Business Valuation

While there are many similarities between the states when it comes to family law, there are also many differences.  That fact was recently highlighted in the context of business valuation, specifically, what things should be considered to arrive at a value for equitable distribution, in a post recently seen on our firm’s Pennsylvania Family Law Blog.  Specifically,Aaron Weems is an attorney in our Warrington (Bucks County), Pennsylvania office and editor of the Pennsylvania Family Law Blog wrote an interesting post entitled “Superior Court Changes How Businesses are Valued.”

In the Balicki case that Aaron discussed, at issue was the valuation of an insurance agency.  It was understood that the business would not be sold, therefore, in deciding the value of the business, the Master excluded expenses of sale, transfer, or liquidation which could include broker commissions, finders fees, attorney fees and accountant fees. The appellate court reversed finding that this was improper.  Moreover, the appellate court found error in the fact that the Master failed to take into consideration any taxes that may be associated with the sale or liquidation of a business.

Aaron noted that the appellate court held that Pennsylvania statutes 23 PACSA § 3502(a)(10.1) and (10.2) required that for the purposes of equitable distribution of marital property, the Court must consider the Federal, state and local tax ramifications even if they are not “immediate and certain”, and similarly, the sale, transfer, or liquidation of an asset need also not be “immediate and certain,” either.

The practical effect of this reducing these hypothetical expenses is that it reduces the marital estate, and therefore, the other spouses overall equitable distribution award. Would the same result be reached in New Jersey?Continue Reading In Business Valuation, Are Hypothetical Costs of Sale Considered to Reduce Value? Court in NJ vs. PA Disagree

In the recent unpublished Appellate Division matter of McDermott v. McDermott, A-0631-07T1, Decided February 20, 2009, the Appellate Division remanded the matter to the trial court for further proceedings on the amount of loans taken during the marriage from plaintiff’s family and the distribution of responsibility for repayment of those loans.

The parties were married for nearly 30 years.  Plaintiff/husband was an attorney with a solo practice and defendant worked at his office for many years, helping to raise their five children and eventually finding employment outside the home with a local school district.  During the marriage, the parties primarily relied upon the income earned from plaintiff’s law practice.  This income fluctuated throughout the years, in part due to the economy and in part due to plaintiffs bouts of depression.

During the 15 day trial in this matter, testimony was offered that during the course of the marriage, plaintiff made some unilateral decisions with regards to the parties’ finances, including taking loans from his family and purchasing property without notifying defendant, who only found out during trial.  Defendant claimed that she only knew of very few of the loans given by plaintiff’s family, however evidence submitted at trial indicated otherwise.  Plaintiff’s sister offered credible testimony that the total amount of loans given was $283, 398.50 of which only $6,300 was repaid.

After the trial, the trial judge issued a written decision, which in part, obligated defendant to repay plaintiff’s sister the amount of $57,165.31 as her share of loans made to the marital partnership; valued plaintiff’s law practice at $100,000 of which defendant was entitled to half; compelled plaintiff to pay $2,000 per month in limited duration alimony for a period of 6 years; and ordered plaintiff to pay $49,000 of the $80,202.70 counsel fees incurred by defendant in the divorce litigation.Continue Reading Appellate Division Says More Information Needed To Determine Division of Debt

On June 21, 2007, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, “AICPA”, released the Statement on Standards for Valuation Services No. 1 (SSVS No. 1) – Valuation of a Business, Business Ownership Interest, Security, or Intangible Asset (“Standards”). These standards are effective for all valuation engagements accepted on or after January 1, 2008. The purpose of these Standards is to improve the consistency and quality of practice among CPAs that perform valuation services. The Standards were developed because Congress, government agencies and regulators have recently focused their attention on valuation issues, as well as the increasing demand for valuation services over the past 20 years.

The Standards specify two types of engagements: valuation engagements and calculation engagements. Valuation engagements would typically be the one required in a divorce matter.

In determining whether the valuation engagement can reasonably be expected to be completed with professional competence, the standards require that the valuation analyst consider, at a minimum, the following: (a) the subject entity and its industry; (b) the subject interest; (c) the valuation date; (d) the scope of the valuation engagement (including the purpose of the engagement, any assumptions or limiting conditions that are expected to apply to the valuation, the applicable standard of value (i.e. fair market value or fair value) and premise of value (i.e. going concern), the type of report to be issued, the intended use and users and the restrictions on the use of the report); and (e) any governmental regulations or other professional standards that apply to the entity to be valued or to the valuation engagement.

Additionally, in understanding the nature and the risks of the valuation services to be provided, the standards require that the expert should consider: (a) the proposed terms of the engagement; (b) the identity of the client; (c) the nature of the ownership interest, including control and marketability issues; (d) the procedural requirements of the valuation and whether they will be limited by either the client or circumstances beyond the client’s control; (e) the use and limitations of the report and the conclusion or calculated value; and (f) any obligation to update the valuation.Continue Reading Is Uniformity in Business Valuations Upon Us? – The New AICPA Business Valuation Standards