Newsletter June 2026

Build or Buy: Is It Time to Convert to Valuation Software in the Age of AI?

Few issues generate more spirited conversation among valuation practitioners than the debate over whether to use Excel or a valuation software package. After all, many practitioners have invested hundreds, or thousands, of hours developing their own spreadsheets, templates, linked databases, and report-writing systems. Those systems may have served them well for years.

The question isn't whether Excel works — the question is whether it's still the best way to run a modern valuation practice. In this article, Darrell Dorrell, CPA, MBA, ASA, CVA, CMA, ABV, and founder of Financial Forensics in Oregon, takes a fresh look at a debate he first explored back for us in 2014.