An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a tax-favored employee benefit plan through which employees can become owners in their companies at no cost to themselves, at the same time that the company and its owners receive major tax benefits. An ESOP can be used for many purposes, including to use tax-deductible corporate earnings to buy out the owner(s) of a closely held business; to allow shareholders to sell gradually and ease out of the business; to finance corporate acquisitions through the loan that buys stock for a leveraged ESOP; to enhance corporate performance through creating a corporate culture of ownership; and to reward employees with a benefit tied to corporate performance while providing the company with tax benefits. This book explains the rules, uses, benefits, and other aspects of ESOPs. It is helpful as an introduction to the subject and as a concise reference. The 20th edition was heavily revised and expanded as of 2023, with added material on issues such as fiduciaries and ESOP committees plus changes made by the SECURE 2.0 Act.

Representing the combined work of more than forty leading compliance attorneys, Corporate Compliance Answer Book helps you develop, implement, and enforce compliance programs that detect and prevent wrongdoing. You'll learn how to: Use risk assessment to pinpoint and reduce your company's areas of legal exposureApply gap analysis to detect and eliminate flaws in your compliance programConduct internal investigations that prevent legal problems from becoming major crisesDevelop records management programs that prepare you for the e-discovery involved in investigations and litigationSatisfy labor and employment mandates, environmental rules, lobbying and campaign finance laws, export control regulations, and FCPA anti-bribery standardsMake voluntary disclosures and cooperate with government agencies in ways that mitigate the legal, financial and reputational damages caused by violationsFeaturing dozens of real-world case studies, charts, tables, compliance checklists, and best practice tips, Corporate Compliance Answer Book pays for itself over and over again by helping you avoid major legal and financial burdens.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan Answer Book covers the many regulations, interpretations, rulings, and cases that seek to interpret the laws governing the design, administration, and operation of ESOPs. This practical manual focuses on the nuts and bolts of ESOP design and mechanics so that professionals can find new and creative uses for the ESOP model. Employee Stock Ownership Plan Answer Book is written in simple, straightforward language and avoids technical jargon, and includes citations of authority if additional research is required. Employee Stock Ownership Plan Answer Book has been completely updated and revised. Highlights of the Fifth Edition include: A summary of advantages and disadvantages of ESOPs, the various planning opportunities ESOPs present, and the significant risks that should be considered An outline of the legal requirements for structuring an ESOP, primarily arising from the Internal Revenue Code A discussion of the rules for deducting various amounts contributed to an ESOP, distinguishing how such rules differ from rules in other types of retirement plans A discussion of the complex fiduciary duties and relationships inherent in the unique structure of an ESOP. More than any other type of retirement plan, fiduciaries of ESOPs run the risk of engaging in prohibited self dealing The issues that arise in valuing companies owned in whole or in part by an ESOP A detailed description of the special tax advantages for shareholders who sell their shares to an ESOP in a transaction that satisfies Code Section 1042, usually as part of a corporate ownership succession strategy An overview of the securities laws implicated by the employer securities held within an ESOP An explanation of ESOP leveraging - perhaps the most unique of the features of an ESOP - which allows the ESOP to be used by the sponsoring employer to obtain tax-advantaged corporate financing An in-depth look at special issues arising in ESOPs sponsored by Subchapter S corporations A discussion of the many uses of ESOPs in corporate merger and acquisition transactions, and the special treatment that often must be afforded to the ESOP fiduciaries who control the disposition of the employer securities held by the ESOP Previous Edition: Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Answer Book, Fourth Edition ISBN 9781454810315

A detailed look at risk identification and value creation in private equity investment Equity Value Enhancement ("EVE"): Governance, Risk, Relationships & Knowledge ("GRRK") provides the information and tools practitioners and business owners need to work with the multitude of intangibles ("GRRK") in equity investment decisions. The author engages readers with an insightful and brief claim: "Values are more than numbers." He then provides support for just how important human capital is to the value creation paradox. He doesn't stop there because ideas without definitive actions don't promote transformation. He further challenges the reader with: "If you don't think outside of the box, you're doomed to live in the box." A user-friendly manual chock full of vignettes, suggestions and pithy commentary EVE is a must read for owners, officers, boards and advisors to derive understanding of business value drivers. This book teaches the reader how to conduct more intangible asset due diligence as well as what decisions and behaviors impact value. With more effective methods of risk identification, measurement, management, and mitigation ("IMMM"), trusted advisors and owners can establish a "working on the business" strategy to prioritize issues impacting a company's intangible assets – assets which almost inevitably create the largest component of value in flourishing companies. This focus also serves to reduce risk while leveraging human capital and operational effectiveness. This book challenges users of value enhancement and valuation services to demand greater intellectual rigor to best serve owners/investors of the United States' economic engine—the midmarket company. Therefore, readers are challenged to look beyond the common metrics and numbers. They are admonished to rely less on formulaic approaches and on software that can generate spurious opinions. The reader is called to action by the author, a US Marine Combat Officer veteran, to lead the change: "You burn the boats if you want to be sure you succeed taking the island." Trillions of dollars of private equity are changing hands as Baby Boomer owners and investors seek greater liquidity and legacies while investors seek higher returns from direct investment in private companies. This book provides risk and human capital guidance removing some of the guesswork on valuation and value creation. Provide better evidence of value & equity discounts Identify and quantify risk and provide tools to manage it Inform better business management and investment decisions Create a more comprehensive valuation for equity investments Roadmap and strategy for enhancement of going concern value Governance, Risk and Compliance ("GRC") management are hot topics in today's economic environment. The familiar financial metrics may not be providing adequate indications of value creation – the core principle of most shareholder investment expectation. To identify risk and work with it effectively, practitioners need an in-depth understanding of the forces at play. Equity Value Enhancement is a detailed, insightful guide for making better equity decisions. Finally, the author puts his passion front and center by offering the reader the opportunity to invest in the human capital this book addresses by encouraging support of military veteran's with combat PTSD so they may be productive citizens with the leadership and business skills provided by our country's "Greatest Generation."

International cost of capital...blockage discounts . . . valuation issues unique to ESOPs...specific valuation issues for sports teams...capital structure in emerging growth companies...methods for calculating equity risk premiums...These days, understanding the complex issues in advanced business valuation requires a team of experts. The HANDBOOK OF ADVANCED BUSINESS VALUATION is your team of valuation experts—nationally recognized practitioners and legal minds from across the country who provide authoritative answers and innovative solutions to your most perplexing valuation questions. Structured in a user-friendly, general-to-specific arrangement, The HANDBOOK OF ADVANCED BUSINESS VALUATION represents a broad cross section of the latest conceptual thinking on the subject. Only in this thought-provoking volume will you find: Abstracts and interpretations of recent empirical studies in lack of marketability, blockage, and more; In-depth treatment of specialized valuation issues from many industries—including healthcare, technology, and sports franchises; Lucid, intuitive explanations of complex and esoteric procedures for intercompany transfer pricing analyses and ad valorem property tax appraisals. Like its predecessor volume VALUING A BUSINESS—which covered basic business valuation concepts and practices in authoritative, all-encompassing fashion—The HANDBOOK OF ADVANCED BUSINESS VALUATION provides a new benchmark of advanced, contemporary discussions for investors and experienced business valuation practitioners. Valuation experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Willamette Management Associates, Arthur Andersen, American Appraisal Associates, and more combine their expertise in this well-written, thoughtful, and convincing reference—one with absolutely no close rival in the flourishing field of business valuation and security analysis.