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Home » Business And Finance Articles » Forensic Accountant A New Career

Forensic Accountant - A New Career?

One of the newer areas, and also the fastest growing area, of accounting is forensic accounting. A forensic accountant has a unique job because the responsibilities involve the integration of accounting, auditing, and investigative skills. Using all of these skills, a forensic accountant is, in summary, a true investigator. Forensic accountants are trained to look beyond the numbers and deal with the business reality of the situation.

A forensic accountant is typically an accountant that is hired by a large firm or company, but can also be engaged in public practice, or can be employed by insurance companies, banks, police forces, government agencies, or other organizations. The forensic accountant would be hired by such organizations to investigate, analyze, interpret, summarize, and present complex financial and business information so that it can be easily understood and properly supported. One that is employed as a forensic accountant can assist corporations in two main ways.

1. Investigative Accounting.

By performing investigative accounting duties, a forensic accountant reviews the factual situation of the company and suggests possible courses of action. A forensic accountant can also assist with the protection and/or recovery of assets, and can coordinate with other experts such as private investigators, forensic document examiners, and consulting engineers in the event that a white-collar crime has occurred. The forensic accountant will also assist with the recovery of assets by way of civil action or criminal prosecution.

2. Litigation Support.

Another main duty of a forensic account is to assist in obtaining documentation to form an initial assessment of the case and identify areas of loss. The forensic accountant may review the relevant documentation to assess the case and identify loss. This may require the financial accountant to assist with settlement discussions and negotiations, as well as attend a trial to hear the testimony of the opposing expert, and to provide assistance with cross-examination.

Forensic accountants become involved in an array of investigations. This may involve:

- Criminal Investigations, where a forensic accountant may be required to prepare a report with the objective of presenting evidence in a professional and concise manner;

- Shareholders' and Partnership Disputes, involving assignments that require a detailed analysis of numerous years of accounting records in order to resolve, for example, compensation and benefits disputes of shareholders or partners;

- Personal Injury Claims, when a forensic accountant is asked to quantify economic losses resulting from an accident, often calculating resulting economic damage in cases of medical malpractice and wrongful dismissal;

- Business Interruption, reviewing the details of an insurance policy, for example, to investigate coverage issues and the appropriate method of calculating the loss of areas such as business interruptions, property losses, and employee dishonesty (fidelity) claims;

- Fraud Investigations, which involves a forensic accountant's work in determining funds tracing, asset identification, and recovery, most commonly performed with employee fraud cases;

- Matrimonial Disputes, which require a forensic accountant to trace, locate, and evaluate assets, including businesses, properties, and other personal assets;

- Business Economic Losses, that of which includes areas such as contract disputes, construction claims, expropriations, product liability, trademark or patent infringements, and losses occurring from a breach of a non-competition agreement;

- Professional Negligence, either through a technical perspective, where the forensic accountant will investigate a breach in an agreement, or through a loss quantification; and

- Mediation and Arbitration, where a forensic accountant may be hired to become involved in an alternative dispute resolution so that individuals and businesses may resolve disputes with minimal disruption and with a minimal amount of time.

While each forensic accountant will receive a unique assignment with each client, most assignments will include the following steps.

1. Meet with the client to understand the important facts, people, and issues at hand.

2. Perform a conflict check.

3. Perform an initial investigation.

4. Develop an action plan, setting objectives to be achieved, as well as the methods that should be used to accomplish them.

5. Obtain relevant evidence that may include documents, economic information, assets, or other proof of the occurrence of an event.

6. Perform the analysis, which may involve calculating economic damages, summarizing transactions, tracing assets, performing present value calculations, performing a regression or sensitivity analysis, utilizing a spread sheet, database, or other computerized model.

7. Preparing a final report.

A forensic accountant may be hired by a variety of institutions, including attorneys and law firms; police forces; insurance companies; government agencies; banks, credit unions, and financial lenders; courts; and business owners. They may hire a forensic accountant based on their experience and qualifications, as well as their neutrality to their particular situation, especially if damages are involved.

The typical forensic accountant will have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, and often a master's degree, in accounting or a related field. A forensic accountant is also usually a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In addition to education, a forensic accountant should have personal characteristics that include curiosity, persistence, creativity, discretion, strong organizational and communication skills, confidence, and sound professional judgment.

Forensic accounts that find the most career success are extremely detail-oriented as well. A forensic accountant may be employed by an accounting firm or by a large corporation to perform in-house investigations, or may be self employed as a consultant to such organizations.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

5 Key Components Of A Small Business Acquisition Loan

Qualifying for a small business acquisition loan can be quite an ordeal to say the least.

If the business being sold is very profitable, the selling price will likely reflect a significant amount of goodwill which can be very difficult to finance.

If the business being sold is not making money, lenders can be difficult to find even if the underlying assets being acquired are worth substantially more than the purchase price.

Business acquisition loans, or change of control financing situations, can be extremely varied from case to case.

That being said, here are the major challenges you'll typically have to overcome to secure a small business acquisition loan.

>>> Financing Goodwill

The definition of goodwill is the sale price minus the resale or liquidation value of business assets after any debts owing on the assets are paid off. It represents the future profit the business is expected to generate beyond the current value of the assets.

Most lenders have no interest in financing goodwill.

This effectively increases the amount of the down payment required to complete the sale and/or the acquisition of some financing from the vendor in the form of a vendor loan.

Vendor support and Vendor loans are a very common elements in the sale of a small business.

If they are not initially present in the conditions of sale, you may want to ask the vendor if they would consider providing support and financing.

There are some excellent reasons why asking the question could be well worth your time.

In order to receive the maximum possible sale price, which likely involves some amount of goodwill, the vendor will agree to finance part of the sale by allowing the buyer to pay a portion of the sale price over a defined period of time within a structured payment schedule.

The vendor may also offer transition assistance for a period of time to make sure the transition period is seamless.

The combination of support and financing by the vendor creates a positive vested interest whereby it is in the vendor's best interest to help the buyer successfully transition all aspects of ownership and operations.

Failure to do so could result in the vendor not getting all the proceeds of sale in the future in the event the business were to suffer or fail under new ownership.

This is usually a very appealing aspect to potential lenders as the risk of loss due to transition is greatly reduced.

This speaks directly to the next financing challenge.

>>> Business Transition Risk

Will the new owner be able to run the business as well as the previous owner? Will the customers still do business with the new owner? Did the previous owner possess a specific skill set that will be difficult to replicate or replace? Will the key employees remain with the company after the sale?

A lender must be confident that the business can successfully continue at no worse than the current level of performance. There usually needs to be a buffer built into the financial projections for changeover lags that can occur.

At the same time, many buyers will purchase a business because they believe there is substantial growth available which they think they can take advantage of.

The key is convincing the lender of the growth potential and your ability to achieve superior results.

>>> Asset Sale Versus Share Sale

For tax purposes, many sellers want to sell the shares of their business.

However, by doing so, any outstanding and potential future liability related to the going concern business will fall at the feet of the buyer unless othewise indicated in the purchase and sale agreement.

Because potential business liability is a difficult thing to evaluate, there can be a higher perceived risk when considering a small business acquisition loan application related to a share purchase.

>>> Market Risk

Is the business in a growing, mature, or declining market segment? How does the business fit into the competitive dynamics of the market and will a change in control strengthen or weaken its competitive position?

A lender needs to be confident that the business can be successful for at least the period the business acquisition loan will be outstanding.

This is important for two reasons. First, a sustained cash flow will obviously allow a smoother process of repayment. Second, a strong going concern business has a higher probability of resale.

If an unforeseen event causes the owner to no longer be able to carry on the business, the lender will have confidence that the business can still generate enough profit from resale to retire the outstanding debt.

Localized markets are much easier for a lender or investor to assess than a business selling to a broader geographic reach. Area based lenders may also have some working knowledge of the particular business and how prominent it is in the local market.

>>> Personal Net Worth

Most business acquisition loans require the buyer to be able to invest at least a third of the total purchase price in cash with a remaining tangible net worth at least equal to the remaining value of the loan.

Statistics show that over leveraged companies are more prone to suffer financial duress and default on their business acquisition loan commitments.

The larger the amount of the business acquisition loan required, the more likely the probability of default.