D’Amico Presents on an Expert Panel at NAPFA Conference
May 2012

Dave D’Amico, President of Braver Wealth Management, Discusses the utilization of Tactical Investment Strategies within the Alternative Asset Classes at the NAPFA Annual Conference in Chicago

Judy Ludwig, Brad Sharp and Bob Lepson Featured in Boston Magazine as 2012 Five Star Wealth Managers
April 2012

“The 2012 Five Star Wealth Managers are a select group, representing less than 3 percent of the wealth managers in the Boston area.  Boston magazine and Five Star Professional partnered to find wealth managers who satisfy 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria that are associated with wealth managers who provide quality services to their clients.”

Disclosure: To receive the 2012 Five Star Wealth Manager award, researched and managed by Five Star Professional, a wealth manager must meet 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria associated with wealth managers who provide quality services to their clients. 2,591 wealth managers in the Boston area were considered for the award. 452 were named 2012 Five Star Wealth Managers which represents less than 3% of the total wealth managers in the area. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of 2012 Five Star Wealth Managers. The Five Star award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance.

Overview of Braver Wealth’s Recent Performance Awards
April 2012

Lipper, A Thompson Reuters Company “World’s Best Money Managers.” Braver Tactical High Yield Program is a shining star for short-term and long-term performance, ranked in the Top 1% for US Fixed Income and Ranked #2 overall for US High Yield Fixed Income. Braver Tactical Sector Rotation Program made a strong showing in the US Diversified/Multi-cap Growth Equity category.  Braver Tactical Equity Opportunities ranks highly in the Tactical Asset Allocation category. Reporting up to December 31, 2011

Braver’s High Yield Bond Strategy Earns Recognition for Pension & Investments Top Performing Manager for the period ending December 31, 2011
March 2012

Braver Valuation Services Director Joins International Valuation Standards Council “Valuation Uncertainty Project”
December 2011

Needham – December 21, 2011 – Braver PC announced today that Sarah von Helfenstein, Director of Braver Valuation Services LLC has been invited to join the International Valuation Standards Council’s (IVSC) “Valuation Uncertainty Project.”

As stated in the IVSC description of the Project:

A lack of adequate identification and disclosure of material valuation uncertainty was identified by a number of global institutions as a contributory factor to the global financial crisis of 2007 and 2008. The Financial Stability Forum (FSF)1 noted in a paper published in 20082 that valuation methods “result in an inevitable measure of uncertainty attaching to the point estimates of valuation. Finding ways to highlight such uncertainty is important to avoid giving management and market participants a false impression of precision 9”.

In April 2009, the G20 “Declaration on Strengthening the Financial System” called for improved standards for valuation uncertainty in the context of fair value accounting. The Basel Committee for banking supervision issued its paper “Supervisory Guidance for Assessing Banks’ Financial Instrument Fair Value Practice” in April 2009. This emphasised the critical importance of robust risk management and control processes around the measurement of fair values and their reliability. The paper recognised importance of “articulation and communication of valuation uncertainty both within a bank and to external stakeholders”.

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is also considering enhanced disclosure requirements for valuation uncertainty in the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Von Helfenstein states, “This project is important for not only the valuation but also the accounting, finance, investing, and government communities. It will be a privilege to work with colleagues around the world in addressing the many issues surrounding valuing and representing uncertainty. I hope to be able to bring my own intensive background in this area to the project and to enhance the expertise offered by Braver Valuation Services through the many things I will learn as project participant.”

About Braver PC
Braver PC provides accounting, tax, assurance, business and tax consulting services to family-owned and privately-held businesses, not-for-profit and governmental organizations and individuals.  Braver PC brings together five service lines, accountants & advisors, wealth management, technology solutions, business strategies, and valuation services to support the evolving needs of businesses and organizations as they grow. 

Headquartered at 117 Kendrick Street, Suite 800 Needham, Massachusetts, Braver P.C., the 9th largest public accounting firm in Massachusetts, has offices in Needham, Boston, Concord, Taunton, and Providence, Rhode Island.   For more information, visit:  www.thebravergroup.com

About IVSC
The International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC) is an independent, not-for-profit, private sector organisation that has a remit to serve the public interest. The IVSC’s objective is to build confidence and public trust in the valuation process by creating a framework for the delivery of credible valuation opinions by suitably trained valuation professionals acting in an ethical manner.

• The IVSC achieves this objective by: (a) creating and maintaining the International Valuation Standards (IVS); (b) issuing technical guidance for professional valuers; and (c) promoting the development of the valuation profession and ethical practices globally.  For more information, visit: www.ivsc.org

Braver PC Announces New Director for its Valuation Services Practice
November 2011

Needham – November 30, 2011 – Braver PC, a leading CPA and business advisory firm, announced today that Sarah von Helfenstein, MBA, AVA has been named Director of Braver Valuation Services LLC (BVS).  Sarah’s new role will emphasize developing business and partnering opportunities to grow the practice.  BVS offers an array of services to help clients with business planning and transaction support, gift and estate tax compliance, regulatory compliance and financial reporting, and litigation support.

With BVS since inception, von Helfenstein has more than fifteen years in the valuation profession in a number of different roles. As champion for business valuation on behalf of the American Institute of CPAs, she provided the educational and political foundation for the public accounting profession to become an integral, critical part of the current valuation field. As partner with the American Society of Appraisers, she created business valuation’s first think tank, The Center for Advanced Valuation Studies, and initiated CAVS’ first line-up of cutting edge courses. She served as the first Director of Marketing for KPMG Forensic and Litigation Services, Midwest. She performed seminal research for the Department of Defense Office of Force Transformation in the areas of valuing human and information system assets and applying real options analysis to critical DoD problems.

More recently, as a practitioner/analyst in the Boston area von Helfenstein has managed and performed business valuations across a wide spectrum of industries and valuation purposes. She has published in Business Valuation Review, The Value Examiner, and Research in Finance and has presented academic research at the XXV Union of Panamerican Valuers Congress of the Appraisal Institute, the NACVA/IBA 2010 Annual Consultants’ Conference, and a number of times at the annual International Real Options Conference. She currently sits on the Appraisal Issues Task Force, the NACVA Education Quality Assurance Board, and the Valuation Uncertainty Project for the International Valuation Standards Council.

Other chapters of von Helfenstein’s professional history include ten years as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for a high-powered boutique wealth management consulting firm and community foundation and a number of years as principal in and/or consultant for high tech start-ups. She received her MBA from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and her B.A. from Randolph-Macon Women’s College.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue our work here at Braver and to build Braver Valuation Services into new and exciting directions,” said von Helfenstein.

“Sarah has been an instrumental part of the growth of our valuation practice.  Her love of working with clients, coupled with her depth and breadth of valuation expertise, uniquely positions Braver Valuation Services to meet the exploding demand for valuation services today and in the coming years” says Dennis Pellechia, Chairman, President and CEO of Braver PC.

About Braver PC
Braver PC provides accounting, tax, assurance, business and tax consulting services to family-owned and privately-held businesses, not-for-profit and governmental organizations and individuals.  Braver PC brings together five service lines, accountants & advisors, wealth management, technology solutions, business strategies, and valuation services to support the evolving needs of businesses and organizations as they grow.

Headquartered at 117 Kendrick Street, Suite 800 Needham, Massachusetts, Braver P.C., the 9th largest public accounting firm in Massachusetts, has offices in Needham, Boston, Concord, Taunton, and Providence, Rhode Island.

Complimentary Braver Wealth Seminar
November 2011

Is a ‘stay the course’ strategy really a sinking ship?   Join us for this complimentary seminar hosted by Braver Wealth on Wednesday, November 16th, to learn more about the strategies that could help to protect your financial portfolio in today’s volatile economic climate.

To attend, please contact mhoey@braverwealth.com

Complimentary Braver Wealth Seminar
March 2011

On Tuesday, April 12th, Braver Wealth will be hosting a complimentary seminar on Braver’s Wealth Preservation Strategies:  How they work and how they may be a “lifeboat” for your portfolio.

Click here for more details.

Posted on: March 21, 2011

Overview of Braver Wealth’s Recent Performance Awards
March 2011

Braver Wealth Earns PSN Top Guns Performers Award for their High Yield & Diversified Strategies
February 2011

Braver Wealth Management earned the Top Guns award for performance through 12/31/10 for their Diversified Strategy and the High Yield Strategy again.

They also received a three star rating for both the High Yield Universe (ranked #4) and the US Fixed Income Universe (ranked # 8) which means Braver Wealth Management is one of the top 10 best performers for returns over the last 3 years.  For their Diversified Strategy they are one of the top 10 best performers within the US Balanced Universe (ranked # 10) for returns over the last 3 years.

Published on: February 25, 2011