In corporate finance, Economic Value Added (EVA) is an estimate of a firm's economic profit, or the value created in excess of the required return of the company's shareholders. Quite simply, EVA is the net profit less the opportunity cost of the firm's capital. The idea is that value is created when the return on the firm's economic capital employed exceeds the cost of that capital. This amount can be determined by making adjustments to GAAP accounting. There are potentially over 160 adjustments but in practice only several key ones are made, depending on the company and its industry. EVA is a service mark of Stern Value Management.