11/3/2017· Expert Witnessing
How Independent Is Your Expert?
By: Michael J. Garibaldi CPA, ABV, CFF, CGMA
It may be detrimental to an expert witness's credibility if even the appearance of a lack of independence exists. In today's legal environment, discrediting an expert based on his or her relationship with counsel, the client or the judge is common. Let's examine how to identify an expert's independence.
11/1/2017· Accounting
Determining a Distressed Debtor Company Discount Rate, Part 2
This is Part 2 of a two-part article. The first part (published in the January 2014 issue of Business Valuation Update) discussed valuations of distressed debtor companies based on discounted cash flows and considered the impact of the date and stage of distress. This part describes how the financial analyst derives the cost of capital for a distressed debtor company.
10/31/2017· Land Mapping - Surveying - Zoning
Over the centuries, surveys have been prepared for many reasons. The oldest types of surveys in recorded history are boundary surveys - these are essential to one's holdings - personal or investments.
10/24/2017· Branding - Brand Management
Brand Valuations: Identifying the Opportunities and Challenges
By: Brian Buss
Based on our knowledge of and ability to analyze and value businesses, valuation professionals are uniquely positioned to provide valuable information to business owners and managers regarding the financial value of their brand assets. In other words, how a company's brand assets are contributing to the company's overall financial performance. This "Special Issue" of The Value Examiner is intended to kick-start the discussion on brand valuation by identifying the opportunities and challenges in completing brand valuation assignments for our clients.
10/23/2017· Psychology
Evaluating the Psychological Impact of Burns
Physical traumas such as a serious burn injury can be profoundly traumatic. Serious burns result in sudden unanticipated trauma related to the individual's exposure to a potentially life-threatening experience. One day the burn victim begins their day like any other, and by the end of the day the burn victim's life may be changed forever by the traumatic event experienced. A Forensic Psychological Expert utilizes well respected psychological tests to assess the emotional impact of such injuries. The psychological tests employed are statistically reliable and valid. The choice of valid and reliable psychological tests employed by a Forensic Psychologist are similar to tests used by a physician to diagnose diabetes or other medical disorders. Such tests offer norms that compare the individual in question to a large normative sample, in order to evaluate the burn victim's psychological functioning compared to that of the "normal" person.
10/18/2017· Appraisal & Valuation
Business Valuations: Different Values for Different Purposes?
By: Michael J. Garibaldi CPA, ABV, CFF, CGMA
There are many more purposes for which valuations are used. Each has its unique presumptions. It must be understood that there is no one value and that the same investment can have a different value to different people and for different reasons. Each valuator must analyze such differences, understand the presumptions inherent in the purpose for which the valuation is to be used, and select and implement a method to determine proper value for the purpose.
10/17/2017· Expert Witnessing
By: Greg Gerganoff
The employ of expert witnesses in litigation is typically undertaken to help the decider of fact (judge or jury) decipher an area of specialized knowledge which is key to the case. The expert report serves the primary purpose of "educating" deciders of fact on topics not commonly known to the general public. However, a noncomplying expert report can wreak havoc on a case, increase costs or worse, have the expert's testimony precluded in whole or part from use at trial. This of course is contrary to the purpose of retaining an expert in the first place. Understanding the parameters of compliance (C.R.C.P. 26 (a) (2) (B) (I)) and how sanctions for non-compliance (C.R.C.P. 37 (c) (1)) may be applied is important not only for legal counsel but the expert as well under the 2015 rule updates and the recent Colorado Supreme Court case, Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado v. Earl Swensson Associates, Inc.
10/16/2017· Automotive - Vehicular
Safety Compromises, Part 2: On-Board Slips and Falls
By: Ned Einstein
In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the notion that roughly half of all public transportation-related incidents are the result of a deliberate trade-off of passenger safety for some system or owner's benefit. The most common benefit is the service provider's operating a schedule that is too tight.
10/13/2017· Land Mapping - Surveying - Zoning
Easements Can Make or Break a Deal
Easements can benefit or burden a number of parties on or around certain tracts of land. Easements are common on most parcels of land. An easement can give one the right to use another person's land for a stated purpose. It can involve a general or specific portion of the property for various different uses. Many surveyors today do not thoroughly research properties and do not always show easements on their work that may be crucial to the rights associated with a parcel of land.
10/11/2017· Accounting
Determining a Distressed Debtor Company Discount Rate, Part 1
This is Part 1 of a two-part article. This part discusses valuations of distressed debtor companies based on discounted cash flows and considers the impact of the date and stage of distress. Next month, Part 2 will describe how the financial analyst derives the cost of capital for a distressed debtor company.
