The DOL’s aggressive oversight strategy concerning ESOPs has led to a number of controversial lawsuits, including, most recently, the Acosta v. Vinoskey case, which, in the past few months, went to trial over the DOL's overpayment claim. Read more >>

BVR caught up with practitioners at the most recent AICPA Forensic & Valuation Services (FVS) Conference to collect some thought-provoking observations on how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is impacting valuations. Practitioners are still grappling with understanding the new law’s many provisions, so this list is certainly not exhaustive, and the thinking will continue to evolve. Read more >>

At year-end, Sylvia Golden, BVR’s executive legal editor, provides a roundup of the key business valuation and damages cases. Here are her choices for 2018. Some of the courts’ decisions have changed the legal landscape and are must-know cases. Other rulings are confined to the specific case, but they contain important lessons for appraisers of how to, and, more often, how not to, perform as a financial expert. Read more >>

Robert Kleeman Jr., CPA/ABV, ASA, managing director at OnPointe Valuation, recently wrote an article for the Business Valuation Update outlining five fundamentals that can spell the difference between the success and failure of a valuation practice within a CPA firm. In this post, we briefly cover these five fundamentals. Read more >>

Valuing intellectual property depends on a broad range of expertise and requires a valuation professional to have more than a cursory understanding of marketing, accounting, finance, scientific and/or applied science, the applicable intellectual property law, statistics, financial modeling, and report writing. Read more >>

Many factors can influence the value of a hospital. It is imperative that a business appraiser undertaking these complex assignments is both mindful and understanding of the unique circumstances and nuances inherent in valuation within this industry in order to generate a sound opinion of value. Read more >>

The new tax law, lively debates, new guidance, a strong protest, and a simpler approach to estimating cost of capital were just some of the highlights in the business valuation profession during 2018. Read more >>

In 2016, the U.S. Tax Court found for the Internal Revenue Service in a dispute over a series of exchanges that Exelon, the tax payer, designated as section 1031 transactions. The court found these were not like-kind exchanges and expressed dismay over the appraisals the tax payer offered to support its claim for significant deductions. Read more >>

Highlights from an analysis of over 30,000 private-company acquisitions, including EBITDA multiples by industry and other statistics on selling prices and earning measures. Read more >>

If you’re looking for global business valuation education—when and where you want it—check out four new e-learning courses from the International Institute of Business Valuers (iiBV) and Business Valuation Resources (BVR). Read more >>

The parties’ dispute over how to classify earnout payments related to the sale of a valuable marital asset recently prompted a split ruling from the Minnesota Supreme Court. The issue was whether those payments were part of the sales consideration, as the wife argued, or represented future compensation to the husband, as the district court found. Read more >>

Canada is already facing many challenges after its recent legalization of cannabis last week, including a significant shortage of product and uncertainties about border policies with the United States. Read this post from ktMINE about the IP issues in the budding U.S. cannabis industry. Read more >>

Explore the key factors that impact the value of a brewery, including cash flow, capacity, and key people/brewmaster. Read more >>

No specific professional standards govern the content and requirements for appraisal reports in compensation valuation (CV), and there is very little professional literature on this topic. In the BVR/AHLA Guide to Valuing Physician Compensation and Healthcare Service Arrangements, author Timothy Smith looks to the business valuation standards and discusses how to adapt and expand on these standards to address areas that are unique to CV practice and appraisal issues. Read more >>

If more proof is necessary to show that courts across all legal fields dive deep into the details of valuation testimony, a recent damages case that arose in the context of a condemnation proceeding should do the trick. Read more >>

Valuing law firms is very different from valuing other service businesses because they depend on professional reputation and skills, referrals, a high relative intangible asset base, licenses, client relationships, and price sensitivity. In BVR’s special report, What It’s Worth: Law Firm Value, editor Ron Seigneur tackles nine trends that influence the success and reputation of professional services and should be taken into account when valuing law firms. Read more >>

Real property appraisers often value special-use properties, hotels, and senior care facilities, to name a few, on a going-concern basis. The term "going-concern" is not defined in the Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Practice (CUSPAP), although it is defined in The Appraisal of Real Estate, 3rd Edition, wherein the definition is: “All tangible and intangible assets of an established and operating business with an indefinite life.” Read more >>

BVR is excited to announce the release of its new Cost of Capital Professional platform, a state-of-the-art resource that provides a simple and transparent way to estimate cost of capital. We recently sat down with two of the individuals involved in the development of the new platform, Dr. Michael Crain and Ronald Seigneur, for a comprehensive Q&A. Read more >>

BVR’s Economic Outlook Update (EOU) monthly and quarterly reports examine the general U.S. economic climate. In our most recent monthly report, we provide an overview of some selected economic factors that prevailed as of August 2018, as well as a discussion of the factors that are crucial over an extended period. Highlighted in this post are some of these important factors, including unemployment rate, consumer confidence, and more. Read more >>

Discover solutions to the challenges of valuing electrical contracting companies. Also access a free chapter of BVR's report, What It's Worth: Valuing Electrical Contracting Companies, which offers insights on value drivers, accounting differences, bonding requirements, and more. Read more >>