Succession planning and CPAs’ golden opportunity
CPAs advising small and midsize businesses should take a leading role when it comes to guiding succession planning.
Forensic and valuation services
Finding growth in FVS
Forensic accounting and business valuation practitioners have unique business development challenges. A recent survey helps shed light on where they can expect to find future growth. Plus: Download "This just in: Forensic and valuation services expected to keep growing," an infographic highlighting key findings from The 2014 AICPA Survey on International Trends in Forensic and Valuation Services.
Big Data case study: What forensic accountants need to know
Many CPAs will need to learn new IT skills due to the rise of Big Data, which is producing plentiful forensic accounting business opportunities.
What’s your fraud IQ?
How well do you know how to prevent, detect, and respond to data breaches? Find out in this month’s Fraud IQ quiz.
Awards recognize positive impact on forensics and business valuation
The Institute’s Forensic and Valuation Services (FVS) Section honored with its annual awards section members who have made a positive impact on forensic and valuation practice areas.
Tips for conducting a forensic interview
A properly conducted forensic interview turns a potentially reluctant subject into an information-providing source.
How to price an owner’s interest in a CPA firm
Many accounting firms are facing a daunting challenge paying for partner retirements. Long-standing buyout agreements often aren’t calibrated for today’s demographic and market realities. This article shows how firms can assess and adjust the terms and types of buyout agreements to facilitate successful ownership transitions.
Pricing issues for midsize and large firm sales
Partners in midsize to large firms face many challenges and complexities when negotiating a sale of their ownership interest.
Surviving on cross-exam: Tips for expert witnesses
Understanding the cross-examiner’s objectives can help an expert witness prepare to take the stand. It is not difficult to identify foundational principles that, if properly understood and applied, allow you to “survive” cross-examination. Here are seven tips for forensic and valuation services accountants who serve as expert witnesses. Understand the
What’s your fraud IQ?
Do you know how to spot the red flags of a fraudulent transaction? Can you evaluate the warning signs? Find out in our Fraud IQ quiz.
Lessons from an $8 million fraud
Nathan J. Mueller’s fleecing of his employer, a financial services giant, is noteworthy because of the amount of money stolen, the many years the embezzlement lasted, and the internal control weaknesses that made the scheme possible. This article examines how the crime was committed and what organizations can do to protect themselves from similar losses.
Big Data tops issues facing forensic and valuation accountants
Electronic data analysis, also known as “Big Data,” is the most pressing issue that forensic and valuation services (FVS) accountants expect to face in the near future, according to survey results released Tuesday by the AICPA. A quarter of respondents to the 2014 AICPA Survey on International Trends in Forensic
New mentoring program helps CPAs interested in CFF credential
The AICPA established the Certified in Financial Forensics Mentor Program, which is designed for AICPA members interested in developing their skills and business practices in forensic accounting through the help of more experienced forensic professionals. CPAs who apply to the program will be paired with mentors who hold the AICPA’s
Four factors that will influence the L.A. Clippers’ sale price
Three quantifiable factors will influence the sale price of the Los Angeles Clippers—and one more will trump them all, business valuation (BV) experts say. The Clippers have been the talk of the sports world for the past couple of weeks after media outlets began airing a tape of racist comments
Managing risk in a CPA firm merger or acquisition
Firm leaders must weigh many considerations during the due-diligence, negotiation, and integration phases of a successful merger or acquisition.
AICPA, CPA Canada to collaborate in forensics, technology advisory services
Members of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) will have access to a broad portfolio of specialized information through the AICPA Information Management and Technology Assurance Section and its Forensic and Valuation Services Section. Under an agreement announced Friday, CPA Canada members can join those sections and will
Kelly Richmond Pope, CPA, CGMA, Ph.D.
My father (Tyronza R. Richmond) always encouraged me to major in accounting. He was business school dean at North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C., for 10 years and chancellor from 1986 until 1992. I took my first accounting course as a ninth-grader at Charles E. Jordan High School in
IRS oversight of CPAs who provide valuation services
Under Sec. 6695A, enacted by the Pension Protection Act of 2006, P.L. 109-280, appraisers may face monetary penalties for appraisals that lead to substantial and gross valuation misstatements on returns. This section is intended to provide greater assurance that all appraisers and appraisals meet a minimum threshold of qualification. These
How to value a CPA firm for sale
One of the key components of a CPA succession plan is the sale or transfer of the retiring CPA’s ownership interest. How is the value of that interest determined? In most circumstances, the value of an owner’s interest is different when selling to an external buyer than it is in
Q&A: Top issues in business valuation
Business valuation experts have been practicing in an evolving landscape for the past several years. New standards, changing technology, and an aging population are all playing a part in effecting changes. The JofA organized a round-table discussion of the important issues affecting CPAs who advise clients on business valuation matters.
