The AICPA Forensic & Valuation Services Conference is the AICPA’s annual gathering for professionals in forensic accounting, litigation support, and business valuation. From November 4 to 6, 2026, practitioners will meet at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, and online to sharpen the skills that high-scrutiny engagements demand.

Bill Dameworth, CPA, ABV, CVA, MAFF, CFF, Managing Partner at Forensic Strategic Solutions, will co-present a session on a problem that surfaces in contested divorces: how to integrate real estate appraisals into an active passive appreciation analysis of a business or business interest. Utilizing a case study developed from court cases in which they were involved, they will cover how collaboration between the two appraisers, particularly in discovery, strengthens the work product

What the Conference Covers

Sessions address litigation and disputes, technology and advanced data, legal and regulatory scrutiny, and complex valuation challenges. The program also focuses on the judgment and communication skills that define a credible expert, along with how firms are building their practices and developing the next generation of leaders. Sessions are built around case studies and real-world applications, with interactive formats and time to connect with peers who do this work every day.

Bill’s Session: Integrating the Business Appraisal With Real Estate Appraisals

On Thursday, November 5, Bill and Ben Laird, MAI, AI-GRS, Partner, CFO Advisory Services, Real Estate Valuations at Grant Thornton, will make a presentation. They will walk through business valuations in divorce matters where a private business was brought into the marriage, or gifted to a spouse during the marriage, that owns, or is integrally tied to, real estate, and the jurisdiction requires an assessment of active and passive appreciation and depreciation.

Incorporating a case study based upon court cases in which they have been involved, Bill and Ben will address why real estate appraisals, when a business valuation depends on them, need to be integrated into that business valuation analysis rather than treated as a separate exercise. The session focuses on collaboration between the business appraiser and the real estate appraiser early in the engagement, particularly during engagement planning and discovery, so their due diligence, scope of work and conclusions fit together.

Bill has presented on active passive appreciation at the AAML/BVR National Divorce Conference and on a prior panel at the AICPA Forensic & Valuation Services Conference.

Why It Matters in Divorce Cases

When one spouse owns a business brought into a marriage, or gifted to that spouse during the marriage, the owner typically works to try to meet the jurisdictional requirements to have that business classified as separate property as of the Date of Marriage (“DOM”) or as of the Date of Gift (“DOG”). If that burden is met, each of the divorcing parties (“Parties”) must meet valuation-related burdens that vary by jurisdiction. The party claiming separate property, depending upon their jurisdiction, must value the property as of the DOM or DOG, as of the Date of Separation (“DOS” -in some jurisdictions referred to as the “Date of Filing”), and as of the Date of Trial (“DOT” – in some jurisdiction referred to as the “Date of Distribution” or “DOD”).

In addition to the valuation burdens, the Parties have varying jurisdictional burdens that must be met to identify and quantify factors that reasonably caused the changes in value between the previously mentioned dates. Changes in value of separate property during the marriage reasonably caused by the active efforts of one or both Parties during the marriage typically are classified as marital property (“divisible property” in some jurisdictions). Changes in value during the marriage caused by factors OTHER than the active efforts of the Parties during the marriage are characterized as passive increases and remain separate property. 

Depending upon the jurisdiction, changes in value (either increases or decreases) between the DOS and DOT that were reasonably caused by the post-DOS active efforts of the owner spouse are characterized as active appreciation or depreciation, but the resulting value change is typically classified as separate property. This separate property classification of post-DOS value increases caused by the post-DOS active efforts of the owner spouse is the OPPOSITE of how changes in value caused by the active efforts of the owner spouse between the DOM (or DOG) and the DOS are classified. 

Changes in value between the DOS and DOT that were reasonably caused by factors OTHER than the post-DOS active efforts of the owner spouse are typically characterized as passive appreciation or depreciation and are classified as marital (or divisible) property. Varying by jurisdiction, the post-DOS passive increases or decreases in value are allocated to the separate and marital “buckets” in the proportion that each comprised of the total DOS value. 

Changes in the value of real estate owned by the company, or tied to the company’s operations, can be a significant component of total value changes in the business between the dates identified above, and require the same rigorous analysis as changes in overall business values. The classification of the changes in real estate values owned by or tied to the business operations is similar to the classification of changes in the overall business value, depending upon whether the changes were due to active or passive factors, and the time period when the changes occurred. For example, real property held by or tied to the business may appreciate or depreciate for reasons that cannot be reasonably tied to the active efforts of Parties, and how that appreciation or depreciation is measured and classified can materially affect the total business value result.

If the business appraiser and the real estate appraiser undertake different due diligence or work from different assumptions or timelines, their conclusions can make the overall values harder to defend. For family law attorneys and business owners, bringing both appraisers in early and facilitating collaboration are practical ways to arrive at reasonable values that are defensible.

Who Should Attend

The conference serves emerging professionals building core forensic and valuation skills, mid-career practitioners moving into client-facing and expert roles, and partners and practice leaders who regularly face litigation, regulatory review, and courtroom challenges. Bill’s and Ben’s session is rated intermediate.

Event Details

Dates: November 4 to 6, 2026

Bill’s session: Thursday, November 5, 2:05 to 2:55 p.m. Eastern (Session FVC2625)

Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland, and live online

Register: AICPA Forensic & Valuation Services Conference registration