mergers & acquisitions

thinking ‘downstream’ merger? check these 25 potential problems first

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two businessmen look at a tablet while one drinks coffeematch expectations to reality.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

when checking out a downward merger candidate, do your due diligence.

more on mergers for pro members: 12 reasons to merge in a smaller firm | 3 factors that always affect negotiations | what to discuss at the first merger negotiation meeting | mergers 101: when negotiations aren’t really negotiations | 5 steps to take before merging

here are the first 16 major issues to consider:

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18 concerns about merging in smaller firms

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man rubbing his eye and holding glasses while looking at computer with notes stuck to sidethe good news? they all can be overcome.

by marc rosenberg

though not universally true, larger firms will find many aspects of smaller firms to be below their own standards.

more on mergers: 20 terms to settle when merging up | 3 factors that always affect negotiations | what to discuss at the first merger negotiation meeting | what to ponder before issuing a letter of intent | plant seeds to turn up merger candidates | 13 ways to screw up a merger

the questions that the acquiring firm needs to ask are:

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12 reasons to merge in a smaller firm

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silhouetted figures against us outline mapfrom buying talent to expanding territory, mergers can be fast ways to grow.

by marc rosenberg

if an opportunity to merge in a smaller firm were presented to you, would you be interested in pursuing it?

more on mergers: 20 terms to settle when merging up | 3 factors that always affect negotiations | mergers: assessing compatibility | case studies reveal potential loi issues | one times fees is a steal! | looking to grow your firm? how to find a seller in four steps | 14 keys to a successful merger | 5 steps to take before merging

my guess is that in excess of 90 percent of all cpa firms would answer this question with a resounding “yes!”
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4 ways to create more capacity

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purple no. 4 billiard ballconsider creating two classes of partners.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

when partners plan to retire, how do we go about creating additional capacity or freeing up the necessary capacity to handle the client transitions that need to occur?

more on performance management: partner retirement and the war for clients | succession: the questions to care about | 7 succession questions to ignore for now | develop your employees or suffer the consequences | what having your employees’ backs means | 5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them) | job 1 for the practice owner: client management

first, all of the “c” clients, which is our shorthand way of describing the smallest clients the firm serves – who while profitable, don’t have much opportunity to hire us for additional services – should not be transitioned to partners, but rather to managers.
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20 terms to settle when merging up

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green checks being made on checklistwhat the smaller firm needs to determine. they get a say, you know.

by marc rosenberg

when a small firm considers merging upward, they listen to the terms offered by the larger firm and decide whether they can accept them. through a combination of face-to-face meetings, negotiation sessions, telephone calls and review of materials, the seller should be comfortable with each of the following:

more on mergers: what to expect when merging up | 13 questions to assess an upward merger | mergers: assessing compatibility | 14 provisions to include in a letter of intent | want to merge? ask for data | merger prep: getting to know you | plant seeds to turn up merger candidates | 13 ways to screw up a merger

1. hopefully, you have identified the problems and the goals you have for the merger (retirement, access to staff, technical expertise, management capabilities, etc.). do you see each of these problems and goals actually being addressed and resolved with the merger?
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how to find a partner’s replacement

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man choosing someone's face from a photo arrayshould you add a partner … or capacity? they’re not the same thing.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

let’s assume you have a retiring partner. you have decided how to pay the partner for his/her value in the firm, you have pinned down the mandatory sale of ownership date (mso) so you can phase that partner out of his or her leadership role in the firm, and you have covered the single most abused part of the succession process, which is client transition. it is now time to discuss how to find replacements for the retiring senior partners.

more on performance management: action plans for transitioning partners | partner retirement and the war for clients | succession: the questions to care about | the pitfalls of equity allocation and reallocation | cpa firm performance assessments: 15 core competencies, 21 questions | how to target what skills to develop now

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the most commonly asked question on this topic is “how can we find people with the same technical skills, management ability, client service capacity and vision for the firm’s future as those who are leaving?” the simple answer is “you won’t, so stop looking for that exact combination.”
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19 surprises when merging up

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man woman handshake shake hands istock_000010387373smallbonus checklist: what smaller firms need to know.

by marc rosenberg

the degree to which merger terms are negotiable is often determined by the relative size of the two firms.

more on mergers: mergers: assessing compatibility | what to discuss at the first merger negotiation meeting | case studies reveal potential loi issues | merger prep: getting to know you | one times fees is a steal! | 13 ways to screw up a merger

generally, the larger the gap in firm size between buyer and seller, the fewer the items are open to negotiation. this can be illustrated by the following chart:
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action plans for transitioning partners

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four people meeting for business lunchthe transition process is about making the retiring partner less attractive as the client’s first point of contact.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

the key to the client transition process is the action plan that the transitioning partner needs to follow for each client.

more on performance management: partner retirement and the war for clients | how retirement issues affect succession planning | 7 succession questions to ignore for now | the pitfalls of equity allocation and reallocation | how to target what skills to develop now | job 1 for the practice owner: client management

for a small tax client, the directive could be as simple as a one-year transition and turning it over to whoever has been assigned to take over that account. for example, the action plan might be something like:

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3 factors that always affect negotiations

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hand drawing a rainbow-colored 3bonus checklists: smaller firm to larger, 25 questions to ask and 17 data points to request.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

there are always three intangible factors that greatly influence the extent to which merger terms and issues are negotiable:

more on mergers: what to discuss at the first merger negotiation meeting | 14 provisions to include in a letter of intent | want to merge? ask for data | one times fees is a steal! | looking to grow your firm? how to find a seller in four steps | 15 can’t-skip merger terms to decide | 14 keys to a successful merger

1. negotiation ability of each firm. some people are “tough” negotiators, continuously trying to impose their will on the merger partner, while others are more malleable and tend to go along with whatever the other side wants.
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best practices for client transition

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man watching handshake between two womenimproper transitions can lead to reduced retirement benefits.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

when a partner is retiring, there is a transition process that we recommend. let’s break it down into a few simple steps:

more on performance management: how client transition is abused | best practices for mandatory retirement | how retirement issues affect succession planning | succession: the questions to care about | 7 succession questions to ignore for now | how partner ratings factor into equity | hazards of not reallocating equity | the pitfalls of equity allocation and reallocation | develop your employees or suffer the consequences | cpa firm performance assessments: 15 core competencies, 21 questions | how to target what skills to develop now | what having your employees’ backs means | 5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them) | do cpa firms need management or leadership? |  job 1 for the practice owner: client management

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13 questions to assess an upward merger

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puzzle arrow dollar photobonus checklist: 13 ways to make your firm an attractive candidate.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

the smaller firm in a proposed merger should make an objective, realistic assessment as to whether or not merging upward is a good business decision.

more on mergers: mergers: assessing compatibility | what to discuss at the first merger negotiation meeting | 14 provisions to include in a letter of intent | case studies reveal potential loi issues | want to merge? ask for data | merger prep: getting to know you | the merger process in 21 steps | looking to grow your firm? how to find a seller in four steps | 13 reasons accounting firms merge | mergers 101: when negotiations aren’t really negotiations | 5 steps to take before merging

every small firm evaluating the feasibility of merging should consider these questions in as much depth as possible:

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