Get Command of the Numbers in Business Valuation and Related Engagements

The ABZs of Solid Valuation Conclusions and Reports

We continue the series begun in the previous post based on my long-ago staff memo regarding “The ABZs of Solid Valuation Conclusions and Reports.”

The most frequent and often embarrassing errors that occur in valuation reports are the result of obvious issues or elementary mistakes. This happens when appraisers fail to “get command of the numbers.” Based on years of experience, I’ve listed 10 things a business appraiser must do to get command of the numbers.

While I am speaking from the viewpoint of a business appraiser in this series, the information provided will be helpful to attorneys who deal in matters pertaining to valuation.

A Short Walk Down Memory Lane from the 1990s

The ABZs of Solid Valuation Conclusions and Reports

In this walk down memory lane, I share excerpts from a piece I originally wrote for business appraisers in 1989 and updated in the mid-1990s entitled “The ABZs of Solid Valuation Conclusions and Reports.” If you were in business in the 1990s, this post will bring back memories. If you were not, you might enjoy an inside look at the climate of the time. Either way, it’s a fun journey.

10 Ideas for Preparing for Expert Depositions

Getting Ready is a Key to Successful Depositions

An expert deposition is a formal proceeding. I created this list of deposition preparation items from my own experience in having my deposition taken and in attending a number of depositions of other experts or parties to various matters. I hope you find it helpful.

Recollections of My First Expert Witness Experience

The first time I testified in court was in 1981, the year before I started Mercer Capital. I had participated in the preparation of a fairness opinion in a going private transaction while at Morgan Keegan, my employer at the time. A shareholder dissented, and the Chancery Court in Memphis was charged to determine the (statutory) fair value of the company’s shares in accordance with Tennessee statutory law and judicial interpretation. There has to be a first time for everything.

Volkswagen’s Emission Scandal is Expensive and Tragic

The moral compass at Volkswagen was evidently not set to true north. The easy way or the cheapest solution in the short run may well be the most difficult way and the most expensive in the long run. Let the example at Volkswagen be a call for all of us to reexamine our moral compasses, both as individuals and as those compasses get translated within our companies. Some of the best decisions are made when we simply say no to the easy road.

Business Valuation Content on Periscope

Twitter's New App Can Be Used to Share Intellectual Content

After reflecting about Periscope and its potential use for me as a new social media tool, I decided to give it a try. I decided that I’d conduct my own Periscope experiment, and did my first Scope last Friday. I’ll be talking about business valuation and ownership transition, the same topics I now blog about and speak about. View a video in this post of my first scope about “Basic Business Valuation.”

Labor Day

An Inflection Point for the Year

The summer is sandwiched between Memorial Day, a day to remember those who died while serving in the armed forces of the United States, and Labor Day, a day dedicated to the social and economic achievements of  American workers. I’ve always viewed Memorial Day as a time to reflect and to remember those who died […]