In an Iowa divorce case, the wife engaged a CPA and valuation analyst to value the husband’s construction company, and he concluded a value of $1,020,597. The husband did not engage an expert, and his do-it-yourself valuation came in at $480,000. The court, not surprisingly, found the wife’s expert more persuasive—but still adjusted the valuation down to $800,000 based on “outstanding receivables and [the company’s] uneven history of success.” The husband appealed, but the appellate court affirmed the $800,000 valuation. There were other issues in the case, including the choice of valuation date and incomplete information.

The case is In re Marriage of Bainbridge, 2023 Iowa App. LEXIS 310; 2023 WL 2908648, and a case analysis and full court opinion are on the BVLaw platform.