Certified Valuation

April 23, 2012 – CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm, is proud to announce that Gregory Skoda, Jr. recently earned the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) designation, through Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

With this designation, Skoda joins a group of world renowned professionals who audit, control, monitor and assess an organization’s information technology and business systems.

The CISA designation was created for...

CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti is pleased to announce the acquisition of Core Information Management, Inc. As a part of the acquisition, Joseph Compton, CISSP, CISA joins the firm as principal in charge of Skoda Minotti Financial Institution Services Group.

“Joe has spent the last 15 years helping clients in the financial institution industry solve compliance and security management challenges and has developed a very specific skill set that can benefit our current financial institution clients...

While the 2011 Survey of Northeast Ohio's Construction and Real Estate Industries has shown some positive signs in terms of financing in the real estate realm, it is still one of the major concerns revealed in this year’s survey. Additionally, many respondents are feeling the cash flow pressures created by vacancies and a lack of demand. Despite these difficulties, respondents are more confident now than at any other time since the start of our survey that there will be more real...

This month's issue of Valuation & Litigation Advisory Insights includes the following articles:
• 3 ways to communicate with a valuation professional
• ACFE survey provides insights on fraud prevention and detection
• What is the "value" of litigation

3 ways to communicate with a valuation professional

Nothing's more frustrating than sitting down for a consultation with a valuation professional and failing to fully understand the process and how an appraiser arrives at a certain value. To...

Nearly 90% of owners of family-run businesses believe that the same family (or families) will control the business in five years.  Unfortunately, if history provides any indication, only about two-thirds of those businesses will survive to the second generation.  The statistics deteriorate when it comes to the third and fourth generations, with only 5% of family-owned businesses surviving to the fourth generation.  These statistics illustrate a key challenge that today’s business owner faces:...

I feel completely surrounded – like the Spartans did in Battle of Thermopylae, chronicled in the movie “300”. Rather than being encircled by Xerxes’ Persian army, however, my plight is much more benign (and much less bloody). I’m bombarded by the amount articles discussing the convergence of U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Exposure drafts for revised standards developed jointly by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International...

December 20, 2011 – CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm, is pleased to announce that Michael Trabert, CPA, CVA, CMAP, a partner with Skoda Minotti’s Transaction Advisory Services Group has recently earned the Chartered Merger & Acquisition Professional (CMAP) credential, awarded by the Middle Market Investment Banking Association (MMIBA) and endorsed by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA).

MMIBA is an organization established to...

As if it isn’t hard enough to remember someone’s name when you first meet them, business valuation experts typically have a mass of letters after their name, too.  While most people are familiar with the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) designation, there a number of other credentials that indicate proficiency and experience specifically in performing business valuations.  The summary below is a “decoder ring” to some of the more common valuation credentials.  I promise the secret message will...

Fraud and embezzlement cost local organizations millions of dollars annually. Consistent with national trends, organizations with fewer than 100 employees are the primary targets.

And, nationally and locally, there is an increase in financial crimes in which people are colluding with internal or external partners.

Cooperation increases their chances of success, because collusion cases are more difficult to detect, as the perpetrators tend to be more creative than those who work solo. But, they...

This month's issue of Valuation & Litigation Advisory Insights includes the following articles:

• FAQs About Business Valuations
• Measuring the Intangible: Valuation Issues in Health Care Transactions
• Single Price Quote Supports $10 Million Lost Profits Award
• Skoda Minotti Employee Recognized For Outstanding Report Writing

FAQs About Business Valuations

From business acquisitions to estate planning to shareholder transactions, executives often run into situations in which performing a business valuation...

Click here to view Part 1 of our series and learn more about the stock option landscape or Part 2 to learn more about the accounting and tax ramifications of issuing stock options.

What To Do?

As discussed above, there are significant risks that a company brings upon itself if it decides to issue stock options without properly valuing the options and the equity of the company. Rather than issuing stock options, if a company wants to offer an employee the opportunity to obtain an ownership...

Accounting and Tax Ramifications of Issuing Stock Options

 Click here to view Part 1 of our series and learn more about the stock option landscape.

To give you more perspective, first let us review the accounting treatment for the issuance of stock options (rest easy - this will not be too painful). When stock options are issued, an expense must be recorded based on the value of the option. A stock option’s value is derived from a variety of factors, two of which are the value of the stock as of...

When selling your home, it is common to use an agent to list, promote and show the property. In exchange, you pay a portion of the sales price as a commission to the agent. The benefits of using an agent include: 1) the listing of your home in a database so that homebuyers can access information about it; 2) the agent acting as your middleman during the negotiation process; and 3) the incentive it gives the agent to sell your home quickly (so that her or she can earn their commission). 

Some peop...

We, as consumers, love discounts. There are few things more satisfying for a savvy shopper than finding a deal on an item that he or she has been longing for. When it comes to valuing a business, some believe that “discount” is a dirty word and that it implies that the seller is not receiving fair market value for his ownership interest and that the buyer is getting a deal. This is not the case, however, as valuation discounts merely adjust the value of an ownership interest indicated by certain...

A business valuation is a just a business valuation – isn’t it? This would be akin to saying that a steak is just a steak when, in fact, there are ribeyes, strips, sirloins, and filets (just to name a few). Likewise, business valuations come in two distinct “flavors” – conclusions of value and calculations of value.

As of January 1, 2008, valuation analysts who hold either the Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) credential supported by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts or...

The Magis Advisory Group of John Carroll University is offering a seminar providing continuing legal education credits for attorneys, continuing education credits for certified financial planners, and continuing professional education credits for certified public accountants in estate planning, advanced planning for the family owned business and business and asset valuation.

Our own Robert A Ranallo, CPA/ABV, JD, CVA, CFF, will be presenting the "Business and Asset Valuation" session on Friday,...

Selling a business can be one of the most challenging tasks that business owners face. Click here to read “Avoiding Seller’s Remorse,” featuring our own Robert A. Ranallo, CPA/ABV, JD, CVA, CFF.

Need assistance valuing your business? You can contact our team of Certified Valuation Analysts at 440-449-6800.

Skoda Minotti is a CPA, business and financial advisory firm with offices in Cleveland and Akron.