The Lawyer's Guide to the Cost of Capital: Understanding Risk and Return for Valuing Businesses and Other Investments

Cost of capital is arguably the most important concept in all of finance, as it is the expected rate of return that market participants require to attract funds to an investment. The cost of capital estimate is the essential link that enables a business to convert a stream of expected income into an estimate of present value. The Lawyer's Guide to the Cost of Capital provides the most comprehensive survey of cost of capital case law across jurisdictions and venues.

Cost of capital is a key topic in the valuation of business interests, particularly interests in closely held entities, and this book provides offers attorneys, judges, and valuation experts with a comprehensive sourcebook for understanding the basis of a business valuation and for background in examining and cross-examining expert witnesses. Authors Shannon Pratt and Roger Grabowski, both nationally recognized experts on all aspects of business valuation, explain the concept of "cost of capital" in a manner that is both logical and understandable. They present the basics of the cost of capital in almost any situation, including valuing equity versus invested capital; net cash flow; discounting and capitalizing; estimating the cost of equity capital; adjusting a discount or capitalization rate for another economic income measure; weighted averages; excess earnings method of valuation; and handling discounts for lack of marketability and liquidity.

Subsequent chapters consider specific legal and economic contexts in which the cost of capital is a significant factor, including family law and estate planning; corporate restructuring; federal taxation; damage claims; intellectual property disputes; bankruptcy; appraisal and fairness cases; regulated industries; and ad valorem taxation. Finally, the book provides information for understanding and evaluating an expert's report, presenting frequently encountered errors in valuation reports and providing key questions to ask when examining witnesses in litigation.