• QuickPress

    Debt Causing Financial Vulnerability for Pre-Retirees

    According to a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper, older persons today appear more likely to enter retirement in debt than in past decades.  Researchers examined older individuals’ debt patterns using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS).  With the HRS, they compared cohorts of people on the verge of retirement (ages 56 to 61) as well as people slightly older (ages 62 to 66). To read the full article in PlanAdviser, click: Debt Causing Financial Vulnerability for Pre-Retirees.

  • Case Law - QuickRead Top Story

    Tax Court and Leading New York and Delaware Cases

    Case Law Update February 2018 In this case law update, we review one U.S. Tax Court case that provides guidance regarding when is a bad debt business loss deductible and whether contributions of money to a business is equity or debt. In addition, we present several Delaware Court cases; one of them, a post-dissolution case where one NACVA member (and another inactive member) testified and the court addressed the S corporation tax affecting and availability of discounts for lack of marketability. The issues raised there are frequently raised in other dissolution actions and the reasoning provided by the court regarding…

  • QuickRead Featured - Valuation/Appraisal

    The Economic Balance Sheet

    and its Application to Enterprise Valuation The value of a firm must equal the value of the claims on its assets. In practice, this is generally expressed as the value FIRM = value DEBT + value EQUITY. Similarly, in a balance sheet prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), assets = liabilities and equity. By comparison, an economic balance sheet is constructed using market values rather than amounts reported in accordance with GAAP, items included are classified as operating, non-operating, debt or equity-related rather than current or long-term, asset or liability, and it includes economic assets and liabilities…

  • QuickPress

    Accountability, Rights, and Discipline in Early-Stage Companies

    This week, Travis Harms, Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group lead, features two stories and one study, each of which highlights the need to analyze venture transactions in their entirety, rather than focusing solely on price. To read the full article in Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: Accountability, Rights, and Discipline in Early-Stage Companies. This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog.  It is reprinted with permission.  To subscribe to the blog, visit: http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.

  • QuickPress

    Use These Homegrown Tools to Figure out if You Could Retire Early

    How to Retire in Your 30s or 40s The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement encourages people to save as much as half of their income in their early years so they can retire sooner and focus on other pursuits as they live off their investment portfolio.  Tom Anderson provides several retirement calculators and tools geared to the FIRE movement. To read the full article in CNBC, click: Use These Homegrown Tools to Figure out if You Could Retire Early.

  • QuickPress - Tax

    Chief Counsel Advice Tackles Sec. 752’s Impact on Partnership COD Income

    Determining Whether Debt is Recourse or Nonrecourse When a partnership has a debt that is forgiven, its characterization as recourse or nonrecourse can make a big difference in its tax treatment, including being eligible to be excluded under Sec. 108, as this article explains.  Mark Cook, partner with SingerLewak LLP, discusses how Sec. 752 should be interpreted under CCA 201525010. To read the full article in The Tax Adviser, click: Chief Counsel Advice Tackles Sec. 752’s Impact on Partnership COD Income.

  • QuickRead Featured - Tax

    Selected Accounting Standards Update

    Evolving Accounting Standards for CPAs Wiley author, Joanne Flood, reviews three 2015 Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs). Those reviewed are ASU 2015-01, Income Statement—Extraordinary and Unusual Items (Subtopic 225-20): Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items,; ASU 2015-02, Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis; and ASU 2015-03, Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs (Topic 835).

  • Valuation/Appraisal

    Why Capital Structure Matters: Cost of Capital, Debt/Equity Balance are Key to Successful Appraisal. —TimesFreePress

    Relative Levels of Equity and Debt Affect Risk and Cash Flow.   This Has Substantial Impact on Amount Investors Will Pay.     Matt Stelzman notes in the Chattanooga News TimesFreePress that the question that often arises in connection with a business valuation is whether the valuator should use the company’s actual capital structure or its anticipated future capital structure. A valuator might also use a prospective buyer’s capital structure or the company’s “optimal” capital structure. Which method is best depends on several factors, including the type of interest being valued and the valuation’s purpose. More: