Brookwood Vance

A firm dedicated to valuing privately held equity interests and evaluating ownership succession alternatives for business owners.

Welcome

Business valuation is often referred to as an art and a science. The credibility of your appraisal, however, is necessarily linked to the proper application of generally accepted valuation principles. The ongoing work of the business valuation profession is to protect against the misapplication of art and science in the increasingly complex area of equity valuations.

Brookwood Vance has the experience and credentials necessary to provide you with a defensible work product prepared in accordance with generally accepted valuation principles. We would welcome an opportunity to shed some light on your particular valuation or ownership succession need.

Fred H. Jahns

MBA, CPA / ABV, ASA

(630) 582-6610 fjahns@brookwoodvance.com

Practice Areas

Brookwood Vance specializes in valuing privately held business and partnership interests, stock options, and intangible assets for a variety of purposes.

The firm serves a national client base comprised of a broad array of market sectors and industries with appraised equity values ranging from more than $5 billion to less than $2 million.

  • Corporate Transactions
  • Compliance with Financial Accounting Standards
  • ESOP Structuring and Administration
  • Estate Planning
  • Litigation Support
  • Marital Dissolutions
  • Ownership Succession Planning
  • Probate and Trust Administration

Experience

Picture of Fred Jahns

Fred H. Jahns

MBA, CPA / ABV, ASA

(630) 582-6610 fjahns@brookwoodvance.com

Fred is an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) with the American Society of Appraisers, holds the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designation awarded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and holds an MBA in Finance with distinction from DePaul University in Chicago. As founder of Brookwood Vance, Fred brings over thirty years of accounting, finance and business valuation experience including nine years as a principal and equity owner of another business valuation firm, and seven years as vice president in charge of the closely held business and real estate division at American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago. He also functioned as head of the personal trust department and served as board member and financial advisor for several closely held businesses managed by the department.

Serving clients across the country involved in a broad range of industries, Fred has personally performed over a thousand business and partnership valuations of privately held entities. Engagements have been undertaken for various client requirements with the most frequent being estate and gift tax support, employee stock ownership plan formation and administration, merger and acquisition transactions, litigation support, and compliance with financial accounting reporting standards (intangible asset recognition, goodwill impairment testing, and option/warrant pricing).

A frequent speaker, Fred has addressed such diverse organizations as the ESOP Association, Illinois CPA Society, DuPage Estate Planning Council, the National Gas Association of Houston, Canadian Energy Research Institute, Wisconsin Association of Manufacturers and Commerce, Texas Society of CPAs, Midwest Cogeneration Association, National Center for Employee Ownership, Institute for International Research, and the South Suburban Estate Planning Council. In addition, Fred has served as a guest lecturer at DePaul University and John Marshall Law School in Chicago, and as an adjunct professor at Concordia University-Chicago.

Fred received his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University. He is active in several professional associations and has served in numerous capacities including Chair of the Illinois Corporate Fiduciaries Association's Family Business and Real Estate Committees, three-term President of the Business Valuation Association, six-year Vice President of the Illinois Chapter of the ESOP Association. Fred has also served the Illinois CPA Society as a member of its Tax Executive Committee and as a past Chair and current member of the Estate and Gift Tax Committee. Fred currently serves as an emeritus member of the ESOP Association’s National Valuation Advisory Committee.

Fred has been accepted as an expert by courts in Cook County, Illinois, Kane County, Illinois and Maui, Hawaii. He has consulted and testified on various valuation matters involving family disputes and shareholder oppression. He has also testified on behalf of a consortium of energy suppliers before the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Designations & Affiliations

Professional Designations

  • Certified Public Accountant State of Illinois (CPA)
  • Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) in Business Valuation Issued by the American Society of Appraisers
  • Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) Designation Issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Affiliations

  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Member
  • Illinois Chapter of the ESOP Association Six Year Former Board Member
  • Three Term Past President, Business Valuation Association Member
  • Chicago Estate Planning Council Member
  • DuPage County Estate Planning Council Member
  • ESOP Association Member

Lectures & Speaking

  • "Valuation of Holding Companies" DuPage Estate Planning Council
    Oak Brook, Illinois - June 2020
  • "To ESOP Or Not To ESOP, That is the Question" Illinois Winter ESOP Conference
    Oak Brook, Illinois - March 2017
  • "Common Misunderstanding in Business Valuation" The Illinois CPA Society
    Chicago, Illinois - February 2017
  • "Saving Money in a Leveraged ESOP Transaction" Midwest Regional ESOP Conference
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin - September 2016
  • Illinois CPA Society
    Annual Estate and Gift Tax Conference
    Chicago, Illinois – May 2016
  • "Saving Money in a Leveraged ESOP Transaction" Illinois Chapter of the ESOP Association
    Annual Conference
    Champaign, Illinois - March 2016
  • "The ESOP Advantage" Midwest ESOP Regional Conference
    Oak Brook, Illinois - March 2015
  • "The ESOP Advantage" Midwest ESOP Regional Conference
    Oak Brook, Illinois - Sept 2014
  • Conference Chair Illinois CPA Society
    Annual Business Valuation Conference
    Chicago, Illinois – May 2014
  • "Overview of the Valuation Process" The ESOP Association
    37th Annual ESOP Conference
    Washington, D.C. – May 2014
  • “Valuation Fundamentals and Update on Recent Developments for ESOP Valuations” Illinois Chapter of the ESOP Association
    Winter Conference
    Champaign, Illinois – March 2012
  • “Managing and Funding Repurchase Obligations in a Mature ESOP” National Technical Conference
    Las Vegas, Nevada – November 2011
  • Adjunct Professor “New Venture Creation” Course
    Concordia University-Chicago
    River Forest, Illinois – July 2011
  • Conference Chair Annual Business Valuation Conference
    Illinois CPA Society
    Chicago, Illinois – May 2011
  • “Business Valuation Demystified” DuPage Estate Planning Counsel
    Oak Brook, Illinois – February 2010
  • “Basic ESOP Valuation” The ESOP Association
    National Technical Conference
    Las Vegas, Nevada – November 2009
  • “Basics of Valuation” The ESOP Association
    Midwest Conference of ESOP Champions
    Minneapolis, Minnesota – September 2009
  • “Managing a Successful Independent Business Valuation Practice” American Society of Appraisers
    Chicago, Illinois – February 2009
  • “Using ESOPs to Manage Owner Succession and Create Liquidity” Illinois CPA Society Annual Estate and Gift Tax Conference
    Chicago, Illinois – May 2008
  • “Advanced ESOP Valuation Issues” The ESOP Association National Conference
    Las Vegas, Nevada – November 2007
  • “Valuation Fundamentals” The ESOP Association 30th Annual ESOP Conference
    Washington, DC - May 2007
  • Conference Chair Illinois CPA Society Annual Estate and Gift Tax Conference
    Chicago, Illinois – May 2007
  • “Basics of Valuation in an ESOP Company” National Center for Employee Ownership
    Beyster Institute National Conference
    St. Paul, Minnesota – April 2006
  • “Advanced ESOP Valuation Issues” The ESOP Association National Conference
    Las Vegas, Nevada – November 2005
  • “Valuation for ESOP Purposes” National Center for Employee Ownership
    Portland, Oregon – May 2003
  • “ESOPs & the Legislative Process” 4th Annual Great Lakes Regional Conference
    Chicago, Illinois – January 2003
  • “An Introduction to Employee Stock Ownership Plans” The John Marshall Law School
    Chicago, Illinois – September 2002
  • “Planning for Business Ownership Succession with ESOPs and Management Equity Incentives” Illinois CPA Society
    Lisle, Illinois – September 2001
  • “Understanding Your ESOP Appraisal” The ESOP Association 3rd Annual Great Lakes Regional Conference
    Chicago, Illinois – September 2001
  • “Valuation Considerations for Family Limited Partnerships” South Suburban Estate Planning Council
    Homewood, Illinois – June 2001
  • “An Introduction to Employee Stock Ownership Plans” Omaha, Nebraska - March 2001
  • “Valuation Considerations for Family Limited Partnerships” Illinois CPA Society
    Lisle, Illinois - January 2001
  • “Valuation Considerations for Family Limited Partnerships” Illinois CPA Society
    Lisle, Illinois - October 2000
  • “The Income Approach” DePaul Graduate School of Business - Guest Instructor
    Chicago, Illinois - September 2000
  • “Business Valuation Overview” Illinois CPA Society
    Naperville, Illinois - July 2000