Locations
  Los Angeles
  Sacramento

Professional Credentials

SP&H's principals have extensive backgrounds in business valuation and litigation support and hold a variety of well-respected professional credentials. SP&H leverages the breadth of its principals' experience and education in every assignment. Below is a brief description of the primary credentials held by SP&H's principals.

Accredited Senior Appraiser - Business Valuation Discipline

Established in 1936, the Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) designation offered by the American Society of Appraisers is considered the gold standard of all business valuation credentials (see "Accountants and Appraisers - Vive la Difference"). Five years of specific full-time experience in business valuation, submission of two full-narrative valuation reports for peer review and approval, completion of four three-day courses, and four half-day exams, are all required to receive an ASA designation in business valuation. All applicants must also engage in a thorough interview process, pass an ethics exam, and take a USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) class with an exam. USPAP standards are the most widely cited and recognized set of professional standards for business appraisals*. In addition to compliance with USPAP, the American Society of Appraisers publishes business appraisal standards that are more stringent than those promulgated in USPAP.

Appraisal’s Gold Standard

ASA is the only appraisal society in which members begin working toward their accreditation the minute they join … and continue to expand their expertise through mandatory life-long learning.

A Lengthy, Rigorous Process

ASA offers several accreditations, based on a member’s level of professional experience and other criteria. The accreditation process is designed to weed out all but the most talented and committed appraisers. It takes an average of five years to achieve the society’s highest accreditation—Accredited Senior Appraiser

Lifetime Training and Education

Members who have achieved ASA accreditation must continue to demonstrate professional growth in order to maintain their status. ASA’s mandatory reaccreditation process requires members to participate in continuing education programs, ensuring that ASA appraisers keep their knowledge up to date. Appraisers who participate in and complete ASA’s accreditation process are the best in their fields. When consumers choose ASA-accredited appraisers, they can be confident that the appraisals they receive will be highly credible and authoritative—and reporters can be sure that they’re talking to the foremost experts in any appraisal specialty.

Chartered Financial Analyst

The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) credential offered by the Association of Investment Management and Research (AIMR) is a globally recognized designation that ensures the competence and integrity of financial analysts. The CFA program includes three examinations that test a candidate's ability to apply the fundamental knowledge of investment principles at a professional level. CFA charter holders can apply their knowledge of investment principles to assist in gathering, analyzing and understanding market data in business valuations.

Certified Public Accountant

The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation requires candidates to complete significant college-level accounting coursework, gain experience in the accounting field, and pass a test of accounting knowledge. Professionals with this designation are experienced in the preparation, presentation, and review of historical financial statements, which is often useful in business valuation engagements.

Certified Management Accountant

The Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation is offered by the Institute of Management Accountants to CPAs. In addition to the requirements to become a CPA, the CMA designation requires two continuous years of professional experience in management accounting (financial information required by management for planning, organizing and control of business objectives). CMAs can provide valuable insight into management decisions and goals in a business valuation assignment.

Related Articles:

* "Valuations That Will Withstand Current Challenges." Business Valuation Resources. February 2000.

Highlights:
An $18,000,000 claim is withered down to $0

SP&H defends Los Angeles against a $10,000,000 claim