Category: Business Valuation

Most small business acquisitions in the United States are financed with an SBA-guaranteed loan, and most of those loans require an independent business valuation before closing. Buyers are often surprised by the requirement, the cost, and above all the timing,...

Real estate is often the largest single asset on a closely held company’s balance sheet, and it is frequently held outside the operating entity in a separate LLC owned by the same family. Which means it shows up in almost...

When a closely held company’s owners fall out, the dispute almost always resolves into a single financial question: what does the departing or excluded shareholder get paid? That question is governed by a different standard of value than most valuation...

An employee stock ownership plan is a qualified retirement plan that invests primarily in the stock of the sponsoring employer. For a closely held company, that creates a structural problem the plan sponsor cannot avoid: the plan’s principal asset has...

Every credible business appraisal considers three approaches. Not every appraisal applies all three, but a competent report explains why each was used or set aside. When a report skips that reasoning, it is usually a sign that the conclusion was...

Almost every owner asks the question eventually. Sometimes it comes up because a competitor made an unsolicited offer. Sometimes an estate attorney asks for a number before drafting a trust. Sometimes a partner wants out, and the operating agreement says...