How the Best Managers Practice Attentiveness Attentiveness is a common trait for managers who excel in the workplace.  The best leaders treat employees as individuals, make feedback a priority, and listen to what their staff has to say.  Sydney Finkelstein is the author of Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Manage the Flow of Talent from which this article was adapted. To read the full article in the Harv ...

With the New Year just around the corner, Mercer Capital is beginning their countdown a little early.  Here are this year’s 10 most popular posts from The Financial Reporting Blog.  Happy New Year 2016! To read the full article in Mercer Capital's Financial Reporting Blog, click: Financial Reporting Blog: Best of 2015. This article is republished from Mercer Capital's Financial Reporting Blog.  It is reprin ...

Duff & Phelps has released its 2015 U.S. Goodwill Impairment Study.  This is prepared in partnership with the Financial Executives Research Foundation, analyzing the general and industry trends of goodwill impairment of over 8,700 U.S. publicly-traded companies. To download your complimentary copy, click: Goodwill Impairment Study 2015. ...

The 2014 Purchase Price Allocation Study by Houlihan Lokey is complete and available for you to download.  Included in this study is their review of public filings for merger and acquisition transactions, and shows how they analyzed the portion of purchase consideration allocated to tangible assets, intangible assets, and goodwill. To download your complimentary copy, click: 2014 Purchase Price Allocation S ...

Buyers do not offer premiums simply for the sake of gaining control, but rather, through exercising the prerogatives of control, those buyers expect to generate economic benefits.  Travis W. Hams, leads Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group, looks at the Appraisal Foundation’s white paper on the subject of JAB Holdings’ acquisition of Keurig Green Mountain. To read more about the results of t ...

This article covers recent developments in employee benefits, examining, among other things, the Affordable Care Act's complicated reporting requirements, the proposed fiduciary responsibility rules, and updated procedures to correct employee plan failures.  Terry Richardson, principal, and Bryce Tholen, manager, both with PwC LLP in Dallas, take an in depth look at what’s involved.. To find out more on The ...

Financial Abuse of Seniors Could Grow as the Population Ages As more people enter their golden years, they become increasingly susceptible to financial fraud and financial elder abuse, especially if their mental faculties start to decline.  This article looks at the case of an 86 year old Seattle widow bilked out of much of her savings and how easily it can happen. To find out more about The New York Times ...

The International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation (IPEV) Guidelines were developed in 2005 to set out recommendations on best practices in the valuation of private equity investments.  Karolina Calhoun, senior financial analyst with Mercer Capital, looks at the draft amendments to the existing guidelines published in October 2015. To read more about the results of this report in the Mercer Capi ...

IRS will Provide Tax ID Victims Copies of Fraudulent Returns The Internal Revenue Service announced procedures for victims of tax ID theft or their authorized representative to request copies of bogus returns filed by identity thieves.  This change of policy will allow identity theft victims to better assess what personal information was compromised and how it was used.  Paul Bonner, JofA senior editor, dis ...

Get Top Value When Selling an Accounting Firm Avoiding these seven key misconceptions can help you avoid getting less than your firm is worth.  Harry L. Olson, president of Accounting Broker Acquisition Group Inc., discusses the misconceptions and what pitfalls to look out for. To find out more about this Journal of Accountancy article, click: Maximize Proceeds in Accounting Firm Sales. ...

Being on the rise, dissenting actions are catching the eye of investors, attorneys, and other deal makers.  Jay D. Wilson, Jr., senior member of Mercer Capital’s Depository Institutions practice, takes a look at why it is important an appraiser preparing a valuation of a bank in an appraisal action understand both valuation techniques and the banking industry. To read more about the results of this report i ...

Healthcare Costs for Large Companies Rose Slowly in 2015 Healthcare costs for large companies rose 3.2% in 2015, research by Aon Hewitt has found.  It is the smallest increase since 1996, when Aon began tracking the data.  However, the company predicts a 4.1% increase in 2016.  David McCann discusses the findings. To find out more on this CFO article, click: Hike in Healthcare Costs Sinks to 20-Year Low. ...

How to Turn Business Cards into Meaningful Connections A conference or industry event can be a great networking opportunity, provided you stay in touch with your new contacts.  Alexandra Samuel, author of Work Smarter with Social Media, gives step-by-step instructions for keeping track of the business cards you receive and building stronger relationships. To find out more about this Harvard Business Review ...

There seems to be an imbalance between the public and private markets.  Holding private capital markets more desirable than public markets expresses and illiquidity preference.  Madeleine L. Harrigan, financial analyst with Mercer Capital, notes this is at odds with basic investment logic and the requirements of portfolio management and why it cannot continue. To read more about the results of this report i ...

Economists Predict an Interest-Rate Hike in December Ninety-two percent of the private economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal believe the Federal Reserve will start raising interest rates at the policy meeting to be held on December 15-16.  In recent comments, Federal Reserve officials have suggested they were ready to act and have discussed the pace of future increases.  Binyamin Appelbaum, of The ...

Startups interested in taking advantage of the final crowdfunding regulations under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act passed by the Securities and Exchange Commission a couple weeks ago should be aware of nuances to the rules that may prove challenging.  Among other things, companies will have to decide whether to offer investors debt or equity.  David M. Katz discusses the new rules and the impact th ...

Fear is keeping many Americans from seeking help from a financial adviser, according to a survey conducted by the Harris Poll for financial-planning firm McAdam.  More than 70% of respondents said some aspect of dealing with an adviser scares them.  The cost of getting advice was the top concern, at 49%.  Mary Kate Nelson looks at the survey results. To find out more about this Reverse Mortgage Daily articl ...

Obviously, every equity compensation plan is different and the particular tax treatment of a given security depends on the facts and circumstances of the arrangement.  Samantha L. Albert, senior financial analyst with Mercer Capital, examines equity-based compensation and the tools available when examining these arrangements. To read more about the results of this report in the Mercer Capital's Financial Re ...

Large Partnerships Face Major Changes to Audits and Adjustments The recently enacted federal budget deal includes major changes to how the IRS will audit large partnerships and, when adjustments result in tax underpayments, will allow the IRS to collect the tax directly from the partnership, instead of from the individual partners.  Alistair M. Nevius, Journal of Accountancy editor-in chief, discusses the n ...

Taxpayers and practitioners are still waiting for Congress to agree on a package extending all currently expired tax breaks.  Here's a look at the expired provisions and the actions that are pending to extend them.  Sally P. Schreiber, senior editor for Tax Insider, examines tax incentives for individuals, business, and energy-related provisions. To find out more on The Tax Adviser article, click: Expired T ...