Category Archives: The Personal Side

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Seeking Help: Your Best Demonstratives or Ideas for Effective Expert Testimony in Court

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In May, I’ll be speaking at the AAML/BVR National Divorce Conference in Las Vegas. My topic is “How to Present Complex Finance to Judges.” Given that every divorce trial I’ve seen has been a bench trial, the topic focuses on judges. However, many of the same presentation techniques are certainly applicable to juries, as well.

The idea for this post is simple. I’m asking readers to provide me with examples of the best demonstratives they have seen to present complex financial and valuation issues in court. I’ll also be talking about concepts and ideas, so any thoughts regarding conceptual approaches or philosophical approaches to court testimony would also be helpful.

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Dream It, Think It, and Do It, Now

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At the end of every year, I try to make time for introspection and thinking about the future. When the mind is open, many things are possible. Last night, while sleeping, I dreamed about priorities in a variety of ways. When I awoke, the thought at the forefront of my mind was: dream it, think it, and do it, now.

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November Step Challenge Met

10,000 Steps per Day – Every Day

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Those who know me understand that I have a “thing” about counting steps. For years, my goal has been a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. In spite of my “thing,” when I looked at my steps for October, I found that I hit 10,000 steps on only 20 of 31 days. My average step count was about 7,000 steps on the days I didn’t reach the goal. On the last day of October, I set a challenge for myself — to achieve a minimum of 10,000 steps every day during the month of November.

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My November Step Challenge

10,000 Steps per Day for November and for Life

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Walking has been a “main thing” with me since I gave up running a number of years ago to preserve my (still original) knees. I’ve long advocated walking at least 10,000 steps each day, and many days, I achieve that goal. But I haven’t been as consistent as I’d like to be.

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Intrinsic Value in Virginia Divorce Valuation Proceedings

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Last week, I gave a presentation titled “Intrinsic Value and Valuation Multiples” to a conference held by the Fairfax County (Virginia) Bar Association at the Omni Hotel in Nashville. My presentation discussed the intrinsic value standard of value in Virginia divorce-related valuations of closely held business assets. In addition, I talked about developing valuation multiples with credibility. This post addresses the intrinsic value standard of value.

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Don’t Procrastinate: Get Your Money Before You Need It

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Many years ago, I worked at what was then First Tennessee National Corporation, which is now First Horizon. My first and only boss during my tenure at First Tennessee taught me many things as a young analyst. Today’s lesson has to do with borrowing, this is a lesson that could be instructive for many owners of private businesses who may be averse to borrowing.

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The ABZs of Business Valuation: A Blast from the Past

A Unedited Memo I Wrote for our Staff Way Back in 1989

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I wrote a memo, titled “ABZs of Solid Valuation Conclusions and Reports,” for Mercer Capital’s analytical staff in 1989. The introduction and conclusion to this memo were written for its republication in Valuing Financial Institutions, my first book, published in 1992. The memo is reproduced as written with the exception of a few [explanatory comments]. Nevertheless, I believe that this 1989 memo is worth the time to read or reread as we think about developing solid valuation conclusions and reports in 2018.

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First Experience Having a Video Clip from a Deposition Played at Trial

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Video depositions, which were an infrequent event during my career for many years, are being used much more frequently these days. I’ve had depositions taken by video on many occasions to date. Until last week, I had never seen myself on the screen at a trial. I’ve only ever seen a video clip of another expert’s deposition one time, which was quite a few years ago.

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A Buy-Sell Agreement Story

Introducing the Single Appraiser, Select Now and Value Later Process

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The idea for naming the appraiser at the time a buy-sell agreement is signed was not original to me. I first heard of the idea in the late 1980s when I learned that I had been named as the appraiser in a buy-sell agreement that had been signed a few years before. However, since learning of the idea, I’ve adopted it and promoted it widely in my books and articles on buy-sell agreements.