Nationally Recognized Financial Forensic Experts Offer Wealth of Experience to the Accounting Profession

SALT LAKE CITY—FEBRUARY 13, 2013—The National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts™ (NACVA^®) today revealed details on the backgrounds of the expert instructors leading its course entitled Cornerstones of Financial Forensics Workshop.

The Cornerstones of Financial Forensics Workshop was developed by the NACVA to be the AICPA^®’s “Preferred Provider” of this training for candidates seeking the Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF^®) credential.

A 2011 AICPA survey identified forensic accounting as one of the hottest and rapidly growing niches in accounting.  Some 47 percent of respondents saw an increase in the number of hours spent on forensic accounting, and the majority of respondents expect the trend to continue over the next two to five years.

"This isn’t just CPE, this is career changing,” states Cornerstones Workshop attendee Patricia Havard, CPA, CFF, from Lancaster, TX.

“For years CPAs have heard specialize, specialize, specialize, but until this course, which is defining the financial forensics profession, I’ve not quite known where to turn for training and education," stated past attendee Ray Cook, CPA, CFF, from Bridgeport, TX.

“As an audit and tax practitioner for over 20 years, I’ve wanted to move my practice into the consulting arena and have had a curiosity about financial forensics and what’s involved in making that transition. This workshop has introduced me to the specialty areas that will take my practice to the next level,” stated past attendee Mittchelena Meade, CPA, CFF, from Joliet, IL.

Havard, Cook, and Meade ultimately achieved the CFF credential after attending the Cornerstones Workshop.

In 2010, the AICPA engaged NACVA to develop a course to help Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) prepare for the qualifying exam for the CFF credential. The Cornerstones of Financial Forensics Workshop is ideal training immersing practitioners in the fundamentals of financial forensics addressing the theories, tools, and techniques that will enable them to grow their practice in this rapidly growing and high-demand field. In addition to great instruction and materials, attendees will benefit from a rich take away including a complete bibliography, practice aids, and guides, checklists, and web links to direct candidates to additional study and education to help them to obtain the credential and build their career.

NACVA’s five-day Cornerstones of Financial Forensics Workshop was built upon the Content Specification Outline (CSO) underlying the AICPA’s CFF Body of Knowledge. It is taught by leading financial forensic experts in their respective fields providing attendees with the best and most authoritative instruction never before seen in this specialized discipline.  “This incredible course simply would not have been possible to create had we not had the good fortune to amass this amazing team of instructors—it is a who’s who of the best and brightest in the financial forensics discipline,” according to Parnell Black, NACVA's CEO. “The Cornerstones Workshop offers an unmatched opportunity to learn from, interact with, and be mentored by world-class, nationally-recognized experts in the field of financial forensics.” 

“We start by defining both the legal and professional environments today in order to introduce relevant precedents, case law, and professional standards. Then we drill down into each functional area. We cover it all:  From business valuation to bankruptcy, financial statement misrepresentation to forensic accounting, and fraud prevention to family law,” states Michael Kaplan, CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, MAFF, who has more than 37 years of experience in the areas of forensic accounting, business valuation, and litigation consulting. Kaplan was the lead developer of the Cornerstones Workshop.

“This training is essential for CPAs who want to branch out into the area of matrimonial litigation. This workshop gives financial consultants the basic tools they need to perform analysis of income, assistance with division of property, and other financial issues uniquely specific to matrimonial cases,” states Karen J. Kaseno, CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, CFE, MAFF, who has been practicing in the area of litigation services since 1989. Kaseno is former Chair of the Fraud Section of the Litigation Services Committee of the California CPA Society.

“The Cornerstones Workshop provides a basis for the expert to build an effective and defensible lost profits and damages model in the context of litigation. It differentiates the typical lost profits model and those used for patent, copyright, and trademark damages and the related parameters and legal principles to the presentation of business damages,” states Howard Zandman, CPA/CFF, MAFF, a Partner in the Litigation Support Services Group of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP. He has over 30 years of experience in complex damages dispute resolution.

For program and registration details, visit Cornerstones of Financial Forensics Workshop.

About the AICPA
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the world’s largest association representing the accounting profession, with nearly 377,000 members in 128 countries and a 125 year heritage of serving the public interest.  AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education, and consulting.

The AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies, non-profit organizations, federal, state, and local governments.  It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination and offers specialty credentials for CPAs who concentrate on personal financial planning; fraud and forensics; business valuation; and information technology.  Through a joint venture with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), it has established the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation to elevate management accounting globally.  The AICPA maintains offices in New York, Washington, DC, Durham, N.C., and Ewing, N.J. 

Media representatives are invited to visit the AICPA Press Center at www.aicpa.org/press