Normalized EBITDA shows clean profitability, but it doesn’t tell you whether that profitability is built to last. For PE sponsors, the difference between a well-priced deal and a costly mistake often comes down to whether your Quality of Earnings provider goes beyond standard adjustments and into the operational KPIs that reveal true margin durability. The McLean Group’s Transaction Advisory team explores how the right diligence partner layers in gross margin by service type, resource utilization rates, and backlog conversion patterns to give buyers a sharper view of risk, a stronger basis for negotiation, and a head start on post-close execution. […]

Total Shareholder Return (TSR) is one of the most widely used metrics in corporate governance and executive compensation — capturing both stock price appreciation and dividends paid to measure the true return generated for shareholders over a defined period. From structuring relative TSR percentile rankings in long-term incentive plans to valuing market-based equity awards under ASC 718, designing an effective TSR program requires deep expertise in financial modeling, peer benchmarking, and governance best practices. In this article, The McLean Group explores how TSR works, why it anchors so many executive compensation programs, and how companies can build balanced, defensible incentive frameworks that align leadership rewards with long-term shareholder value creation.