Business valuation is an integral part of a number of CPA practice areas and many groups within the AICPA will be affected by the standard, AICPA Statement on Standards for Valuation Services no. 1, Valuation of a Business, Business Ownership Interest, Security, or Intangible Asset. The Business
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Valuation Services
Managing Time-Sensitive Engagements
Have you ever accepted a time-sensitive business valuation project then spent many late nights finishing the engagement? These suggestions may help your effectiveness: Assess the risks. Time-sensitive engagements tend to elevate risks. Make sure the project is worth the risks that will be assumed to complete it
Pension Protection Act Changes Valuations for Tax Purposes
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Pension Protection Act of 2006 changed tax valuation matters that affect how appraisals of non-cash contributions are considered by the IRS. The IRS now has greater authority to impose penalties on appraisers who value property at an amount that the IRS later disputes.
Professional Guidance in Business Valuation: Applying SSVS1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CPAs perform valuation services for numerous purposes, including transactions, financings, taxation planning and compliance, intergenerational wealth transfer, ownership transition, financial accounting, bankruptcy, management information, and planning and litigation support . SSVS1 applies to all members and is effective for engagements to estimate value accepted
Smart Stops on the Web
BUSINESS VALUATION BURNING BV QUESTIONS www.go-iba.org/blog This site from the Institute of Business Appraisers hosts a discussion group between its members and Rand M. Curtiss, FIBA, MCBA, ASA, chairman of the American Business Appraisers National Network. Its question-and-answer format covers a range of topics relating to the
Wading Into Litigation Support
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CPAs can provide valuable services as litigation support consultants in lawsuits involving business damages. This analytical role allows CPAs to enter the litigation support business before taking on the greater challenge of being an expert witness. Before accepting an engagement, the CPA should ask
Computer Forensics: An Essential Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Managers
by Michael Sheetz, J.D. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2007, 152 pp. For novices and experts alike, Michael Sheetz traces the evolution of computer forensics from computer crime investigators, who focused on securing a system, into entities dedicated to the preservation and recovery of digital evidence for admissibility and use
Highlights
The Consulting Services Executive Committee of the AICPA issued in June a new professional standard on valuation services, Statement on Standards for Valuation Services no. 1, Valuation of a Business, Business Ownership Interest, Security, or Intangible Asset. The standard provides guidelines to CPAs for developing estimates of
Intangible Value: Delineating Between Shades of Gray
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Intangible assets are a big part of contemporary business, and many executives think innovation and related intangible assets now represent the principal basis for growth. CPA/ABVs and CFOs need to be able to value intangible assets for reasons that include the sale of a
Highlights
HIGHLIGHTS With FASB affirming its implementation date for FIN 48, several organizations, including the AICPA and FASB itself, are producing educational materials or additional guidance to help issuers comply with its new requirements for recognizing and measuring tax assets and liabilities. FASB Interpretation no. 48, Accounting for
Highlights
The PCAOB proposed a standard, An Audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting That Is Integrated With an Audit of Financial Statements, to replace PCAOB Audit Standard no. 2 (AS2). The proposal is designed to focus audits on the matters most significant to internal control, eliminate unnecessary
Valuing Preferred Stock
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Preferred stock—a class of ownership with priority over common stock— once was issued mainly by large companies but now is common in small to midsize privately held companies, too. CPA/ABVs may be engaged to value preferred stock (also called preferred shares) to assist with
Highlights
HIGHLIGHTS The SEC enhanced the Internet-based search capability of its EDGAR database of company filings. Users now can search the contents of disclosure documents with a full-text search tool. The newly searchable information includes registration statements, annual and quarterly reports and other filings by companies and
New Fraud Guidance
January 2006 > New Fraud Guidance COMPILATIONS / REVIEWS Communication is the name of the game where fraud is suspected. New Fraud Guidance BY J. RUSSELL MADRAY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SSARS NO. 12, Omnibus Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services—2005, amended SSARS no. 1, making specific changes
Ethics Rules Get Tighter
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The PCAOB in April 2006 issued a set of seven rules for auditors of public companies. The rules focus primarily on tax services, but also address contingent fees, audit committee preapproval of tax services and fundamental requirements for ethics and independence. Individuals who contribute directly and substantially to
Tips for Starting a BV Practice
Business valuation is not an area of accounting to be entered into lightly. Statistics show there are many litigation claims against CPAs in the valuation area, mostly due to a misunderstanding of what services the CPA was to perform as part of the engagement and the CPA’s lack of formal
The Valuation Landscape
Business valuation is a relatively new discipline. Financial valuation—the process of determining the value of a financial asset or liability—belonged first to those on Wall Street who focused on trading securities; the concept of business valuation, or valuing private companies, arrived on Main Street about 25 years ago by entering
Fraud: Small Business Clients at Risk
Small businesses are the most vulnerable to occupational fraud and abuse and suffer disproportionately larger losses as a result, according to the 2004 “Report to the Nation on Occupational Fraud and Abuse” prepared by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Compounding the problem, small businesses are less likely to have
The BV/FLS Environment
The following articles highlight the diverse issues facing practitioners in the business valuation and forensic & litigation services (BV/FLS) areas. The wide range of topics—fair value, collaborative process in divorce and valuation, electronic discovery and fraud—underscore the complexity of this rapidly growing practice area.
A Fast-Moving Practice Niche
Business valuation (BV) and forensic & litigation services (FLS) are the fastest-growing niche markets in the CPA profession. This special section highlights these niche practices and the issues practitioners are facing. CPAs looking for additional technical and practice management guidance on BV and FLS topics also can visit the AICPA’s
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SPONSORED REPORT
Preparing clients for new provisions next tax season
As the 2025 filing season approaches, H.R. 1 introduces significant tax reforms that CPAs must be prepared to navigate. These legislative changes represent some of the most comprehensive tax updates in recent years, affecting both individual and corporate taxpayers. This report provides in-depth analysis and guidance on H.R. 1.
From The Tax Adviser
September 30, 2025
Current developments in taxation of individuals: Part 1
August 30, 2025
2025 tax software survey
July 31, 2025
