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Tax Reform & Reasonable Compensation

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) contains a provision for reasonable compensation as defined in IRS Code Section 162. Reasonable compensation has always been an important issue in business valuation, but the TCJA has put a much brighter spotlight on the matter, which will be closer scrutinized starting in 2018. There is a new… Continue >>>

FAQ’s About Key Person Consideration

Virtually every business has centralized management and/or relies on the talents of a few individuals. This risk of centralized management is taken into account for business valuation purposes in the company’s future earnings or rate of return (i.e., discount rate). In some cases, however, one person is the linchpin, and if he or she leaves… Continue >>>

Goodwill and its Importance to the Business

What exactly does the term “goodwill” mean when it comes to buying or selling a business? Usually, the term “goodwill” is a reference to all the effort that an individual(s) puts into a business over the years that he or she has operated that business. In a sense, goodwill is the difference between an array… Continue >>>

When an EBITDA Valuation Multiple Doesn’t Work

Many business owner’s when they want to sell their business, often read about an EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) valuation multiples. But when they’re questioned further, what they really mean is they want to sell for a higher EBITDA valuation multiple than discussed in the industry journals. Here, I will identify occurrences… Continue >>>

IRS Estate Audits

The Federal estate tax is a tax on the transfer property at death. It is applied to estates for which at-death gross assets, the “gross estate”, exceeds the filing threshold. Included in the gross estate are real estate, cash, stocks, bonds, businesses, and decedent-owned life insurance policies. Deductions are allowed for administrative expenses, indebtedness, taxes,… Continue >>>

Reasonable Compensation Guidance

Adjustments for reasonable or replacement compensation – whether in corporate practice or when conducting a business valuation can be one of the most difficult adjustments to quantify. There are numerous factors that should be considered when adjusting compensation levels. Oftentimes, American Business Appraisers find an individual’s, whether they are the owner or principle within the… Continue >>>

Price versus Value

In finance, we use words like price and value, as if they were interchangeable. I have been guilty of this myself at times. It is worth noting, price and value not only come from different processes, but are determined by different variables and yield different numbers at the same point in time. The essence of… Continue >>>

Is there a Doctor or Appraiser in the House?

Over the years, we at American Business Appraisers have come to appreciate the many similarities between the practices of medicine and business appraisal: Both involve science – careful, systematic observation and gathering of facts, Application of proven theories, Both involve art – the use of informed, reasoned judgments based on experience and training, Both physicians… Continue >>>

Seven Critical Reasons for Obtaining a Business Valuation

Estate & Gift Tax Planning When transferring shares in a corporation or interests in a limited liability company (LLC), having a business valuation performed, prior to any transfer, will determine what the shares or interests are worth to help stand up to any IRS scrutiny. If the value of your interest, plus the value of… Continue >>>

How to Benchmark the Value of a Business

What is a reasonable selling price for a business? This is a question that arises for many business owners and others interested in pricing a business. To some degree, every business is unique and therefore, no one-size-fits-all valuation formula works for all businesses or for a particular industry. For example, sometimes a dentist may hear… Continue >>>

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