Trial testimony in a divorce or marital dissolution matter is usually before a judge, and the economist's presentation should be organized so the court can adopt findings directly from it: the business value under the framework's date and goodwill treatment, the income available for support with each adjustment shown, the tracing of separate property step by step, and any lifestyle analysis by category. Demonstratives should let the court see each adjustment and its source, and the rebuttal of the opposing expert should be organized by input so the court can rule on each disagreement.
Checklist
Prepare a board for the valuation with the date, standard, goodwill treatment, and approaches applied
Prepare the income for support schedule with each adjustment and its ledger source
Prepare the tracing schedule with each step tied to an account statement
Prepare a reconciliation of the two experts' valuations and income figures by input
Rehearse the explanation of personal versus enterprise goodwill
Questions to ask the economist
How will you present the income for support so the court can adopt it with findings?
How will you explain the goodwill split?
How much of the gap between the two valuations does each disagreement explain?
How will you present a tracing with a gap in the statements?
Timeline
One to two preparation sessions in the week before testimony, after the opposing report has been reconciled.
Required documents
The valuation and income report with its schedules
The ledger detail, personal expense analysis, and account statements relied on
Draft demonstratives
The opposing expert's report and deposition transcript
Common pitfalls
Presenting the valuation and the income figure as if they were independent when both rest on the same normalization
Skipping steps in the tracing rather than stating the gap and its effect
Rebutting the opposing expert by conclusion rather than by input
How should the economist present findings a court can adopt?
As schedules where each line states the item, the adjustment, the source document, and the effect, followed by a conclusion that sums them. A court can adopt, modify, or reject each line with a finding, which is more useful than a single number the court must accept or reject whole.
How does the economist testify about goodwill?
By explaining what part of the business's value depends on the owner spouse personally and what part would transfer to a buyer, showing the evidence for the split, and stating the value under the treatment the framework requires. Where the court's framework excludes personal goodwill from the marital estate, the board shows the enterprise value separately. The economist states the method and lets the court apply the law.
How should the lifestyle analysis be presented?
As spending by category over the marriage's recent years, drawn from bank and credit statements, with the source for each category and the total reconciled to the income available. The court can adopt or adjust each category, and the analysis ties to the income determination so the two do not contradict each other. Categories that rest on estimate are labeled.
References
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. (n.d.). Statement on Standards for Valuation Services (VS Section 100). AICPA & CIMA. Retrieved August 27, 2026. aicpa-cima.com
National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts. (n.d.). NACVA professional standards and ethics. Retrieved August 27, 2026. nacva.com
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). U.S. Department of Labor. bls.gov