorce Should Include a Lifestyle Analysis

    Full Disclosure to Equitably Settle Marital Disputes An important step in the divorce process is reviewing and disclosing financial matters. In this step, both parties are typically required to prepare and sign their respective financial affidavits. In matrimonial matters, a financial affidavit represents a sworn written statement of a spouse’s assets, liabilities, income, and expenses. The information disclosed in a financial affidavit typically represents a snapshot of an individual’s finances at a point in time, or, with respect to the income and expenses, represents the financial activities over a relatively short time period. In this article, the author describes the…

  • QuickRead Featured - QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Are Family Limited Partnership Discounts About to End for Newly Formed FLPs?

    Is There a Reason to Act Soon? Will the IRS Prevail this Time? The IRS is considering issuing proposed Section (SEC) 2704(b)(4) regulations to limit the availability of discounts for lack of control and lack of marketability. The article highlights the need to communicate with estate and gift tax attorneys that have discussed forming a FLP. While practitioners do not know what is being proposed, the §2704 legislative proposal (last included in the Fiscal Year 2013 Greenbook dated February 2012) includes items considered eight years ago, which includes adding additional disregarded restrictions and restrictions on assignee interests.

  • Financial Forensics - QuickRead Featured - QuickRead Top Story

    Fraud Risk Assessments

    The Annual Audit Does not Identify Operational and Financial Risks According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE) 2014 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse, an estimated 5% of revenues each year are lost to fraud. What processes can management put in place to identify financial and operational risks? In this article, the author shares his experience and thoughts on that question.

  • QuickRead Featured - Valuation/Appraisal

    The S-Value Premium

    Benefit or Boondoggle? Is the S corporation premium defensible? In this article, the author shares her views on this matter by answering the following questions: Should there be a premium applied to the S corporation whose value has been determined relative to the publicly traded C data by which it has been valued?” Are the assumptions we use to compare S and C attributes reasonable? Do they make sense? If not, what might we use instead?

  • QuickPress

    The Downside of Automatic 401(k) Enrollment

    Auto enrollment vs. signing up for a 401(k) plan on your own.  What’s the difference and can it be detrimental to your retirement saving goals?  Kelley Holland, Special Journalist to CNBC, shares some interesting, if not eye-opening, information on how employee 401(k) plans affect your future and what you should do about it. Find out more on the CNBC article, click: The downside of automatic 401(k) enrollment.

  • Valuation/Appraisal

    Public Market Views of EBITDA: Exxon Mobil and Apple

    Some very interesting implications can be noted comparing two different companies using EBITDA.  Z. Christopher Mercer, Founder and CEO of Mercer Capital, looks at how relying on EBITDA as a measure of cash flow can impact the valuation analysis conclusion if other measures are not considered. Read more about the results of this report in the Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting article, Public Market Views of EBITDA: Exxon Mobil and Apple. This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog. It is reprinted with permission. To subscribe to the blog, visit http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.

  • Financial Forensics - QuickRead Featured

    Recovery of Hidden Assets Offshore 101

    The global nature of today’s economy makes the process of recovering the assets of fraud and other business crimes all the more difficult. The legal benefits provided by different jurisdictions are often used illegitimately by individuals to hide the proceeds of fraudulent activities, making it more difficult for the victims of fraud to recover their assets. In this article, Eric Rein discusses the strategies and procedural challenges to asset discovery and recovery.