Let’s Chat About Business Valuation

I’m not going to pretend I have extraordinary insight into the economy, but I do know that February was a very strong month for IPOs and that signs are pointing to an increase in mergers and acquisitions. These two trends, combined with the fact that business valuation is already one of the fastest growing ‘niche services’ among Accounting Today’s Top 100 firms in both 2012 and 2011 means that this is a great time to learn more about the AICPA’s Accredited in Business Valuation Credential.

 

In addition to the increase in M&As and IPOs thus far this year, valuation professionals said they expect to see increased demand for shareholder/partner disputes, contractual disputes and family law as well as in bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization in the next two to five years, according to the 2011 Forensic and Valuation Services Trend Survey.

An Introduction to Pinterest

Pinterest, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Have you had a chance to try out Pinterest yet? You should! If you are a visual person, this image-driven platform may really hit home for you like it does for me.

 

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a fast-growing niche social networking site that has generated a lot of buzz and media coverage. With over 15 million users, Pinterest is the fifth most visited social media site in the US, and generates more referral traffic to other websites than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined.

What’s the Difference Between Winning and Losing?

3 Tips for Ensuring You’re Coaching a Winning Team

I’m a sports fan. And I’m the mother of two athletic teenage boys. I’ve watched a lot of ball games over the years, and I’d like to think I’ve learned a little bit about coaching. Recently, I watched a basketball game where the home team lost, but should have won. 

Why do I think they lost?  Coaching.

Despite the team’s collective talent, the coach allowed selfish play and poor execution without consequence.  More importantly, he failed to adjust his strategies to counter the opposing team's strengths. Occasionally, talent alone suffices in order to win a game. Most times, however, how that talent is deployed makes the difference between success and failure.

Use Social Media, Don’t Let It Use You

The AICPA’s Forensic and Valuation Service Conference, held Nov. 11 through 13, involved several sessions that were taught the “un-conference way.” These sessions were unconventional in their approach and involved peer-to-peer interactive learning. One un-conference session I attended was Tom Hood’s “Getting an ROI from Social Media via ROA (Return on Attention).” Tom is the CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs and is considered a top thought leader in accounting.

From the moment we entered the room, we were thrown headfirst into the world of social media, as Tom encouraged us to sign into the gosoapbox event. Tom kicked off the session with a survey of attendees’ social media habits. In our group, 11% did not use social media at all and 71% viewed social media as a time sink, a valid concern for professionals who already have very demanding schedules. 

Becoming a Better Expert Witness

Earlier this year, the AICPA Forensic and Valuation Services Conference was held in Orlando. In the past, forensic services and valuation services held separate conferences; this year, in recognition of the fact that many CPAs perform a combination of these services, the two events were joined. As many as eight concurrent sessions were available to attendees on topics including basic, advanced and practical forensic and valuation issues; practice management and marketing; and litigation issues. 

As a CPA who performs primarily valuation services for litigation, two issues of particular interest for me were expert testimony and the cost of capital in business valuations. Ron Seigneur moderated a panel of three attorneys in a session titled “What Do Lawyers Really Say About FVS Experts?” This session was a great look into what attorneys are looking for in an expert and how expert testimony can be most effective.