In community property states like Arizona, all property acquired during a marriage is divided equally in the event of a divorce. This includes any businesses or business assets. Entities such as partnerships, LLCs, and other types of businesses, as well as improvements and profits from businesses that pre-date a marriage, are considered marital assets and must be divided. Getting a business valuation from an experienced divorce attorney in Scottsdale ensures that your assets and interests are protected.

Valuing a business can be one of the most contentious issues in a divorce. What valuation method should be used? Is a particular valuation method appropriate for the type of business? How do you know that the individual or company performing the valuation is really the best one for the job? At the Law Office of True Justice AZ. Schoenau, our Scottsdale business valuation in divorce lawyer knows how to value businesses that are part of a marital estate. Whether we do it ourselves or hire an expert, clients can be assured that the value we assign to their marital estate will be as fair as possible.

What Is Covered in a Scottsdale Business Valuation During Divorce?

The purpose of a business valuation in this context is to determine the value of a business so that the amount can be divided between the spouses during a divorce. This is part of the process of dividing marital assets and debts. A business valuator assigns a dollar amount to the assets and debts of the business. These assets and debts may include:

• Tangible assets such as cash, bank accounts, accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, buildings and other real estate, and any other assets that can be counted or that already have a dollar value.
• Intangible assets such as trademarks, copyrights, goodwill, purchase offers, and contracts or letters of agreement that grant some benefit.
• Liabilities such as mortgages, accounts payable, loans payable, taxes payable, salaries and wages payable, customer deposits, and other liabilities of the business.
  The value of some assets and liabilities is relatively easy to determine, such as the balance of a bank account.

Other types of assets, such as goodwill or a trademark, can be more difficult to value. Therefore, it is important to have a business valuator who is knowledgeable about the current values assigned to these intangible aspects of a business. It is also important to have an experienced Arizona lawyer who can explain to the judge how the valuation professional arrived at the stated value.

In terms of spousal maintenance duration, most court orders require alimony payments to last 30 to 50 percent of the marriage duration. A year-long marriage, for example, may result in spousal support lasting four months or so. Note that this is not an official rule prescribed by law but a rough estimate based on court awards.