Beyond Heating and Cooling From coast to coast and everywhere in between, HVAC plays a critical role in economic performance and presents compelling opportunities. This article discusses factors business valuators must consider when they are engaged to value HVAC companies. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) services are not only essential, they are foundational to modern comfort and thriving ...

Forecasting Errors One of the common pitfalls in applying the income approach is committing forecasting errors. To understand the impact of this error, this article discusses the importance of the income approach in business valuations and areas that require careful evaluation. One of the common pitfalls in applying the income approach is committing forecasting errors. To understand the impact of this error ...

Strategic Gifting Before 2026 The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 presented an opportunity by significantly raising lifetime gift and estate tax exclusions, but this window is closing soon. With the exclusions set to expire at the end of 2025, there is an urgency to plan your gifts sooner than later. Imagine it is December 2025, and you have a chance to gift $14 million to your children without incurring a si ...

Recognize Ethical and Professional Standards of Using AI AI is pervasive and promises to fundamentally transform business operations, education, and daily life. However, functional insights bridging the gap between AI and our industry have been lacking. The authors share their views on the ethical and professional standards implicated from the use of AI in forensics and valuation engagements. This article e ...

A New Method of Doing Research The introduction of AI tools has empowered companies to streamline complex tasks, enhance accuracy, and offer real-time insights. One such company, IBISWorld, a leader in industry research, has taken a significant step forward with the introduction of its AI tool, "Phil." This article explores the impact it will have on professionals working in business valuation, forensic acc ...

Federal Rules and Regulations Governing ESOPs Business valuation reports of employer’s securities owned by ESOPs are subject to review by plan fiduciaries, government agencies, and IQPAs auditing the ESOP’s financial statements. Each of these readers have their own responsibilities to the participants and beneficiaries of the plans. This article will examine the federal rules and regulations governing ESOPS ...

A Nuanced Approach to Asset Valuation Marketability refers to the ease with which an asset can be sold, and the DLOM accounts for the reduced liquidity of an asset that is not easily traded in the open market. In business valuation, the DLOM is a critical yet contentious adjustment. This article discusses the underlying issues presented in this type of valuation and uses an example to explain the incrementa ...

Using Forensic Accounting Skills to Your Advantage When valuing a business, one essential step in the process is to review and analyze the subject company’s historical financial information. This information allows a business valuator to analyze the company’s past performance and pinpoint trends in the business to forecast its future performance. The author in this article shares his opinion regarding items ...

What is the #1 thing on your website that will convince a prospect that your firm is the right choice for a project? Rod Burkert shares his views on what is needed to go from zero to hero and land that engagement. Imagine I am a prospect for getting your BVFLS services. I found you on Google or LinkedIn. Or maybe I saw an article you wrote. Maybe heard a presentation you gave. Or maybe I got a recommendatio ...

A Key Formula Used in Business Valuation Net working capital is a crucial component of business valuation since it impacts both a company’s enterprise value via its projected cash flows and its equity value via excess or deficient net working capital levels as of the valuation date. In addition, net working capital for valuation purposes is more nuanced than simply taking current assets minus current liabil ...

The Principles of Conservatism in Action Most business owners understand the industry in which they operate and tend to be good at running the day-to-day operations. Yet, that does not mean they have made optimal decisions or that they have the necessary controls and financials in place that enable them to make sound financial decisions. Companies that do not keep high quality data will likely have a lower ...

Factors to Arrive at a Value that are Beyond the Three Approaches This article addresses valuations for buy/sell transactions with private buyers and private sellers. A business owner calls and says: I want to sell my business. Can you tell me what it’s worth? Thousands of these transactions are occurring daily. But before you go any further, stop and ask more questions. As business valuators, we are condit ...

How to Manifest a Better, More Fulfilling Valuation Practice Several months ago, a friend of mine gifted the article’s author a book entitled The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A practical guide to the fulfillment of your dreams, written by Deepak Chopra. A few of the sections within the book hit home more than others and the excitement that has inspired the author to write the article herein. The author ...

The Perils of a Party Doing their Own Business Valuation in a Dissolution Action Kwak v. Bozarth is an unpublished Massachusetts case. The trial court made several decisions based on unavailable data. The case illustrates the perils of a party in a martial dissolution acting as their own expert and underscores the importance of how the standard of review affects an appellate panel’s review of the trial cour ...

(Part V) To look to the future of the BV profession, we must explore the relevant dynamics within the industry. That starts with looking to our past to see what events and milestones brought us to where we are today, followed by ascertaining the economic and demographic trends leading us into the future, and culminating with identifying those trends which will have the greatest impact upon the profession. N ...

(Part IV) To look to the future of the BV profession, we must explore the relevant dynamics within the industry. That starts with looking to our past to see what events and milestones brought us to where we are today, followed by ascertaining the economic and demographic trends leading us into the future, and culminating with identifying those trends which will have the greatest impact upon the profession. ...

Structured, Clear, and Well-Researched and Reasoned In a litigation setting, a well-written business valuation report can position your conclusion of value as credible. When completed for tax purposes, a well-written business valuation report can help avoid an IRS challenge. In any circumstances, a well-written business valuation report can provide the business owner with ways to increase cash flow and redu ...

An Interview with Zain Kalson, founder of Etheia As part of a broader dialogue around business valuations in the context of divorce, this article features an interview conducted by Andrew Thompson, Esq., with Zain Kalson, the founder of Etheia. The article discusses trends regarding how advanced data analytics are helping attorneys and experts sort through hidden assets, analyze expenses, and improve outcom ...

Tests of Reasonableness Business appraisers use tests that ask whether decisions made are legitimate and designed to remedy a certain issue under the circumstances. These tests are commonly referred to in the valuation literature as tests of reasonableness. Several methods have been suggested and employed (e.g., purchase justification test), but limited literature speaks to the use of a test of reasonablene ...

(Part III) To look to the future of the BV profession, we must explore the relevant dynamics within the industry. That starts with looking to our past to see what events and milestones brought us to where we are today, followed by ascertaining the economic and demographic trends leading us into the future, and culminating with identifying those trends which will have the greatest impact upon the profession. ...