In a recent Grant Thornton survey, more than two thirds (69 percent) of internal audit professionals say they’d love to focus on strategic risks, but regulatory compliance duties and the rising costs they incur are getting in the way. An additional 36 percent said these obstacles prevent resources from being allocated to higher-value priorities. Since almost the beginning of the recent financial global cris ...

The choice and use of an ex-ante or ex-post analysis can lead to divergent results in protracted litigation. The article provides an illustration of how and why the results may differ. Litigation consultants are advised to consider the above and await instruction from legal counsel regarding the approach that needs to be taken. ...

Undervaluation can be costly The recent U.S. Supreme Court case, U.S. v. Woods, overturned legal precedent and signaled that accuracy-related penalties can be imposed in more instances. This broad interpretation exposes clients and practitioners to substantial penalties. In this article, three recent cases are summarized on how, when, and why accuracy-related penalties are applied. ...

All members of the American Board of Forensic Accounting, the advisory board behind the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute’s (ACFEI) Certified Forensic Accountant credential have recently resigned. The unanimous resignation comes amid questions about the legitimacy of the credential and the organization, as a whole. According to accountingtoday.com, the board resigned en masse after learning f ...

Fifteen U.S. Representatives have sent a letter to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) seeking clarification as to why the agency changed its requirements regarding real estate appraisers handling going concern appraisals for special use properties. In 2011, the SBA allowed appraisers to take on such projects after completing an eligibility course. As of January 2014, the agency changed its valuati ...

While most don’t see a benefit to speaking a second language in their personal or professional life, the increasing diversity of large cities and unexpected international elements in business deals is stressing its importance. Even though you may not remember any of your high school Spanish or German, it’s never too late start again, if for no other reason than the financial incentive involved. The Economis ...

Misuse of university endowments and school funding tax dollars Money laundering is usually associated with criminal activity, but that is a narrow view. Money laundering takes many forms. In this article, Professor Larry Crumbley contends that money laundering occurs in multiple instances—from the local school board to the university setting. Learn the keys to identify the misappropriation and misuse of fun ...

Understanding the different aspects of an industry is key to evaluating a company’s future performance Understanding a subject entity’s industry is a hallmark of any good valuation report. Conducting a very detailed and intense industry analysis can provide valuation analysts with specific knowledge needed to determine an appropriate conclusion of value. As a general rule, a company’s performance is commens ...

At the end of 2013, private equity firms were sitting on a cache of at least $1 trillion, according to a report from Bain & Company.  This marks a $159 billion increase from the closeout at the end of 2012.  The expected result of this capital bubble isn’t just more deals, but at much higher valuations, as well.  As Fortune magazine put it, “…the capital tail will wag the deal dog.”  For more informatio ...

Recent BV conference discusses DLOM for real estate LLCs This article contains a review of a recent business valuation conference presentation on determining a discount for lack of marketability (DLOM) for real estate holding companies. ...

Maximizing value by minimizing risk Most private company owners are not aware of the impact of company-specific risk on the value of their businesses. When they are faced with a need to increase the value of their businesses in order to close a value gap, they typically only focus on growing sales, reducing costs, or making an acquisition. None of those strategies are the most effective initial way to incre ...

You could call it UBS, Part II.  Back in 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) uncovered 4,700 names of American citizens avoiding taxes with the help of Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS.  Most notably, Beanie Babies creator and billionaire, Ty Warner, was caught in the sting that cost UBS $780 million in fines and netted the IRS $6 billion in taxes and fines from a voluntary disclosure program for petr ...

Pharmaceutical companies that have remained among the world’s top 20 largest have all gone through a megamerger with a $10+ billion target company between 1995 and 2005. That sounds like good news, and it is—for the shareholders. On the flipside, such gargantuan couplings tend to wreak havoc on internal management systems, as well as organizational and critical programs; even research and development suffer ...

Know your state licensing laws! This article examines an important issue that is only now coming to light in cases being litigated: namely, whether professionals also need an investigator license. There is no absolute answer, and professionals—especially forensic accountants and fraud examiners—are advised to read this article. ...

The days of applying Mandelbaum and referencing a few IPO and restricted stock studies are over. This article addresses what is often omitted from most asset holding entity valuation reports. By failing to include issues like the ones outlined, the resulting adjustments are less empirical and more a "guesstimate". Valuation practitioners and their advisory clients have a duty to the users of our reports to ...

FASB has voted to endorse a GAAP alternative to exempt private company lessees from a requirement to consolidate variable interest entities (VIE) in common control leasing arrangements.  Initiated by the Private Company Council (PCC), the exemption would be allowed under specific conditions including: Private company lessee and the lessor entity are under common control Private company holds a leasing arran ...

Currently, 20 states and the District of Columbia allow some type of legal marijuana use.  On January 1st of this year, supply shops all across Colorado began selling to the general public (age 21 and over), in accordance with a voter referendum.  Medicinal use bills have been filed or are expected to be introduced in eight additional states, while full legalization bills like that of Colorado have been fil ...

It’s not as simple as it seems This article explores the fact that the valuation of a simple debt instrument, such as a promissory note, can be anything but simple. It is observed that the sum of unpaid debt, as well as accrued interest, may well overstate the value of the promissory note. Also covered is whether assets tied to notes need to be valued separately. ...

Four things valuators should know about medical claims and coding While all valuators need to be able to cite specific factors considered in the determination of fair market value, many times the measures selected could be applied to a variety of industries. In this first of a two-part series, Jeffry Moffatt examines why revenue is most often a primary area of interest for valuation, because without revenue ...

While CPAs and tax attorneys must currently meet professional standards for tax preparation and other services, a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has ruled that the IRS has no authority to force continuing education or similar standards on tax preparers.  The case stems from a 2011 IRS proposal of a system that would have established tax preparer registration and re ...