• Multi-Level Marketing Companies are Pyramid Schemes

    I often hear: “Pyramid schemes are illegal! If XYZ Company was a pyramid scheme, the government would shut them down!” Yes, pyramid schemes are illegal. No, our government generally doesn’t shut down pyramid schemes masquerading as multi-level marketing. MLM is […]

  • Daubert Challenges of Expert Witnesses

    Daubert challenges are used by opposing counsel to limit or exclude the testimony of expert witnesses at trial. In this video, Tracy Coenen discusses how she deals with Daubert challenges in her work.

  • Divorce: Documents in Investigate Business Interests

    When a spouse owns a business, it can create some of the most complicated financial issues in a divorce. It is extremely important to dive into the financial records of the business in order to value it and to determine […]

  • Judgment of Management and Financial Statement Fraud

    With thousands of detailed accounting rules, how can there be financial statement fraud? There are areas of the financial statements that rely heavily on the judgment of management. They make estimates and decide how to apply the accounting rules. This […]

  • Accounting 101: Parts of an Income Statement

    A few of the videos I will post here are what I like to call “Accounting 101.” They have some basic accounting information for those who need a bit of a primer on how the accounting process works. This video […]

  • Behavioral Red Flags of Financial Fraud

    There are a number of common signs that we may see when someone is engaged in financial fraud within a company. Tracy talks about the behavioral red flags for fraud in this video, which are also summarized below:

  • Getting Background Information on Company Owners and Executives

    Have you ever wanted or needed to do a background check on an owner or executive of a company? If you’re considering investing in a public or private company, you may want to find out information on the people who […]

  • Is It “Creative Accounting” or Fraud?

    Companies engaged in financial statement fraud sometimes use creative phrases to legitimize or cover up what they’re doing. Examples include: Aggressive accounting – We’re following the rules, but pushing the limits to make the financial statements look as good as […]

  • Companies at Greater Risk of Financial Fraud

    What kinds of companies are more prone to fraud? In my business, we talk a lot about the red flags of fraud. There are two different types of red flags: the kind that suggest that a fraud is currently in […]

  • Net Worth Method to Prove Unreported Income

    When an IRS auditor or criminal investigator suspects that a taxpayer has unreported sources of income, he or she looks for ways to calculate that unreported income. One way is the net worth method of proof. Forensic accountants and fraud […]