How do I become a fraud investigator? What skills does a forensic accountant need? I get asked these questions a lot, so today I'm going to give my thoughts on some of the important qualifications and skills a fraud investigator might have.

The educational background of a good fraud investigator...

One of the most common documents utilized in a financial investigation is the income tax return. It's a key document in any divorce case, so the personal income tax return is always examined. And if there is a business, the tax return for that entity should be examined too.

What can we learn from...

In the early stages of divorce, clients are required to complete financial affidavits, financial declarations, or other similarly titled disclosures.  The importance of an accurate disclosure of assets, liabilities, and income is obvious. Yet many clients are unable to accurately prepare...

Some family law attorneys are reluctant to retain forensic accountants in their cases. Money may be a factor, but sometimes the need for an outside expert is not clear. While law firms may have paralegals or attorneys on staff who are very knowledgeable about financial issues, the outside...

Lisa Hochstein, one of the cast members of the Real Housewives of Miami is alleging that her estranged husband, plastic surgeon (boob god) Lenny Hochstein is "financially strangling" her.  She says in a court filing that he is restricting her access to his funds when she doesn't give in to...

There are four widely recognized methods of calculating income in family law cases. These four methods have been developed for use by the Internal Revenue Service in calculating unreported income in tax cases, and are the primary ways a lifestyle analysis can be completed.

Specific Items Method
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Financial documents are at the heart of divorces. Regardless of how contentious or amicable a divorce is, the finances of the spouses will need to be separated, and financial documents are required to make the division. Whether the information sought is current or historical, unaltered documents...

Businesses that deal heavily in cash transactions are often difficult to manage in the divorce setting. The reality is that many restaurants and other cash-intensive businesses intentionally under-report earnings on their tax returns. The owners consider the cash to be "free money" that they...

Everyone knows about the typical sources of financial information in divorces. Income tax returns, bank statements and related documents, brokerage statements, credit card statements, and business financial statements are some of the most common.

There are alternative sources of financial...

While consumers generally hate income tax returns because of their complexity, they can be invaluable sources of information in divorce proceedings. Not only do they provide insight into prior years’ earnings, they can also point to assets and sources of income. They may be used to unearth...