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ARTICLE · 23 OCTOBER 2026

What Makes A Good Business Valuation Expert

IR Global
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Business valuations can shape decisions with serious consequences — what a company sells for, what a court awards, what an estate owes. The number itself is only as reliable as the person who produced it and the reputation of that person’s firm. Five factors distinguish a valuation that will hold up from one that will not.

United StatesAccounting and Audit
Nevin Sanli (Sanli Pastore & Hill)
Nevin Sanli (Sanli Pastore & Hill)
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For boards, legal counsel & investors

Business valuations can shape decisions with serious consequences — what a company sells for, what a court awards, what an estate owes. The number itself is only as reliable as the person who produced it and the reputation of that person’s firm. Five factors distinguish a valuation that will hold up from one that will not.

1. Training and Credentials

A college degree in economics, statistics and finance sets the stage, giving an expert the analytical grounding on which solid valuation skills are built. Obtaining the right credential provides the specific training that forms the foundation of a good valuation expert. The Accredited Senior Appraiser – Business Valuation (ASA) designation from the American Society of Appraisers is the gold standard, with demanding four level training courses and a minimum five-year full-time business valuation experience requirement.  The ASA is awarded only after a peer body has reviewed the expert’s work and

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