Month: September 2015

Pink Truth and Mary Kay on ABC’s 20/20

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Tune in to 20/20 on ABC on Friday October 2  for a story on the truth behind Mary Kay’s multi-level marketing “opportunity.” MLM is not a business opportunity, it’s a clever scam that has been made to look like a business. Host Rebecca Jarvis takes a look at long-time multi-level predator Mary Kay Cosmetics. Those … Read more Pink Truth and Mary Kay on ABC’s 20/20

Protecting the Work Product of an Expert Witness

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Written by Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, CFF

Wisconsin Law Journal

One often overlooked key to successfully working with an expert witness is the protection of privilege and work product. Until the expert is actually disclosed to the other side, it’s in the best interest of the client to make sure that the expert’s work is protected.

While no airtight accountant-client privilege exists, it is still possible to protect communications when an accountant (or other expert) is working with an attorney on a litigation matter.

Read moreProtecting the Work Product of an Expert Witness

The Fraud Files: From Chaos to Clarity in Financial Investigations

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Wisconsin Law Journal

Written by Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, CFF

Financial investigations have one common problem: Large volumes of data and documentation that need to be examined.

Cases such as corporate embezzlement, securities fraud, Ponzi schemes and white-collar crime often have lots of financial documentation that needs to be analyzed by a forensic accountant.

Many of these types of cases involve moving money around rapidly between multiple bank and brokerage accounts to disguise the true sources and uses of funds. The long trail of financial documentation needs to be examined by a forensic accountant and the data must be pieced together to form a winning strategy.

Read moreThe Fraud Files: From Chaos to Clarity in Financial Investigations

Methods of Searching For Unreported Income

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Written by Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, CFF

Wisconsin Law Journal

Lifestyle Analysis
For the employee who is receiving cash in lieu of a real paycheck or who is otherwise concealing wages and earnings, it can be very difficult to prove the case. Cash doesn’t leave much of a trail, and a company that is willingly participating in a fraud like this isn’t likely to offer up proof of the fraud either.

Read moreMethods of Searching For Unreported Income

Searching For Unreported Income

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Written by Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, CFF

Wisconsin Law Journal

The million dollar question in many litigation disputes, be it family law, a shareholder divorce, or other corporate wrangling, often centers around unreported income. Are there sales that aren’t being recorded on the books? Is the individual receiving cash for work done? Is revenue hidden to shield it from being considered by the court?

It would be lovely to be able to wave a magic wand and have all the “hidden” income magically appear. Unfortunately, that’s just not going to happen in this lifetime. The search for unreported revenue and earnings is a difficult one.

Read moreSearching For Unreported Income