Merger and Acquisition Valuation Practice Outline
Outline for a New M&A ValuationPractice Area for a Law FirmMichael A. S. Guth, Ph.D., J.D., Practice LeaderThis outline describes the M&A package that our law firm would normally prepare when retained to find targeted acquisitions for a client. If we are retained by a seller, then this outline ... more...

RESPA: The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) is a consumer protection statute, first passed in 1974. One of its purposes is to help consumers become better shoppers for settlement services. Another purpose is to eliminate kickbacks and referral fees that increase unnecessarily the costs of ... more...

Buying a Business
Start thinking about buying an established business if you want to avoid the immense risks involved in starting one. Not everyone wants to start a business from scratch, and buying a business with the infrastructure in place lets you focus on building it up, as opposed to getting a new business off ... more...

Estate Planning Overview, Part I
Why Plan Your Estate?The knowledge that we will eventually die is one of the things that seem to distinguish humans from other living beings. At the same time, no one likes to dwell on the prospect of his or her own death. But if you postpone planning for your passing until it is too late, you run ... more...

Sell Your Home Without a Realtor and Save Thousand$$$
A typical real estate commission on a $234,000 home (national median price for all existing homes as of July 2005) is over $16,000. In many areas the cut a real estate broker gets is much higher. A home owner can easily save that money by selling on their own. All that is needed is a basic ... more...

Bad Credit? No Credit? No Money? No Problem!
Have you ever walked into a bank or mortgage brokers office to apply for a mortgage loan and was told, Your credit doesnt meet our guidelines? Or even better, you dont have enough money for the down payment. How about, You dont have a long enough credit history for us to tell if you are a viable ... more...

Buying Country Acreage and Rural Properties, To Buy or Not To Buy
Almost anyone can become a rural property owner; if you are willing to set goals, establish what your purposes are, plan ahead and set targets that are all aligned toward the same result. And, if you can be patient instead of requiring instant gratification.There is no more $50-an-acre land; unless ... more...

Why You Need a Durable Power of Attorney Now!
Planning for unfortunate events such as serious illness or injury is rarely on anyone's list of favorite pastimes. Sometimes, though, enduring the small discomfort that may accompany preparing for the unexpected will avoid untold anguish on the part of your family and friends. This is certainly ... more...

Pay No Closing Costs for Refinancing - The Advantages of a No Closing Cost Loan
If you hear the term "Absolutely No Closing Cost," you would assume that there are no closing costs (lender, escrow and title) involved in the loan. But actually this is really just a creative way of marketing or selling this type of loan. Is there really a absolutely no closing cost loan?No, there ... more...