Fixed price buy-sell agreement pricing mechanisms are not good and seldom work. The problems with these agreements can be “fixed” if the parties focus on the future and take steps today to solve future problems before they occur. In this post, I discuss two single appraiser processes to help solve these problems.
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.
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.
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.
I just returned from the 2018 American Society of Appraisers Advanced Business Valuation and International Appraisers Conference held in Anaheim, California. I presented twice at the conference, first in a panel and then solo. In this post, I provide a brief overview of my two presentations.
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.
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.
Customer service is something that we cannot think about enough. It’s applicable whenever we (or our companies) interface with customers, whatever the nature might be. This post describes two such customer service interfaces I encountered on a recent trip to Minneapolis to deliver a speech. One was good and the other was not so good.
While many buy-sell agreements call for the issuance of promissory notes for at least partial funding of purchases, there is no corollary consideration of the fair market values of the promissory notes to be issued. A previous post discussed promissory notes in terms of rates and terms. This post examines the concept of the fair market value of promissory notes issued in connection with buy-sell agreements.
