Business Valuation Services

A business valuation is crucial for a wide range of scenarios, from buying or selling a business to resolving legal disputes or structuring tax-efficient gifting strategies. Bear Branch LLC offers a variety of business valuation services tailored to meet your specific needs, ensuring that you have the data and insights necessary to make informed decisions.

1. Purchase or Sale of a Business
When buying or selling a business, a comprehensive valuation is essential to ensure that the transaction reflects the true market value. We provide detailed valuations to help both buyers and sellers understand the fair market value of a business, ensuring a smooth and well-informed transaction process.

2. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)
Business valuations are a critical part of the mergers and acquisitions process. Whether you’re acquiring another business or merging with one, we conduct a thorough analysis of the financial health, assets, liabilities, and future potential of the business to inform your negotiation and decision-making processes.

3. Legal Proceedings
In situations involving legal disputes, a business valuation can be a key piece of evidence. We provide expert valuations for litigation purposes, including cases related to shareholder disputes, divorce settlements, and more. Our valuations are defensible in court and help support your legal strategy.

4. Divorce Settlements
Dividing assets in a divorce can be complex, especially when one or both parties own a business. We help ensure that the business is accurately valued so that an equitable division of assets can be achieved. Our valuation process is thorough, objective, and aimed at achieving fair results for all parties involved.

5. Shareholder Buyouts
When a shareholder exits the company, determining the fair value of their shares is essential. We provide valuations to facilitate shareholder buyouts, ensuring that all parties are treated fairly and that the buyout price reflects the true value of the business.

6. Buy-Sell Agreements
A buy-sell agreement is an important part of any business succession plan. We provide business valuations to help you set the terms for buying or selling shares in the event of a triggering event, such as death, disability, or retirement, ensuring a fair process for all stakeholders.

7. Dissenting Shareholder Actions
In situations where shareholders disagree on the value of the business or a proposed transaction, we provide independent valuations for dissenting shareholder actions. Our fair and impartial assessments can help resolve disputes and prevent costly litigation.

8. Stock and Ownership Gifting
If you plan to gift company stock or ownership interests to family members, employees, or charitable organizations, we help you determine the accurate value of the shares for tax purposes. Our stock/ownership gifting valuations ensure that your gifting strategy is tax-efficient and compliant with IRS guidelines.

9. Estate Filings
When transferring ownership as part of an estate plan, a business valuation is essential for accurate estate filings. We provide valuations that reflect the true worth of the business to ensure your estate plan is structured properly, minimizing tax liabilities and facilitating the smooth transfer of assets.

10. Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)
For businesses that offer Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), we provide expert valuations to help determine the value of the company stock being offered to employees. Our valuations are in compliance with IRS and Department of Labor regulations and ensure the ESOP is properly structured and funded.

11. Financial Reporting
Accurate business valuations are also crucial for financial reporting purposes. Our valuation services include support for various accounting and reporting standards, such as:

• Purchase Price Allocation (pursuant to ASC 805)


• Impairment Testing (pursuant to ASC 350)


• Equity-Based Compensation (pursuant to ASC 718)


• Intellectual Property Valuation (for licensing or financial reporting)