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Be Vigilant to Help Thwart Hackers and Cyberattacks: Part Two

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation, forensic accounting, and marital dissolution services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

In this second of a two-part series, forensic accounting expert David Anderson of David Anderson & Associates, a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia, concludes his look at examples of security failures he has observed in his work.

As he noted last week, many businesses implement a wide range of policies and procedures to protect their property, assets, and data. However, even the best of policies and procedures are ineffective if employees don’t adhere to them. Here are several more such “tales:”

The unsecure data center: Anderson was engaged to evaluate the IT security controls at a medium-sized company based in North Carolina.  Their “secure” data center was an unlocked coat closet just off the lobby.  Besides having no air flow, which could have caused the servers to overheat, visitors could have easily entered the closet, and even walked off with the equipment.

Common user IDs and passwords: At the same company as above, each member of the accounting department accessed the company’s accounting system by entering “Accounting” as the user ID and “Accounting” as the password.  Although the company had experienced departmental turnover, including one individual who had embezzled funds, the company had never changed the common user ID and password.

Not changing locks and system access: At a medium-sized Philadelphia-area company, Anderson’s investigation of the IT and facility security controls noted that the firm issued employees an office key when they started their jobs, but never asked for the key back when the employee left.  Additionally, the company never deleted the user ID and password for these employees.

Although Anderson said he was able to persuade the company to remove system access for terminated employees, management did not want to incur the cost of changing locks and issuing new keys.  This problem was resolved several months later after a former employee, who had retained his key, entered the premises one weekend and stole computers and inventory.

Non-secret passwords: This is perhaps the most common “insecurity” Anderson said he has encountered. At many companies, he has seen passwords taped to the monitor, or tacked to a corkboard next to the computer, or taped to the desk underneath the user’s keyboard.  In several of the companies, the company itself was the cause of the “insecurity” because many employees accessed multiple systems which each required a new password every 60 days, and passwords could not be common across systems.

Executives who violate access rules: This is another “insecurity” Anderson said he has seen in multiple companies.  A busy executive provides his/her user ID and password to his/her administrative assistant/executive secretary to facilitate access to his/her e-mail and personal files.  Assuming the administrative assistant/executive secretary is a trusted employee, many companies do not consider this situation to be a problem, even though, as Anderson points out, it usually violates company IT security control procedures.

This situation becomes a problem when that trusted employee is out and must temporarily be replaced. For example, Anderson said he has seen such employees out on vacation, maternity leave, family medical leave, etc. This means one or more new employees – or even temporary employees – are granted access to the executive’s e-mail and personal files.  Now, because the executive does not want to change user IDs and passwords, no such change is made.  This means other employees or temporary employees could continue to access the executive’s e-mails and personal files.

In each of the above cases, the employee’s failure to adhere to the established policies and procedures resulted in security lapses. To avoid the “insecurity” failures Anderson detailed both in this last column and does so again this week, he makes the following recommendations:

  • Engage an outside expert to review your company’s security/control policies and procedures to identify potential failure points and provide solutions.
    • For example, changing multiple passwords across multiple systems every 60 days is likely excessive. The expert can suggest alternatives, such as using the same password across multiple systems; increasing the number of days between password changes to 120 or 180 or even annually; or providing a password management tool.
  • Ensure all employees are provided with, and acknowledge receipt of, company security/control policies and procedures.
  • Conduct training on a regular basis, at least once a year, to remind to remind employees of the policies and procedures, and why they need to be followed.
  • Encourage employees to follow the guideline “if you see something, say something” with regards to unauthorized visitors and employees who violate company policies and procedures.

If you want to learn how a Certified Fraud Examiner from an experienced firm that provides forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley can help you steer clear of such security issues, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson is a forensic accounting expert who has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

Be Vigilant to Help Thwart Hackers and Cyberattacks: Part One

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation, forensic accounting, and marital dissolution services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

Many businesses implement a wide range of policies and procedures to protect their property, assets, and data.  However, according to forensic accounting expert David Anderson of David Anderson & Associates, a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia, even the best of policies and procedures are ineffective if employees don’t adhere to them.  The following is Part 1 of a two-part series featuring examples of security failures Anderson has observed in his work:

When Security Badges Aren’t Effective:

Many businesses require employees to wear a security badge and “swipe” it to gain access to facilities.  In one case, a just-fired employee returned to the company that had fired him and waited by the security access door. Other employees who had seen him around (and didn’t know he had been fired), held the door open for him (not noticing he didn’t have a security badge).  He then entered the building, proceeded to pull out a hammer, and vandalized several desktop computers until he was stopped by security officers.

When Security Badges Still Aren’t Effective:

In another case, Anderson said he was visiting the IT department of a large Philadelphia business to conduct an evaluation of its IT controls.  He was standing outside the secure data center when an employee with a large cart full of equipment swiped his security badge to enter the data center.  The employee was struggling to hold the door open for his cart and, seeing Anderson, asked him if he would hold the door (neither Anderson nor the employee had seen each other before, and Anderson was wearing a visitor badge).  Anderson helped and continued to hold the door open until the employee entered the data center and out of view. Anderson, now in center himself, went over to one of the terminals, and, if he had been malicious or interested in stealing data, he said he easily could have entered the necessary commands to do so.

When Terminals or Desktop Computers Aren’t “Secure:”

When conducting an IT security evaluation, Anderson wandered into the accounting department of another large Philadelphia business.  He observed an employee tell another he was going to lunch, and then watched him get on the elevator and leave.  Anderson walked over to the now-empty cubicle and noticed the just-departed employee had not logged out of the company’s accounting system.  Anderson said he sat down at the vacant desk and proceeded to access the accounts payable and general ledger applications.  No one challenged him, he said, or even appeared to notice he was there.  Again, had he wanted to, Anderson said he could have caused major damage to the company’s accounting system.

When Confidential Records Aren’t Secure:

When Anderson was a junior auditor (before the days of electronic medical records), his first assignment was on the audit of a large hospital.   One of his assignments was to make sure that selected patient records had been properly entered into the hospital’s accounting system (to facilitate billing).  He said he was unable to locate one patient’s file, and after investigation, learned it was because the patient was still in the hospital (and the records were at the nurse’s station on one of the patient floors).  He said he went up to that floor and requested the patient’s chart (He said he was not wearing a badge and didn’t identify himself but was dressed in a business suit).  The nurse handed the requested documents to Anderson, saying, “Here’s the chart, doctor.”

Taking Secured Data Files Home to an Unsecured Computer:

At one medium-sized company, Anderson was called in to investigate when their system became infected with a rather nasty virus.  It turned out the Controller had taken certain budget files home (on a thumb drive) to work on over a holiday weekend.  Unbeknownst to him, his high school son had been using the same family compute and had unknowingly downloaded a virus.  When the Controller used the computer, the virus was transferred to his thumb drive and then to the company’s system.  What made this worse was that the Controller was responsible for updating the virus protection for the company’s system but had failed to download three years of updates.

Becoming Victimized by E-Mail Spoofs:

Hackers had obtained confidential names, addresses, social security numbers and other salary information of the employees of a small subsidiary of a larger Philadelphia company.  Anderson said his investigation determined the company’s systems had not been penetrated, but instead, the Accounting Manager of the subsidiary had been victimized by an e-mail spoof.  She had received an e-mail, purportedly from the parent company’s Controller, informing her there was a problem with the subsidiary’s W-2 forms, and requesting she prepare and send to him an Excel spreadsheet of the subsidiary’s W-2 information, allegedly so the home office “can correct the problem.” The local Controller failed to notice the requesting e-mail came from an e-mail address that was similar to but not the same as the corporate Controller’s actual e-mail address.  She prepared the requested spreadsheet and attached the spreadsheet as she replied to the original “spoofed” e-mail.

—–     —–     —–     —–     —–

In each of the above cases, employee failure to adhere to the established policies and procedures resulted in security lapses.  In his next column, Anderson will present more examples of such failures, and offer some tips for avoiding them.

If you want to learn how a Certified Fraud Examiner from an experienced firm that provides forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley can help you steer clear of such security issues, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson is a forensic accounting expert who has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

Tricks of the Trade: Finding Fraud Behind the Numbers

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services including fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, business valuation, and marital dissolution in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

This blog is the final in a series of four posts that are examining the so-called “Tricks of the Trade” forensic accountants use when conducting fraud investigations.

In part of the normal procedure of analyzing financial and accounting information, a forensic accountant will look closely at the numbers themselves.

Such tight scrutiny can help unearth potential fraud or other abuse of financial information, according to David Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant and principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley.

A prime example that proves the value of this practice, Anderson said, is the analysis of auto mileage claimed on small business tax returns, typically Schedule C. In one marital dissolution case, the husband was a physician who operated out of two offices located eight miles apart and regularly claimed over 20,000 miles per year in deductible auto mileage, explained Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant who also is a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia. (NOTE: The IRS allows deductions for mileage between offices when both are visited on the same day).

“If I assumed the physician visited both offices every day, and worked six days per week with no vacations or holidays, the maximum mileage he would have had in any year would be eight miles a day times six days per week times 52 weeks per year = 2,496 miles, which is considerably fewer than the 20,000-plus miles claimed each year,” said Anderson, a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia with experience in conducting fraud investigations and establishing comprehensive fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley.

In another instance, Anderson said the husband claimed to have driven exactly 30,000 miles each year. Statistically, he noted, it is very unlikely that someone can hit the same exact round number of miles each year. For each of the previous four years, explained Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant whose firm provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, the husband claimed to have driven this number of business miles in his four-year-old Chrysler, in addition to normal commuting mileage which he estimated to be about 20,000 miles per year.

“When I visited his office, I asked to check the odometer in his car, which he still had at the time, and the odometer showed fewer than 70,000 miles,” Anderson said. “Based on his claims, the total mileage should have exceeded 200,000 miles.”

Another area that Anderson, a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia, said a forensic accountant can analyze is the numbers associated with non-descriptive general ledger accounts. These can include such accounts as:

  • Exchange
  • Transfer
  • Reserve
  • Miscellaneous Expenses
  • Other Expenses
  • Other Services
  • Cash Over
  • Short

Depending on the name of the account, Anderson said a forensic accountant will analyze the transaction detail and period-ending balance.

For example, the first three accounts – “Exchange,” “Transfer” and “Reserve” – typically are used to temporarily balance a transaction entry which requires further research to determine the correct account to be used, explained Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant and principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley.

This means a forensic accountant will expect to see amounts come into these accounts from other transactions, and corresponding amounts come out of the account as the company determines the correct account to use, said Certified Fraud Examiner and forensic accounting expert Anderson. If a forensic accountant sees significant balances at the end of the year, or significant differences in amounts going into and out of the account, he said it could indicate fraud.

Accounts with “Miscellaneous” or “Other” in their title should typically be used for relatively small amounts that cannot reasonably fit any other expense category. Again, explained Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant and principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley, if a forensic accountant sees significant balances in these accounts, it merits further detailed analysis because of the potential for fraud or abuse.

The categories “Cash Over” and “Short” are used by retail businesses, said Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant who also is a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia, to account for the difference between the cash in cash registers versus what the point of sale accounting system says the cash balance should be. It is not unusual, Anderson said, to have small differences.

In one marital dissolution case, however, a restaurant regularly experienced large cash shortages (over $100 each time) two to three times a week. By the end of the year, total cash shortages exceeded $20,000. The husband, who owned this business, did not seem particularly alarmed by this shortage. Further investigation by Anderson, a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia with experience in conducting fraud investigations and establishing comprehensive fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley, revealed the husband regularly took cash out of the register and pocketed it to reduce his profits and, by extension, the value of his business.

If you have questions about any finance or fraud issues, you should speak with a Certified Fraud Examiner from an experienced firm that provides forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. The Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates can be reached by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com if you require the services of a Certified Fraud Examiner or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson is a forensic accounting expert who has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

Tricks of the Trade: Numbers Can Decode the Presence of Fraud

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Company News, Expert Witness, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence, Litigation Support, Marital Dissolution.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services including fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, business valuation, and marital dissolution in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

This blog is the third in a series of four posts that will examine the so-called “Tricks of the Trade” that forensic accountants use when conducting fraud investigations.

In conducting investigations, a forensic accountant often will analyze times and dates to determine if fraud or minority shareholder oppression may be present.

Date and time analysis can be used for a variety of purposes, explained David Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant and principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley.

For example, Anderson said many fraudsters with access to business accounting systems enter transactions after hours or on weekends, so no one can observe them. Hence, in analyzing the date and time of transaction entries, a forensic accountant will conduct additional analysis of transactions entered after hours or on weekends to determine the propriety of those transactions, said Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant who also is a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia. He added that the forensic accountant also can investigate online off-hours access to systems to determine whether unauthorized outsiders have accessed the company’s systems.

In minority shareholder oppression cases, as well as in marital dissolution cases, a forensic accountant will analyze the date and time of reimbursable travel, meal, and entertainment expenses, Anderson said.

“In one recent case, I found that over a period of three years the majority shareholder had submitted reimbursable meal expenses for more than 100 meals on Friday nights, Saturdays, Sundays, nights before a holiday, and on the holidays themselves,” said David Anderson, a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia with experience in conducting fraud investigations and establishing comprehensive fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley.

When deposed, Anderson said the shareholder, whose company was a retail business, claimed each of these meals – some of which were for hundreds of dollars – were for entertaining customers. However, no customers were specifically identified with any of the meals.

Furthermore, when the shareholder did provide the names of specific customers that he claimed to have entertained, all but one of the customers had purchased less than $500 from the business over the three-year period, said Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant whose firm provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

In a marital dissolution case, Anderson – a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia – said he noted frequent travel, meal, and entertainment reimbursements that occurred over weekends and holiday periods. This travel included international travel even though the business was a local business. In analyzing the supporting documents, forensic accounting expert Anderson said he found that all the travel was for vacations for the business owner and his girlfriend.

Dates of birth can also be utilized by forensic accountants to verify the validity of employee social security numbers, Anderson said. Certain tables are available that provide approximate information regarding when an individual applied for his/her social security number, explained Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant and principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley.

Running these tables against the birthdates of employees can identify potential mismatches, such as a 30-year-old worker whose social security number falls in the range of numbers that were issued prior to 1950, said Certified Fraud Examiner and forensic accounting expert Anderson. These mismatches, he said, can then be further investigated to determine whether the employee has furnished a valid social security number.

If you have questions about any finance or fraud issues, you should speak with a Certified Fraud Examiner from an experienced firm that provides forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. The Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates can be reached by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com if you require the services of a Certified Fraud Examiner or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson is a forensic accounting expert who has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

Tricks of the Trade: Look to Names, Numbers to Fight Fraud

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services including fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, business valuation, and marital dissolution in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

This blog is the second in a series of four posts that will examine the so-called “Tricks of the Trade” that forensic accountants use when conducting fraud investigations.

A forensic accountant can use names, addresses and phone numbers when investigating potential minority shareholder suppression cases and when conducting a fraud investigation.

In minority shareholder suppression cases, a forensic accountant will look for employees, subcontractors and vendors having the same last name as that of the majority shareholders, explained David Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant and principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley.

“We also obtain information regarding the married names of female relatives of the majority shareholders and search for those names” said Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant who also is a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia. “In several of my cases, I have identified significant payments being made to the majority shareholder’s daughter, her husband or her children, who performed little or no work for the company, as part of an effort to divert profits from the minority shareholder.”

When he is conducting fraud investigations, forensic accounting expert Anderson says he performs the same analyses.

“In one instance, the general manager of a division was found to be making referral payments to a seemingly unrelated third party,” said David Anderson, a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia with experience in conducting fraud investigations and establishing comprehensive fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley. “However, during my investigation, I found that this person actually was his wife who was using her maiden name to appear to be unrelated to the general manager.

Anderson, a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia, said he made this discovery by Googling the general manager. One of the items he said he came up was the wedding announcement which contained the wife’s maiden name.

One final name analysis which Anderson said can be performed by a forensic accountant undertaking fraud deterrence in a fraud investigation is a search for vendor companies that use abbreviations in their titles (for example, ARH Enterprises or H & B Associates). Because of ego, many fraudsters and others use their own initials or those of their spouse and themselves in the names of companies they set up, said David Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant whose firm provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. He said any companies he finds during such an investigation warrant additional analysis.

Addresses can also help identify potential fraud, forensic accounting expert, Anderson noted. When an employee sets up a phony vendor, Anderson said the employee often uses his or her home address as the address for the vendor. By running matches between the employee files and the vendor files, he said he has found numerous phony vendors.

“I also run the employee’s addresses against the company’s address or that of the corresponding subsidiary, division or group headquarters or facility address, said Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant and principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley. “In these instances, I am looking for employees who are using one of the company’s addresses as their stated home address.

Certified Fraud Examiner Anderson said follow-up investigations of those employees have revealed that they usually are doing so for one of several reasons, including:

  • hiding from the government because they are undocumented aliens or parole violators;
  • hiding from ex-spouses or debtors; or
  • trying to avoid paying state or local taxes . . . such as a Philadelphia resident working in Montgomery County who is trying to avoid having the Philadelphia wage tax withheld.

A final address analysis that can be completed when a forensic accountant is conducting a fraud investigation, or a program of fraud deterrence is running employee addresses and looking for employees who have the same address as another employee. While some such persons may be relatives of the employee and could be living in the same household, forensic accounting expert David Anderson said he also has found ghost employees by performing this analysis.

Just as with addresses, telephone numbers also can be used to identify potential fraud in the same way, said Anderson, a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia with experience in conducting fraud investigations and establishing comprehensive fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley. During his investigations, he said he has identified phony vendors and ghost employees by matching employee phone numbers against those of vendors and other employees.

If you have questions about any finance or fraud issues, you should speak with a Certified Fraud Examiner from an experienced firm that provides forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. The Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates can be reached by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com if you require the services of a Certified Fraud Examiner or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson is a forensic accounting expert who has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

‘Tricks of the Trade:’ Using Physics to Uncover Fraud

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services including fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, business valuation, and marital dissolution in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

This blog is the first in a series of four posts that will examine the so-called “Tricks of the Trade” that forensic accountants use when conducting fraud investigations.

The business of forensic accounting is — most of the time — a very precise, highly detailed process. It might be surprising, then, to learn one of the tricks of the trade forensic accountants use in fraud investigation stems from the very inexact science of probabilities, specifically, Benford’s Law.

“Frank Benford was a physicist in the 1930s who essentially proved an earlier hypothesis by astronomer Simon Newcomb in the 1880s that numbers starting with 1 occurred more frequently than other numbers,” explained David Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant and principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley.

“Newcomb had noticed that when he looked up logarithm tables in a book he shared with colleagues,” Anderson continued, “the earlier pages (which contained numbers that started with 1) were much more worn than the other pages. Benford tested and expanded that work, and the phenomenon was named after him.”

Benford’s Law, also known as the First Digit Law, states that the lower the first digit, the higher the probability that it will occur more often than higher numbers, Anderson said. Studies have confirmed the concept by showing the number 1 occurs as a first digit more than 30% of the time, the number 2 occurs as a first digit about 18% of the time, and so on, according to Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant who also is a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia. The number 9 occurs as a first digit the least – less than 5% of the time, Anderson added.

Benford’s Law is one of the tricks of the trade forensic accountants use in analyzing financial transactions during fraud investigations, Anderson said. If the results of the financial analysis show a mismatch with Benford’s Law, it is a red flag to forensic accountants that fraud may be present.

In one case, Anderson said, senior management engaged him to determine if any of their divisions were circumventing spending authorization limits.

“The company had a policy that required higher levels of approval for expenditures in excess of $100,000,” according to Anderson, a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia with experience in conducting fraud investigations and establishing comprehensive fraud deterrence programs in the Delaware Valley. “I analyzed all transactions between $10,000 and $100,000 for each division and found three divisions had a higher incidence of transactions between $90,000 and $99,999 than would be expected. Two divisions exceeded 10%, while the third division exceeded 8%.”

Anderson’s findings for the three divisions were out of sync with Benford’s Law and a further analysis of the transactions between $90,000 and $99,000 revealed the three divisions were “splitting” vendor invoices that exceeded $100,000 to avoid having to obtain higher level approval, explained Anderson, a Certified Fraud Examiner in Philadelphia.

In another case, Anderson said, management had a policy that employees did not have to submit copies of receipts for meal expenditures under $25. When a senior sales representative submitted six months of travel reimbursement requests at once, the corporate controller noted that more than 50% of his meal charges in more than 17 different cities were for the same amount – $24.73 – regardless of whether they were for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

As a result, senior management engaged Anderson to analyze travel reimbursement requests for all employees. Anderson, a Philadelphia forensic accountant whose firm provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, found that more than 70% of all employee reimbursement requests for meals were for between $24.00 and $24.99. But under Benford’s Law, more than 70% of all employee meals with a stated cost of under $25.00 should have been less than $20.00, he said.

“The resulting conclusion was that employees were likely abusing the company’s policy,” explained Anderson, a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia. “Management changed its policy to reimburse employees at the equivalent federal per diem rates. The only exceptions to this were for business meals at which customers or prospects were entertained. In these cases, the employee was required to provide a receipt.”

Two years later, management analyzed its travel meal reimbursements, and found that it was spending less than it had prior to the policy change, Anderson said. In this case, the fraudulent behavior was stopped, and the company realized material expense savings, he said.

If you have questions about any finance or fraud issues, you should speak with a Certified Fraud Examiner from an experienced firm that provides forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. The Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates can be reached by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com if you require the services of a Certified Fraud Examiner or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson is a forensic accounting expert who has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

Anonymous Tip Line Can Help Detect Ongoing Corporate Fraud

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of fraud investigation, fraud deterrence programs and forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

Is, as many business executives and owners believe, performing a formal financial audit each year the most effective way of detecting and deterring fraud?

The answer, in a word, no.

Less than four percent of all fraud is detected by a formal financial audit; in fact, nearly twice as many frauds are discovered by accident than by formal audit.

So then, what is the best way to detect and prevent fraud?  You might be surprised.

A recent “Report to the Nations” from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) shows tips are responsible for uncovering fraud more so than any other method.  More than 39 percent of all frauds were exposed as the result of information provided by tipsters.

And who were the main source of these tips?

By far, the study showed, a company’s own employees are its best source of information about ongoing fraud. The ACFE reports a surprisingly high 52 percent of all frauds reported via tips came from company employees.

“Employees can be your first line of defense against fraud,” said Anderson, of David Anderson & Associates. “Employees may see fraudulent or suspicious activity but may be reluctant to be identified as the source of a tip, either because they fear retribution from other employees or because they’re not absolutely sure that fraud is occurring.”

So how do you encourage employees to come forward?  The best way is to set up an anonymous tip hotline.

“Employees are far more willing to report illicit activity if their anonymity is protected,” said Anderson, a Certified Fraud Examiner and an ACFE member.  “The anonymous tip hotline provides them with the vehicle they need to do the right thing and bring the fraud to the attention of people in charge.”

Companies do not have to set up the tip hotline themselves, Anderson said. Third-party companies can be hired for a reasonable fee to set up and operate the hotline to ensure employee confidentially.  In fact, having an outside party manage the hotline further assures employees their identity will not be revealed by something they say or by speaking with someone who recognizes their voice.

In addition to tip hotlines, the ACFE Report referenced by Anderson shows many companies also are providing mechanisms for receiving tips through e-mail and/or through their websites.

Companies that provide tip hotlines for their employees typically find both the duration of fraudulent activity and amount of the losses are reduced by 50 percent.

A tip hotline is an important component of a comprehensive fraud deterrence program that, Anderson said, can be created by a firm that provides forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. Anderson also said he urges organizations to protect themselves by contacting a Certified Fraud Examiner to conduct a thorough fraud investigation at the first sign of suspicious activity.

If you require the services of a Certified Fraud Examiner or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

What You Should Know About Marital vs. Non-Marital Assets in a Divorce

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Business Valuation, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Marital Dissolution.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services including fraud investigation and fraud deterrence programs in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

One of the key tasks in a divorce is identifying the marital versus the non-marital assets of the divorcing couple.

To obtain a better understanding of the key issues involved regarding marital versus non-marital assets, David Anderson, principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides marital dissolution and business valuation services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, interviewed Kathy Bloom, Esquire. Ms. Bloom is an attorney-mediator who is the Managing Partner of the family law firm of Bloom Peters, LLC; the firm has offices in Horsham, PA and Mount Laurel, NJ.

Ms. Bloom began by stating that Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware are “equitable distribution” states (as opposed to states like California which are community property states).  This means that the courts decide what they consider to be an equitable or fair distribution of the marital assets between the divorcing spouses (whereas in community property states the parties are generally entitled to a 50/50 distribution of marital assets).

As a result, it is very important to distinguish between marital and non-marital assets.  Such assets include homes and other real estate, vehicles (including cars, trucks, boats and planes), personal property (including art, collectibles, antiques, jewelry, furnishings, clothing, etc.), investment accounts, bank accounts and investments in businesses.  In Pennsylvania, 529 education accounts not held in trust are also considered marital assets regardless of the source of the contributions.

Ms. Bloom stated that the delineation between marital and non-marital assets is not based upon the name in which the assets are held, but rather when the assets were acquired.  If the assets were acquired prior to the marriage or after the date of separation (or date of filing for divorce, depending upon the state of residence), they are generally considered non-marital assets.  Assets acquired during the marriage as well as the increase in value of non-marital assets during the marriage are marital assets.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the above.  If there is a pre-nuptial agreement providing for segregation of certain non-marital assets and their subsequent earnings or increase in value, these can remain non-marital assets.  Another exception can occur for non-marital assets acquired by inheritance or gift during the marriage.  If those assets are segregated from marital assets, they can retain their non-marital status (although any earnings or increase in value during the marriage will still be considered as marital assets).

If non-marital assets are “comingled” with marital assets, these non-marital assets can become marital assets.  This can happen when one or both spouses put non-marital assets into a common marital asset.  For example, if both spouses contribute non-marital assets to a common joint account (such as a checking account or investment account) or to a commonly owned asset (such as a home, car, or real estate), over time the non-marital asset may become indistinguishable from the marital asset.

There are even exceptions to some of these exceptions.  Some Pennsylvania counties (such as Bucks County) employ the concept of “vanishing or diminishing credit”.  In Bucks County, this credit is applied ratably over a twenty-year period (over a ten year period for Montgomery County).   For example, if a spouse contributed $20,000 of non-marital funds towards the purchase of a jointly owned home, and the couple divorces fifteen years later, the contributing spouse may claim a diminishing credit and be considered to still retain a 25% non-marital interest in the original $20,000 contribution.  While Bucks County commonly applies a diminishing credit, in other Pennsylvania counties, it is generally up to the judge to determine whether any credit remains in similar circumstances.

Issues can also arise if one or both spouses withdraw funds, marital or separate, before final distribution.  If any of those funds are invested (such as in a house, real estate or investment account), the increase in value of such investment may or may not be considered a marital asset.  As a result, Ms. Bloom recommended that any such distribution prior to the final divorce decree be subject to an agreement between the parties regarding any increase in value.

As can be seen from the above, there are many key issues involved in determining marital versus non-marital property. Very often, the parties will need to engage a forensic accountant to trace both marital and non-marital assets throughout a marriage, particularly if some of the non-marital assets have been comingled with marital assets.

If you need of a marital dissolution accountant in Philadelphia, or if you require any other services of a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, fraud deterrence, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson is a forensic accounting expert in Philadelphia with more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Certified Valuation Analyst.  Anderson also has served as a divorce accountant or marital dissolution accountant in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

Part Five: Taking a Closer Look at Business Valuation

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Business Valuation, Company News, Marital Dissolution.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. This is the final installment of a five-part series in which Anderson reviews the basics of business valuation.

The process of determining the worth of a business is a complicated one.  A business valuation expert must undertake a series of preliminary steps to set the groundwork and then consider the value of the business from three very distinct approaches before forming a professional opinion as to the initial value.  With this process completed, there remains just one final step: considering potential adjustments to the initial value.

“The process is complex,” said David Anderson, principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  “There are myriad factors that must be considered and weighed by the valuator to reach the point of establishing initial value.  But that initial value still is not accurate until possible adjustments to the value are considered.”

Anderson said business valuation experts must consider four types of potential adjustments:

  • Non-operating asset adjustments
  • Control adjustments
  • Marketability adjustments
  • Other adjustments

 

  • Non-operating asset adjustments involve assets and associated liabilities that are not part of the normal operations of a business, according to Anderson, a business valuation expert in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. As an example, Anderson explained, a food processing company may own a collection of artwork that is not related to its business operations.  Or, a computer consulting firm may own an office building (with a mortgage) that it does not use but leases out to other companies.
    • Valuators may remove these assets and liabilities from consideration during the business valuation process to assess more accurately the worth of the actual business operations, Anderson said. But once the initial value of the business has been established, these assets and liabilities must be considered because they are owned by the business and therefore affect its overall value.
  • Control adjustments may be warranted if a business valuation expert is considering the value of some, but not all, of the shares of a business, Anderson said. If the shares being valued would give a buyer control of the business, they carry a higher value than other shares.
    • For example, Anderson said, a buyer would have control of the company if either the shares are more than 50 percent of the total or they give the buyer more than 50 percent of the total voting rights (assuming a simple majority is all that is required). However, if the shares represent a “minority interest” in the company, the buyer would not have control or significant influence in company operations.  Under that circumstance, Anderson said, the buyer is likely to demand a price adjustment known as a discount for lack of control.  The specific discount (usually a percentage of the price per share) is typically based on data from sales of shares in publicly held corporations.
  • Marketability adjustments come into play when privately held businesses are being valued, Anderson said. Typically, there are no readily available public markets for privately held businesses.  As a result, it is more difficult to sell shares in a privately held business because it likely will take longer and cost more to find a buyer.
    • A buyer of shares in a privately held business, therefore, is likely to demand a price discount known as a discount for lack of marketability. The specific discount (usually expressed as a percentage of the value of the business or of the price per share) is typically based on the valuation method(s) selected by the business valuation expert, information regarding marketability discounts of comparable companies, and the particular facts and circumstances of the business being valued.
  • Other adjustments the business valuation expert must consider determining if they are applicable include:
    • Built-in gains discount
    • Blockage discount
    • Key person discount (also known as personal goodwill discount)
    • Restrictive agreement discount
    • Investment company discount
    • Lack of voting rights discount

Once all potential adjustments have been applied as necessary, the business valuation expert can finally arrive at a final value for the business.

“As you can see, the process of valuing a business is quite involved,” Anderson said.  “When a business valuation is made for tax, divorce or litigation purposes, the best way to properly protect the rights of the persons for whom the valuation is being performed is to have the valuation conducted by a qualified, experienced business valuation expert who follows professional business valuation standards.”

If you require the services of a business valuation expert in Philadelphia or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and a business valuation expert in Philadelphia.

Part Four-Taking a Closer Look at Business Valuation

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Business Valuation, Company News, Marital Dissolution.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. This is the fourth of a five-part series in which Anderson reviews the basics of business valuation.

Business valuation experts must undertake a series of preliminary steps to set the groundwork for determining the worth of a business.  Once those steps are complete, valuators must consider three very distinct approaches to valuing a business.

In earlier postings, David Anderson, principal of David Anderson & Associates, explained the first three steps of the business valuation process — determining the standard of value, deciding on the premise of value, and normalizing financial statements.

In this fourth installment of the series, Anderson reviews the three most-commonly-used approaches to valuing a business: The Income Approach, the Asset-based Approach, and the Market Approach.

“Professional business valuators are required to consider all three approaches,” said Anderson, a business valuation expert in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  “In the end, a business valuation expert must use his or her judgment to determine the best approach or combination of approaches to arrive at a business valuation that is as fair and accurate as possible.”

The most common approaches a business valuation expert will consider are the three noted below:

  • Income Approach values a business by using one or more methods to convert anticipated economic benefits (earnings or cash flow) into a single present amount. There are two primary methods under this approach:
    • Capitalization of Earnings/Cash Flows Method, which is used when there has been a steady level of historical growth, and the
    • Discounted Earnings/Cash Flow Method, which is used when there have been fluctuations in historical growth and when the company can reasonably project earnings for the next five or more years.
  • Asset-based Approach values a business by calculating the value of net assets, which is the difference between total assets and total liabilities. There also are two primary methods under this approach:
    • The Book Value Method, which calculates the net asset value as shown on the books of the business – typically at historical cost, and the
    • Adjusted Net Asset Method, which adjusts the value of assets and liabilities to the fair market value as of the valuation date.
  • Market Approach values a business by comparing it to sales of similar businesses. There are four primary methods under the Market Approach:
    • Analyze transactions of comparable publicly held companies;
    • Analyze transactions of comparable privately held companies;
    • Analyze prior transactions involving shares of the company itself, and lastly,
    • Analyze the ability of the company to pay shareholder dividends and compare that to dividends paid by comparable companies.

“The specific methods used depends on the facts and circumstances surrounding the business being valued,” said Anderson, whose company – David Anderson & Associates – is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

“For example,” Anderson said, “if there are no comparable market transactions or an insufficient number to be meaningful, the Market Approach may not be useful.”

Once the value of the business has been set under each of the approaches, the business valuation expert must determine whether one of the values is the best representation of the true value of the business or if a weighted blend of the values provides a more accurate final business value, he said.

Anderson gives the example of valuing a startup business with little profitability.  The Income Approach might yield a very low value because the startup hasn’t had time to show historical growth, while the Market Approach might result in a considerably higher value based on the sale of comparable businesses.

“Under this scenario, some valuators would select the Market Approach as being most indicative of value and others might choose a blend of the Income Approach and Market Approach with a higher weight on the Market Approach,” he explained.  “It all comes down to the professional judgment of the business valuator, based on his or her experience and knowledge about the business being valued.”

At this point, the complex process of business valuation is nearing the end.  But there is still one major step remaining before a final determination on the worth of a business can be made: Consideration of certain adjustments for non-operating assets as well as control, marketability, and other adjustments.  Anderson will explore these adjustments in the next and final installment of “Taking a Closer Look at Business Valuation.”

If you require the services of a business valuation expert in Philadelphia or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.

Company principal David Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and a business valuation expert in Philadelphia.

Part Three: Taking a Closer Look at Business Valuation

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Business Valuation, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence, Marital Dissolution.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. This is the third of a five-part series in which Anderson reviews the basics of business valuation.

Determining the worth of your business can be quite complicated. Before the actual business valuation can begin, several steps must be taken.

“The value of a business often depends on the earnings it generates,” said David Anderson, a business valuation expert in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley and principal of David Anderson & Associates.

“Small business owners” he said, “have a fair amount of latitude in choosing how they report the financial operations of their business, often selecting alternative accounting practices that lessen their income tax obligation.”

In two earlier posts, Anderson explained the first two steps of the business valuation process — determining the standard of value and deciding on the premise of value.  This third in a series of articles examines the steps a business valuation expert sometimes must take to bring a company’s financial statement on an equal footing.

Because of these alternative practices, he explained, a business valuation expert frequently needs to adjust the historical financial statements before implementing selected business valuation approaches and methods.  Making these adjustments is often referred to as “normalizing” the financial statements.

“Normalizing the financial statements should provide the valuator with a more economically realistic picture of the value of the assets and the financial operating results of the business,” Anderson explained.

These financial statement adjustments represent estimates and often fall into one of the three categories as noted below:

  • Comparability adjustments are intended to make the company more comparable to guideline companies or companies within the industry group that were used in comparative ratio analyses.
    • For example, if the company being evaluated used the last in, first out (“LIFO”) inventory method of accounting while the industry group uses the first in, first out (“FIFO”) inventory method, this adjustment would give a valuator a clearer picture of how the company’s financial statement compares to others in its industry.
  • Non-operating or non-recurring adjustments are removed from the income statement because they are either unrelated to the business operations or unlikely to recur in the future. Non-operating assets or liabilities are elements of the balance sheet that are removed so a more appropriate value of the operating company may be determined. These assets or liabilities are then added or subtracted to the resulting computed value to arrive at the total equity value of the company.
    • An example of these types of adjustments would be the costs associated with discontinuing a portion of the business.
  • Discretionary adjustments are those expenses that are usually under the sole discretion of management, or more typically, the owners of the business. Often these expenses are between the company and the owners of the company (i.e., related party transactions).  These adjustments are most appropriately made when valuing a controlling interest in the company and they generally represent the difference between the actual recorded book expense and the expense that would be incurred if transacted between the company and an independent third party.
    • Examples of these types of adjustments include: Officer’s and owner’s compensation, owner’s perquisites, entertainment expenses, automobile expenses (e.g., personal use of company cars), compensation to family members, and other related party transactions.

Once these three types of “normalization” adjustments have been made to the financial statements, Anderson said, the business valuation expert can begin to analyze the value of the business under each of the different valuation approaches and methods.

In upcoming weeks, Anderson will continue to explore the process business valuation experts undergo to determine the worth of a business.

If you require the services of a business valuation expert in Philadelphia or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and a business valuation expert in Philadelphia.

Part Two: Taking a Closer Look at Business Valuation

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Business Valuation, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence, Marital Dissolution.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. This is the second of a five-part series in which Anderson reviews the basics of business valuation.

Knowing how to calculate a value of your business that is fair and accurate is a skill with which every corporate principal should be familiar.

“You don’t want to rely on estimates, gut instinct, or rumored calculation methods to determine business value,” said David Anderson, principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  “When you need to know the true worth of your business, you need to understand the process.  And you need the expertise of a highly qualified business valuation expert.”

In the earlier introductory segment of this five-part blog series, Anderson covered the first step of business valuation: Determining the standard of value.

“The second step in ascertaining a company’s worth,” he said, “is to decide on the premise of value.”

The premise of value is the type of transactional circumstances underlying the business or property being valued, Anderson said, adding that there are four premises of value:

  • Going Concern Value
  • Book Value
  • Liquidation Value
  • Replacement Value.

Going Concern Value is the most frequently used premise of value. This method assumes the business is operating and producing revenues . . . and will continue to do so.

Book Value is the difference between a company’s total assets that have been adjusted for depreciation, depletion, and amortization and the amount of total liabilities as listed on the balance sheet.  Assets such as real estate, collectibles, and artwork are recorded at historical cost and therefore may be undervalued on the balance sheet.  Intangible assets such as patents, copyrights and trademarks also may be undervalued.

Interestingly, many buy-sell and shareholder agreements use Book Value to establish share value when a shareholder wishes to sell shares back to the company or when shares are purchased after a shareholder is terminated or dies.  In these cases, disputes often arise when the Book Value of the shares is significantly less than the Going Concern value.

Liquidation Value is the net amount realized if the business is terminated and the assets are sold individually.  Liquidation Value typically results in the lowest of the premises of value, Anderson said.

Replacement Value generally is used for specific assets and refers to the current cost of property equivalent to the property being valued.  Replacement Value is often used in insurance contracts for calculations involving real estate or tangible personal property and in construction or manufacturing agreements.

“Determining these two crucial steps — the standard of value and the premise of value — will allow a business valuation expert to select the appropriate valuation methodology to decide your company’s worth,” Anderson said.

Over the next several weeks, Anderson will post additional articles on the specific methods business valuation experts use to establish value, the effect non-operating assets have on business valuation and discounts for lack of control and lack of marketability.

Coming up next in Part Three, an examination of the steps a business valuation expert sometimes must take to bring a company’s financial statement on an equal footing.

If you require the services of a business valuation expert in Philadelphia or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and a business valuation expert in Philadelphia.

Part One: Taking a Closer Look at Business Valuation

Posted by & filed under Blog Articles, Business Valuation, Company News, Forensic Accounting, Fraud, Fraud Deterrence, Marital Dissolution.

David Anderson is principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. 

This is the first of a five-part series in which Anderson reviews the basics of business valuation.

Do you know what your business is worth? If not, you probably should.

There are many reasons why it’s important to know. These can range from business reasons, such as calculations related to any acquisitions or mergers, to personal issues of estate planning and resolution to marriage dissolution.  When the time comes, understanding how a fair and accurate business valuation is determined is of paramount importance.

“The first step in valuing a business is to determine the standard of value,” said David Anderson, principal of David Anderson & Associates, a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of business valuation and other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  “This is the type of value that is being requested for the business.  The three most common standards of value are fair market value, fair value and strategic/investment value.”

The IRS defines fair market value as “The price at which the property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, when the former is not under any compulsion to buy and the latter is not under any compulsion to sell, both parties having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts.”

Fair market value is the most widely recognized and accepted standard of value, according to Anderson, a business valuation expert in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  Fair market value is used to establish value for all Federal tax matters, including estate tax, gift tax and income tax, he said.  This standard also is used for many purchase, sale, and merger transactions; for buy-sell agreements; for regulatory valuations; and for most litigation matters, including partner/shareholder disputes, divorces, and economic damage cases.  Fair market value takes into consideration discounts for lack of control and lack of marketability.

Fair value generally is defined as fair market value without considering discounts, Anderson said.  Fair value principally is used to value the shares held by a company owner with a minority interest when that person believes he is being forced to receive less than adequate compensation for his shares.  Fair value is the standard of value used in divorce cases in New Jersey.  Additionally, fair value with a discount for lack of marketability is used in divorce cases in New York.

Strategic/investment value is the value to a particular investor based on individual requirements and expectations, according to Anderson.  This standard most often is used for a purchase, sale, or merger in which the buyer expects to realize certain synergies with the seller’s business.  Strategic/investment value typically is higher than fair market value because of these synergies.

“The standard of value is one of the key components used to determine the valuation methodology to be employed and, ultimately, the business valuation expert’s decision on the value of your business,” Anderson said.

Over the next several weeks, Anderson will post additional articles on the specific methods business valuation experts use to determine value, the effect non-operating assets have on business valuation and discounts for lack of control and lack of marketability.  Up next in “Part Two: Taking a Closer Look at Business Valuation:” Determining the premise of value, the type of transactional circumstances that underlies the business or property being valued.

If you require the services of a business valuation expert in Philadelphia or any other forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, please contact the Philadelphia forensic accounting firm of David Anderson & Associates by calling David Anderson at 267-207-3597 or emailing him at david@davidandersonassociates.com.

About David Anderson & Associates

David Anderson & Associates is a Philadelphia forensic accounting firm that provides a full range of forensic accounting services in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.  The experienced professionals at David Anderson & Associates provide forensic accounting, business valuation, fraud investigation, litigation support, economic damage analysis, business consulting and outsourced CFO services.  Company principal David Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership positions and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and a business valuation expert in Philadelphia.