Studies in the Closely Held Company Valuation (Part II of II) In the first part of this two-part discussion, the author identified six transaction risk factors attempting to sell a controlling (including 100 percent) interest in a closely held company. Those included: 1) an uncertain time horizon to complete the offering or sale; 2) “Make ready” accounting, legal, and other costs to prepare for and execute the offering or sale; 3) risk as to the eventual sale price; 4) uncertainty as to the form (e.g., stock or cash) of transaction sale proceeds; 5) inability to hypothecate the subject equity interest;…
-
-
Estate of Morrissette v. Commissioner, 146 T.C. No. 11 (April 13, 2016) The Tax Court’s ruling in Morrissette is very important to the estate planning community, in that, intergenerational split-dollar life insurance arrangements have become much more popular since the IRS released its final split-dollar regulations in 2003. Yet, widespread use of this technique has been suppressed by uncertainty with respect to the tax result. Further, the IRS has oftentimes taken the position (in audits) that a lump sum premium payment should be treated as a gift to the lower generation even if the economic benefit regime was used to…
-
Five Proven Strategies to Generate High Growth In this article, Hinge Marketing focuses on organic growth and five proven strategies for generating it.
-
Six Transaction Risks Owners Face Selling a Company that May Explain DLOM (Part I of II) In this first of a two-part article, Robert Reilly reviews the various models analysts use to estimate the DLOM and factors analysts consider in the DLOM selection. Valuation analysts often value closely held companies for transaction, taxation, financing, accounting, litigation, and other purposes. Depending on: 1) the business valuation approaches and methods applied, and 2) the benchmark valuation data used, the analyst may initially conclude the value of the closely held company on a marketable (as if traded on a stock exchange) basis. In…
-
Electronic Communication can be Fraught with Peril for the Unwary CPA Electronic communication can be fraught with peril for the unwary professional. CPAs who become over-reliant on this form of communication confront increased professional liability risk. This column explores some of the more common risks CPAs may encounter with electronic communication and discusses how a professional can make appropriate use of the media while avoiding potential liability exposure.
-
Differences Between the Two Values Damages remedies often focus on lost profits and lost business value, with such remedies typically calculated by financial experts. There continues to be a trend in the courts to preclude experts from testifying, or to disregard them altogether because their opinion does not meet the reasonable certainty standard. Either of these outcomes can be a devastating result for the client. These results occur, in part, from a lack in understanding of the proper calculation of lost profits or lost value. A relevant and reliable opinion, able to withstand the court’s scrutiny in litigation, needs to…
-
What About Subsequent Events—Lessons from the Valuation of Artwork? In the December 2015 Tax Court Memo Estate of Newberger v. Commissioner, the Tax Court considered post-date-of-death sales prices in the valuation of three separate pieces of artwork owned by the decedent. Considered in one instance was the sale of the actual piece of art itself, and in two other instances, the sale of other pieces of art considered comparable to the art owned by the decedent. Also at issue was how the Great Recession impacts value in the context of reliance on actual or comparable sales transactions. Although this case…
-
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have continued growing since 2008’s financial crisis. Through the first three months of 2016, the value of worldwide M&A totaled nearly $750 billion. Cross-border M&A activity totaled $308 billion—accounting for a quarterly record-high 41% share of global M&A value. As in previous years, M&A in industries with hefty intangible assets—such as pharmaceuticals and technology, media and telecom—dominated deal making.[1]
-
Shift Your Investment Effort How much should a high-growth firm invest in marketing? What techniques or investments pay off more—traditional or social marketing? What should a high-growth marketing firm expect from these investments? How do results differ from firms that are not growing? How do high-growth firms differ from other firms? In this article, Dr. Frederiksen answers these and other questions.
-
Visualized Financial Statement Analysis The use of Excel and graphics, commonly referred to as data visualization, can provide a fuller or more holistic view of changes in an entity. Does the traditional audit or report that is devoid of data visualization serve the client? In this article, the author “propos[es] not a replacement for ratios…but rather that financial statement analysis should return to a more holistic analysis of a set of financial statements.” The author showcases how Excel can be used to present a more holistic picture.
-
The Case of Trademarks and Brands Since the adoption of fair value accounting governed by SFAS 141 (in 2001) and IFRS 3 (in 2004), hundreds of thousands of different intangible assets have been valued, audited, and reported in financial statements of public companies all over the world. After fifteen years of fair value accounting, the debate about the accuracy of such values and their relevance for readers is no less controversial than at its beginning. This is a pity because, in its essence, fair value data is an excellent resource for corporate finance professionals to understand more about the value…
-
A Taxpayer Loss—Assets Included in the Estate We find ourselves in a familiar place once again—that is, analyzing a case in which the IRS attacked an FLP under I.R.C. § 2036. Just two months ago, I wrote an overview of Estate of Purdue v. Commissioner, (T.C. Memo 2015-249), in which the IRS attacked a closely-held asset holding company, in that case it was an LLC, under I.R.C. §2036. While both holding companies were attacked under Section 2036, the cases could not have ended up more differently for the taxpayers. Purdue was a taxpayer win; Holliday was not.
-
Nuances Valuing and Normalizing an Auto Dealership There are many reasons an auto dealership may require a business valuation; buy-sell agreements, shareholder disputes, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), and estate planning and gifting strategies. In many instances, there will be an opposing party that questions the validity of the final value, whether it be a dissenting stockholder or the Internal Revenue Service. It is imperative the dealer be aware of the basic characteristics of a valuation so the dealer is able to make sure the valuation analyst is using sound judgments and that, if challenged, the value will be defensible.
-
The Danger of Not Considering Other Potential Sources of Harm To recover lost profits in commercial damages litigation, three standards must be met: proximate cause, foreseeability, reasonable certainty. While all three are important, proximate cause does not always receive a great deal of consideration among experts. Although the question of causation is generally left to the trier-of-fact, financial experts not addressing other potential factors for declines in sales or profitability as a part of their analysis can find themselves excluding from testifying. This is because courts have found the failure to consider causation to be a flaw in the expert’s…
-
Are We Heading Towards the Next Financial Crisis? (Part II of II) In this second part of the two-part article, the author, a valuation professional and trained economist, shares his thoughts on whether we are headed towards another financial crisis. Here, he shares his views on the size of the U.S. debt, low interest rates and whether the low interest environment is sustainable, and what he sees are solutions to the U.S. economic problems. (The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author; QuickRead invites its readers to respond or submit an article of their own on…
-
Are We Heading Towards the Next Financial Crisis? (Part I of II) In this two-part article, the author, a valuation professional and trained economist, shares his thoughts on whether we are headed towards another financial crisis. (The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author, QuickRead invites its readers to respond or submit an article of their own on this important topic.)
-
FLPs Remain a Viable Intra-Family Transfer Option, But Act Now The Internal Revenue Service has floated the idea of making regulatory changes to the implementation of section 2704, in this article the author gives us an update on the subject and underscores the need to facilitate intra-family transfers of businesses.
-
Identifying the Subject Matter that You Will Speak, Write, or Talk About Finding new clients is the work nobody really wants to do. Nevertheless, it is essential for survival. Since you have to do it anyway, how can you optimize your return on effort? In this article, Dr. Frederiksen shares what the research reveals.
-
Tell-tale Signs that the Engagement is Risky This article describes, using a purely hypothetical scenario, some of the considerations that an economic damages expert should be aware of during initial telephone calls with a prospective retaining counsel—in order for a lost earnings engagement to proceed effectively and efficiently—and to control engagement risk.
-
Expanding the Lessors Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016 – 02, Leases (Topic 842). The existing standard has been criticized because its bright line classification criteria enabled entities to structure leases in such a way as to avoid putting them on the balance sheet. The standard aims to improve and simplify the financial reporting for leases and create a model that provides for faithful representation of leasing transactions for both lessees and lessors. This article summarizes the change.