The choice of a forensic accountant for your case is an important one. There are over 20,000 forensic professionals in the US, and sifting through stacks of names and credentials can be overwhelming. While I cannot tell you which forensic specialist to call for your case, I can offer you a decision blueprint. I hope it can guide you as you think about your options! [Read more…]

Divorce is a minefield. Take years of misunderstandings and emotional hurts, throw in financial uncertainty and a sense of betrayal, and you get a recipe for explosive disaster. Every couple manages the process differently: over the years, I have seen everything from civil conversations about difficult questions to all-out-brawls.

Occasionally, individuals going through divorce take a more subtle approach to get their way. Instead of arguing and screaming, they quietly distort their financials, hide valuable property, and stash away money. Now what? [Read more…]

Sometimes divorce is simple to execute – savings accounts get split 50/50, furniture goes back to whoever purchased it, the family home gets sold and proceeds divided. Other situations are more complex. Assets like investments in closely held businesses, stock compensation, natural resource investments and properties in different states or different countries can make even the friendliest of splits difficult to manage. And what if the separation isn’t so friendly?

In situations where a spouse is harboring enough resentment to be misleading on his or her financial records, making sense of reports and projections can be challenging. A 2012 story of a Russian billionaire’s $88M attempt to hide marital assets during a divorce may be unique in terms of money involved, but not in principle. The sad reality is that some spouses will go to great lengths to hide assets and income. A forensic accountant can help. [Read more…]