Problems and solutions The Guideline Transaction Method (GTM) remains a viable option for valuing businesses; the question is whether it is being properly applied. In this article, Eric Barr proposes that despite the recent negative press, the GTM can provide valuable insight. ...

  Two CPAs in Washington D.C. have filed a class action lawsuit against the IRS for requiring a yearly registration and related fee in order to maintain a preparer tax identification number (PTIN). The suit, which involves 700,000 practitioners, seeks to recover $150 million in fees that the IRS has collected since the regulation passed in 2010. Four years ago, the IRS put the new rule into effect as a ...

Because the economic recovery we’ve all been told is happening never really arrived, dollar stores across the United States are doing big business these days. Because of that, there’s a huge takeover battle going on between the nation’s three largest dollar store retailers. Apparently, there’s billions to be made, one dollar at a time. Family Dollar Stores (FDS) originally rebuffed an unsolicited $9.1 billi ...

Method for dissenting shareholder appraisal actions The consideration of the subject company’s industry (the subject industry) when applying the Income Approach—Discounted Cash Flow Method—is an important issue for the valuation analyst, specifically as it relates to shareholder appraisal rights actions. The Delaware Chancery Court regularly provides guidance as to the proper consideration of the subject in ...

This past summer, the firm of Pluris Valuation Advisors LLC released a detailed white paper on the valuation of life insurance. According to the authors, when valuing life insurance or life insurance-linked instruments such as split-dollar collateral assignment receivables or split-dollar promissory notes, there are only three elements of Fair Market Value. These include: Illustrations from the insurance co ...

Opinions are like viewpoints; everyone has one Opinions are often provided in connection with calculation values and a conclusion of value. SSVS No. 1 does not prohibit or explicitly endorse either. In this article, Jim Hitchner shares his views on whether the term “opinion”―offered in a litigation or non-litigation engagement—should be used as part of the engagement or offered in connection with a calculat ...

Reminder to NACVA members of new opportunity This article calls attention to the fact that NACVA members and other business valuation practitioners once again have the opportunity to take advantage of the many additional benefits of belonging to the Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA), an affiliate of NACVA. ...

  In the early days of the scandal surrounding LA Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, certain terms of his punishment by the NBA were a given. What no one was sure of was whether or not he would be forced to sell the team. As speculation turned into fact, it seemed as if valuation estimates for the team were coming out of the woodwork. Some said the team price tag could go as high as $1 billion. Earlier i ...

  Netflix is the latest company to join a petition asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny the pending $45 billion Comcast / Time Warner merger. In a 256-page report, Netflix details how the merger will give the new entity too much control over the internet, and that this new power will enable it to stifle online video distributors that it sees as competition. Comcast continues to ar ...

Analyze early and avoid earnings surprises The purchase price allocation (PPA) process is often treated as an afterthought in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Thinking about PPA can help guide a deal to a more predictable conclusion. In the most rewarding deals, a prompt PPA process helps acquirers analyze, from a financial reporting point of view, the primary drivers or intangible values associated with ...

The impact on shareholder value Knowing the value of a business and delivering real value to a client company entails far more than using EBITDA multiples or going along with a rule of thumb to keep the peace. As professionals, valuators must be far more rigorous in their engagements, and focus on delivering value. The obligation to identify, measure, manage, and mitigate the risks are their responsibility. ...

  Among many legal challenges to the validity of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is Halbig vs. Burwell. The challenge concerns a passage in the statute, when literally read as worded, makes federal tax credits for insurance programs available only to those enrollees in states that have created a state-designed and operated healthcare exchange. Read as it currently exists, the statute does not allow for ...

Fair value litigation and more The Delaware Chancery Court is considered one of the pre-eminent U.S. courts when it comes to business valuation and governance issues. This article reviews some recent court decisions pertinent to valuation practitioners and which will be discussed in more detail in NACVA’s Federal and State Case Law Update this fall. ...

  It was a shock to most people when the news hit that actor and comedian, Robin Williams, had suddenly passed away earlier this month at the age of 63. While most were aware of Mr. Williams’ hard-won 20-year sobriety milestone, what they didn’t know was the financial struggle he was facing in recent years. Forbes.com takes a respectful and detailed look at the estate planning of Mr. Williams, and show ...

  Now that we’re six years into the Great Recession, financial experts tell us that the stock market is booming, and the economy is once again robust. Strangely, the vast majority of Americans aren’t sharing in this so-called recovery and the benefits of it are virtually non-existent, unless you look at the top 0.1% of wage-earners in the country, namely the CEOs of major corporations. Profitability an ...

Approaches and Methods Used to Realize Income from Licensing IP Assets This article discusses valuation topics related to a subset of intangible assets which are most applicable to healthcare businesses. Business valuation professionals are often engaged to value specific intangible assets, either as part of a detailed business valuation or after a transaction has been completed. When valuing healthcare-ori ...

What This Means for Appraisers In a new twist involving litigation that impacts valuation analysts, on June 11, 2014, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Tax Court’s valuation of a historic preservation façade conservation easement, but vacated the Tax Court’s imposition of a gross undervaluation penalty. The latest ruling, as Joe Brophy explains, raises a host of new issues. ...

  In spite of the current economic climate, a recent survey from the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) showed that 54 percent of valuation professionals expected a 10 to 50 percent increase in the demand for their services over the next two to five years. These results are part of the 2014 AICPA Survey on International Trends in Forensic and Valuation Services. Forensic experts were even more optimist ...

  Nathan J. Mueller embezzled $8.5 million in barely four years from financial giant, ING through a series of corporate incompetence, “happy” accidents and missteps inside the company. His case is unique in the amount of money he stole and the length of time it went undetected. The breach of controls at ING was astonishing, but not nearly as incredible as hearing Mueller describe how easy it was in his ...

Know your data! Understanding the data that is applied in an analysis is important. Data that relies on standard industrial classification (SIC) codes can be misleading for industries that have changed—or did not exist—in 1987. As business models and industries evolve, it pays, as Bob Bridges explains in this article, to do a closer analysis. ...