Along with legal due diligence, financial due diligence is a critical step undertaken by a prospective acquirer of a business.

If your company has just recently completed a business acquisition, the difference between the purchase price of the business and the net book value of the tangible assets acquired is just goodwill, right? Well, perhaps not. This is a common misconception when a business is acquired through the purchase of assets or shares.

Due to the recent tightening of monetary policy by central banks around the world to cool inflation, an economic slowdown is expected to occur, and in some ways, has already begun.  This may affect businesses to varying degrees, as customers spend less, lenders make it more difficult to access credit, and persistent inflation keeps costs elevated.

The sale of a business can be one of the most critical and lucrative events in someone’s life. However, the execution of this process is subject to many moving parts, so proper planning is vital to the overall success of the sale. 

Our valuation and tax teams were recently approached to assist a client with a potential estate freeze or a sale of the company. The business had been in operation for dozens of years and had grown to over 400 employees with $95 million in annual revenue.

Marital breakdowns can be some of the most difficult and emotional experiences for individuals to face. In a recent article, we discussed the calculation of income for support obligations. This article will focus on the Family Law concept of the division of assets, known as Net Family Property (“NFP”).

Marital breakdowns can be some of the most difficult, emotional experiences for individuals to face. Among the many issues to consider are the financial elements related to the division of Net Family Property (i.e. equalization of net assets) along with Spousal and/or Child Support obligations.

In our previous article “What’s a CBV (Chartered Business Valuator)”, we explored what a CBV does and the types of engagements in which their expertise may be sought. In this article, we will explore the beginning of a valuation engagement, and the common questions that clients often have.

One of the most famous lines from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet questions the meaningfulness of names, and given definitions, as follows:

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Some of the primary reasons that the services of a business valuator are required involve changes related to shareholders. In some cases, a successful business may add one or more shareholders to strengthen its core operations or reward performance.