Spouses have the most flexibility when inheriting individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The basic rules are: The spouse may treat the inherited IRA as his/her own (or roll it over into his or her own IRA) or remain the beneficiary on the account. The spouse may only treat the IRA as his or her own if…

The market approach, whereby appraisers use comparable “guideline companies” to help them estimate the value of a private business, has become a long-standing valuation touchstone. Two primary valuation methods are categorized under the market approach: 1. Guideline public company method. Here, appraisers identify companies with stock (or partnership interests) that are actively traded in the public…

It’s common in divorce cases for an interest in a closely held business or professional practice to be the marital estate’s most valuable asset. In many states, when the owner-spouse brings this asset to the marriage, a valuator may be called upon to distinguish between active appreciation in the business’s value (which is generally subject…