Discussion of emerging trends in small/medium to large national firms in forensic & valuation services practices. Areas to be highlighted, include staffing, hiring, mentoring, production/work product, marketing & succession planning. Audience participation is welcomed in this knowledge sharing session.

Experts must comply with a variety of laws and rules when rendering an expert opinion. This session will identify and discuss the laws and rules that experts must typically navigate when offering expert opinions, including the delicate balance necessary to avoid crossing the sometimes fine line between expert and legal opinion. This session will also focus on best practices concerning fact assumption and fact verification.

Open source intelligence is a well-covered area of expertise that covers any and many areas of content. Building on these skills, the instructor will focus on financial intelligence research practices. Finding data related to transactional information, crypto currency markets, and any opportunity to track down fraudulent operations through the surface to dark web. Learning objectives: (1) Define FinOSINT, (2) Identify marketplaces online that financial information may be located in open sources, (3) Identify resources used specific to online asset investigations.

You don’t have to be a valuator or stock analyst to observe that different businesses and industries trade across a wide range of market-implied valuation multiples. Presenters Ethan Lee, CPA, ABV, CFF and Atticus Frank, CFA, ABV, will dig into a wide range of implied valuation multiples, and help attendees better understand why multiples oscillate across and within industries. This session’s goal is to help you better understand and convey your valuation conclusions to your clients and partners.

Understanding common claims associated with employee information and trade secrets theft. Identifying how potential damages can be assessed early in the matter to assist counsel in early settlement negotiations.

Technology has drastically changed the way investigations and litigation cases are conducted. How to effectively collaborate with and utilize digital forensics professionals to conduct effective investigations and support causation issues

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors have become increasingly prevalent as a requirement in both corporate mission statements, and in investment mandates. Companies commit to net-zero target dates and pile on to diversity initiatives, while investment management firms promote their socially responsible “green funds”.

But does any of it make a difference in dollars and cents value? Recent market trends appear to show little differentiation between returns to ESG funds and their traditional "non-green" counterparts, leading in part to growing regulatory calls for increased disclosure requirements for fund managers and advisors operating within this sphere.

If there is value in ESG, it should be able to be reflected at the enterprise and asset level. Our session explores developments in quantifying ESG factors and how they can be applied within valuation models and financial reports. We also look at what potential next phases might involve as valuation practitioners, investors, and analysts continue forward in the evolution of ESG valuation.

This hands-on session will focus on Excel tools. We will explore new or updated or recommended formulas and functions which advance participants’ ability to quickly manipulate data and understand statistical inferences. We will explore applications of these formulas/ functions to analyze data for both valuation and investigative purposes. Participants will have the ability to work through multiple real-world FVS use-cases using financial and non-financial data during the session.

Valuation professionals are faced with evaluating fair market value either preceding or after M&A transactions or capital raises. This session delves into the complexities as to how these events influence value under a fair market value standard for tax purposes. We will explore differences in fair market value and value indications from M&A or capital raise transactions, and analyze how M&A processes, letters of intent, and transactions occurring before or after the valuation date can impact fair market value valuations.

Analyze the challenges of quantifying discounts for lack of marketability in real life.