here’s what you’re looking for: marc rosenberg
17 things you need to know before talking merger
the essential data needed for a sound merger evaluation process.
by marc rosenberg, cpa
start with…
1. financial statements for the last three years and the most current financial statements for current year.
then add: read more →
the 20-step cpa firm merger process
step 1: how to find the right candidate.
every merger is different, says marc rosenberg in how to negotiate a cpa firm merger. “it’s impossible to choreograph, from a to z, exactly how the process for all mergers will work.” in this 20-step roadmap, the milestones are laid out in the order they most commonly occur. each twist and turn has its own perils. and they don’t necessarily come in the same order every time.
13 lucky keys to a successful merger
learning how to to ask all the right questions.
accounting firms combine for a reason, or not at all. in fact, firms may need many reasons to merge. making sure the merger discussions end in a successful deal requires hard work, some compromise and not a small amount of luck. according to marc rosenberg in how to negotiate a cpa firm merger, it shouldn’t start with “love at first sight.” but it must start with at least 13 ingredients necessary for success. read more →
15 deal breakers that can kill a cpa firm merger
what’s the first sign a deal won’t work? you can’t agree on the name of the new firm.
marc rosenberg, author of how to negotiate a cpa firm merger, sees negotiations unravel for too many reason. some of the reasons are serious, others just seem ridiculous. for example, rosenberg recalls one deal failed when one side insisted on “requiring a positive attitude toward employees.” in most cases, one firm wants something, the other firm doesn’t, and the two can’t agree on how to resolve the conflict. sounds simple. it isn’t. here are 15 ways to make something that should be simple into something way too complicated. read more →
fixing the partner entitlement mentality
nine reasonable entitlements and 15 misconceptions, bad ideas and outright abuses.
it’s a privilege to be a partner in a cpa firm. not an entitlement. too many partnerships seem to operate as if they had it the other way around. and, in most cases, those partnerships don’t usually make the best cpa firms. marc rosenberg has seen his share of dysfunctional firms. they are no better nor no worse than the people who run them. get these 24 points of partner roles and responsibilities correct and your firm could find a renewal in spirit and in growth.
the pluses and minuses for a cpa firm merger
the 15 good signs and 17 warning flags to look for.
for some reason, cpa firms seem to find it much more daunting to evaluate a merger involving their own firm than that of a client’s. but the same methods and procedures you’d use to advise a client can be put to use in considering your firm’s next merger or acquisition. here, marc rosenberg, in how to negotiate a cpa firm merger, lays out the pluses and minuses to look for in a deal… 15 pluses and 17 minuses, to be exact. read more →
14 complications with partner comp formulas
how too many compensation systems fail of their own weight.
too many firms allow partner compensation formulas to become fraught with complexity, compromise and unintended consequences. here marc rosenberg, author of how to bring in new partners, considers 14 of the worst complications he sees. how many of these are lurking in your firm?
thresholds and core competencies for a new partner
what it takes to make partner: the 27-point checklist the best firms follow.
marc rosenberg, author of how to bring in new partners, cites at least six areas that partnerships at the nation’s best firms habitually evaluate before naming a new partner, including: nine intangibles, four financial and legal considerations, five practice development issues, three production and client management metrics, two technical proficiencies, three supervisory skills and one very important administrative credo. read more →
deciding between equity or non-equity partners
five reasons for one, eight for the other. and they’re not all created equal.
after studying some 700 firms, marc rosenberg has some fairly hard-and-fast rules about how to bring in new partners. here, he delivers five reasons to lean toward deciding on bringing in traditional equity partners and eight reasons for making them non-equity partners. all things being equal, they aren’t.
the non-solicitation clause: what it really means
one of the signs of a good partner.
by marc rosenberg
how to bring in new partners
a standard section in well-written partnership agreements is a non-solicitation agreement. this term is a bit confusing. it really should be called the “if you leave and take clients with you, you have to pay for them” section. but it means more than that. read more →
what vote should new partners get?
by marc rosenberg
author of how to bring in new partners
most firms vote on a one-person, one-vote basis despite varying ownership percentages. there’s good reason why. read more →
the five habits managers must master to make partner
by marc rosenberg
author of how to bring in new partners
how will the duties and responsibilities of a manager change when he or she becomes a partner in the firm?
unfortunately, this is one of the grayest areas in bringing in new partners. common sense must prevail. ideally, there should be a gradual transition for new partners from their last two to three years as a manager to the first few years as a partner. during their last few years as a manager, they should: