I was approached by a prospective client a few years ago requiring forensic accounting services in connection with his divorce. The prospective client made it clear to me what his ultimate objective was. He told me, “I want you to review documents I’m going to show you and conclude with me that my wife stole …
In my former life – that is, before I became an accountant – as a police patrolman and detective on the Tucson, Arizona Police Department, I had the opportunity to testify on several criminal-type cases. Back in those days I would get pretty nervous before each of my court appearances. The mere pressure of waiting …
According to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, only 23% of family owned businesses have succession plans in place that include a documented plan, not just thoughts in the owner’s head. In PwC’s 2012 survey, 52% of family run businesses planned to pass the business to the next generation, with only 12% planning to sell the …
A report from the CDC/NCHS (*), National Vital Statistics System (See Table 1) has disclosed some interesting facts about population, marriages and divorces covering our 50 states and the District of Columbia. Marriage and Divorce The national average of divorce to marriages per 1,000 total population is 45.6% (**). When it comes to divorce, Arizona …
How can a macro-economic event, such as when the United Kingdom voted to exit the European Union, impact everyday people and corporations and help them emerge from bankruptcy protection in the United States? When the UK voted to exit the EU, this caused a significant panic in the investment community, particularly investments in foreign stocks. …
A handful of questions to begin – Are you thinking of selling your small and medium-sized entity (“SME”)? Is your largest asset in your estate your business? Are you the CEO, CFO, general manager and sales force of your SME? Do you fear going on a two week vacation because of the number of phone …
When valuing a controlling or non-controlling interest in a C corporation that owns only marketable securities, a common method to apply is the net asset value method under the asset approach. Under this method, the fair market value of liabilities is subtracted from the fair market value of assets. Included in the liabilities is a …
Fourth quarter 2015 stats bode well for industrial properties in Greater Phoenix Absorption 1.4 million square feet of space was absorbed in the fourth quarter of 2015 (Q4) which impressively was the 23rd consecutive quarter of positive absorption in the Greater Phoenix industrial market. Net positive absorption for industrial space in 2015 was almost 8.5 …
The IRS continues to look at family limited partnerships (FLPs) and whether or not they have been formed for a sufficient business purpose. Section 2036 of the IRS Code provides that the gross estate should include the value of any property to the extent a transfer has been made but the decedent has retained 1) …