1. specific investee assets and liabilities can have fair values that differ from their present book values. The excess payment can be identified directly with individual accounts such as inventory, equipment, franchise rights, and so on.
2. The investor may pay an extra amount because it expects future benefits to accrue from the investment. Such benefits could be anticipated as the result of factors such as the estimated profitability of the investee or the expected relationship between the two companies. In this case, the additional payment is attributed to an intangible future value generally referred to as goodwill rather than to any specific investee asset or liability. For example, in a recent annual report, eBay Inc. disclosed that goodwill related to its equity method investments was approximately $27.4 million.