March 2008 – Fraud Files Forensic Accounting Blog

I Never, Ever Want to Hear That Teachers Are Underpaid Again.

15 August 201131 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

Quite by accident, I came across a database listing teacher salaries and benefits for the metro Milwaukee area. The database allows you to enter any teacher or administrator’s last name, and see the value of their salary and benefits for the 2006-07 school year. This is all public information that is required to be made available by the Department of Public Instruction.

I know a few teachers in the area, and I knew they were well-paid. But I had no idea how much. For all of the teachers that I entered into the system, I came up with salaries in the range of $50,000 to $70,000 per year, and benefits in the range of $30,000 to 40,000 per year.

That means the teachers I know, who all have experience in the range of 5 to 15 years, are being compensated in the neighborhood of $80,000 to $110,000 for working part time.

One of my articles was cited in a book!

31 March 200831 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

My article, Financial Statement Fraud in the Katrina Aftermath: A Whirlwind of Opportunities, was quoted on page 278 of the book Scientific Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases. That’s kind of cool, especially since I don’t think that’s ever happened before. I know that several of my articles are used in college courses on auditing and fraud examination, but I’ve never had one utilized as a resource for a book. (Not that I know of, anyway.)

The book is described:

Some of My Articles From Last Week on AOL’s Personal Finance Blog WalletPop

2 June 201230 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

Last week on WalletPop, I was blogging about…

Can you get rich by blogging? – You can make money blogging, but the big bucks are reserved for group blogs run as businesses.

Condo market questionable for the near future – If you’re in the market for a condo, you might do better with a new condo.

Support the Milwaukee Police Department

30 March 200830 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

Yesterday there was a shameful protest in support of a man who, while drunk, stepped on the gas pedal of his car and dragged a Milwaukee police officer with the car. That police officer is lucky to be alive.

But the Hmong community feels sorry for the criminal, Koua Moua, who got a black and swollen eye while he tried to resist arrest. Note that there were several eye witnesses to this incident, including one who was on the phone after calling 911 and narrated the process of Moua dragging this officer with his car. The alleged “brutality” occurred while police tried to get him to stop the car and be arrested.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

More on Lena Taylor’s plans to stick it to the taxpayers if elected as County Executive

6 December 200828 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

Hat tip: Badger Blogger.

Essentials of Corporate Fraud featured in “The People Pro” Newsletter

14 August 201128 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

Barb Bartlein is known nationally as “The People Pro“… offering advice and strategic assistance in dealing with people issues. She assists clients with management training, professional mentoring, and employee management issues. She’s a nationally syndicated columnist for The Business Journal, a successful author, and one funny lady. Her humor his lit up audiences for years.

She featured Essentials of Corporate Fraud in her recent newsletter, and this is the article she wrote about it:

Scott Walker Is the Clear Choice for County Executive

23 May 201228 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

Lena Taylor is an embarrassment in her current political job. She wants to raise all sorts of taxes, and wants to spring a bunch of criminals from jail. She wants to waste zillions of dollars on light rail that no one will use. She wants more sales taxes… effectively driving out even more businesses.

Here’s more:

Loophole Louie Lying About His Record?

19 May 201225 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

Judge Louis Butler is running for re-election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. And those who have followed his legal career know him as Loophole Louie, because he is so pro-criminal, looking for any loophole or technicality that will allow the criminal to get off scott free.

But now that it’s election time, Louie knows that being so ridiculously liberal and pro-criminal will not go over well with the voters. And apparently he’s decided to deal with this by lying about his record.

Thankfully, Jessica McBride is onto the scam and is posting about it on a blog she started just for election issues, called Election Watch Wisconsin.

Here’s what Jessica reports…

Student Loan Market Changing

11 April 201225 March 2008 by Tracy Coenen

Experts are worried about the future of the student loan market and whether or not enough money will be available in the coming years for all who want to attend college. The Wall Street Journal reports that colleges and universities are shying away from private lenders (which had been utilized pretty aggressively in the last several years) and back toward federal student loan programs.

Under the federal program, the government guarantees certain loans to students and their families. The loans are attractive because the closing costs are usually lower and the interest rates are competitive.