Our firm recently performed two valuations on a pharmaceutical company two years apart. The owners were surprised by the surprisingly large jump in value, far larger than performance improvement might have justified.

When investing in equities, investors have two main choices: common stocks or preferred shares.  Whereas the previous article in this series dealt with common shares, this article focuses on preferred shares.

This is the fourth article in a series on asset classes, designed to demonstrate that even in today’s “low interest” environment, one can generate reasonable returns on a diversified portfolio.

We often hear comments about how little interest banks pay, or the low yield on certain treasuries. In our business of Mergers & Acquisitions, we have seen quite a few business owners who want to sell their businesses, but hesitate to do so

In our previous article, we gave an overview of the various asset classes, and typical risk/return relationships. In this article, we compare the liquidity and trading volumes of these asset classes.

This is the first of a series of articles on asset classes. Whether you are an individual managing a portfolio for retirement, or someone who just sold their business and devising a strategy to invest funds, the choice of asset classes will be the most fundamental investment decision you make in designing your portfolio.

Let me start this article with a quote by Ludwig von Mises, famous economist of the Austrian School of Economics, on the subjects of credit expansion and economic cycles.:

Part I of the series tackled the value of gold as a portfolio hedge. This article, Part II of the series, will discuss the very limited stock of gold within the world

The world is a much riskier place than most people realize. A very incomplete list of just some of the possible risks in the global geopolitical system include:

Total global debt levels have reached a whopping $247 trillion as of 2018 – up from $164 trillion in January 2009 1, the time of the last financial crisis. That’s up from 213% to 318% of global GDP 2:

Whether you’re a business person or an ordinary citizen concerned about what’s going on in the world, the yield curve is something you should care about.

Owners and managers of businesses always have the option of financing a business by way of either debt or equity

A condition precedent (CP) prior to closing is a condition that must be satisfied by a party to a transaction, failing which the other party is not bound to close the transaction

“Drag Along” and “Tag Along” rights are used by investors to facilitate their exit from an investment. They are methods particularly favored by private equity firms

Non-core assets may greatly complicate raising equity financing, finding strategic or financial partners, or selling a business.

Business owners often ask themselves whether they need a business valuation, and if so what kind of valuation is required.

When negotiating the purchase or sale of a company, the investor or purchaser will often insist on what is known as a Material Adverse Change (MAC) clause. This article deals with three issues related to the MAC clause

Business owners often ask themselves whether they need a business valuation, and if so what kind of valuation is required.

Everything has its risks, even getting out of bed in the morning. But that is no excuse for not getting out of bed at all…