What to Do if You Suspect Fraud in Your Family Business

Posting by Geoffrey D. Brown, CPA, Principal

Family businesses often benefit from increased trust between family members who are involved in the business.  However, this trust unfortunately does not exempt family-owned businesses from fraud and security breaches.

Do you know what to do if you suspect that fraud is occurring in your family business?  Perhaps you have spotted some unusual employee and/or family member behavior or lifestyle habits that don’t seem quite right, or you have found irregularities on reconciliations and […]

June 10, 2013 Accounting, Family Owned Businesses, Forensic Accounting Read more...

Innovating the Family Business: Helping Older Generations Embrace Technology

Posting by Geoffrey D. Brown, CPA

As the baby boomer generation ages, and younger generations step in to take over certain leadership responsibilities within the family business, conflicts can arise when it comes to managing and innovating the business — usually due to the older generation’s hesitance toward change.  Today we have an overabundance of business amenities – many of which weren’t even in existence just a decade ago.  While baby boomers often have irreplaceable experience and insight into the […]

June 6, 2013 Family Owned Businesses Read more...

Tips for Establishing and Managing Trust Funds for Young Family Members

Posted in Accounting/Tax, DCFBA Blog, Featured post, Succession, Succession/Estate Planning |Post By Geoffrey D. Brown, CPA, Principal

Posting by Geoffrey D. Brown, CPA

Your family business is doing well – so well in fact that you have made a significant amount of money and are concerned about how to preserve it for the next generation.  Maybe as the current CEO you know due to a health issue that you may be gone before your children are old enough to be taught […]

May 30, 2013 Family Owned Businesses, Wealth Management Read more...

New Trustee’s Guide to Investments: Reading a Mutual Fund Prospectus

Larry Beebe, CPA

New trustees for multiemployer benefit plans can be overwhelmed by the investment knowledge that must be quickly acquired to function effectively in their new roles.  This series provides in-depth information about plan investments to assist new trustees in their fiduciary duty of managing plan assets.

Investing in a mutual fund without doing the proper due diligence is a lot like running onto the football field without knowing the play. You could end up with a successful guess, but […]

May 22, 2013 Accounting, Benefit Plan Accounting Read more...

HOW TO HELP THE OKLAHOMA TORNADO VICTIMS: A QUICK PRIMER ON TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

Brian Wynne, CPA

This week has gotten off to a heartbreaking start with the damage inflicted by the Oklahoma tornadoes.  The sheer scope of the devastation and loss is hard to imagine and many of us are eagerly looking for ways to help, no matter where we live.

As you consider a charitable donation to help those affected by the tornadoes, there are some tax considerations to keep in mind.  While the tax aspect is certainly not the most important factor […]

May 22, 2013 Accounting, Uncategorized Read more...

IRS FURLOUGH DAY DETAILS AND EFFECTS FOR TAXPAYERS

The IRS has issued details (IR-2013-51) about their planned 2013 furloughed days scheduled for May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22, and August 30.  During these times IRS offices, toll free lines, the Taxpayer Advocate Service, and taxpayer assistance centers will be closed.

It is important to note that none of these days are considered a federal holiday so the closings will have no effect on any filing deadlines.  At this time the only tax payment deadlines impacted are […]

May 21, 2013 Accounting, Tax Read more...

IRS FURLOUGH DAY DETAILS AND EFFECTS FOR TAXPAYERS

The IRS has issued details (IR-2013-51) about their planned 2013 furloughed days scheduled for May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22, and August 30.  During these times IRS offices, toll free lines, the Taxpayer Advocate Service, and taxpayer assistance centers will be closed.

It is important to note that none of these days are considered a federal holiday so the closings will have no effect on any filing deadlines.  At this time the only tax payment deadlines impacted are […]

May 21, 2013 Accounting, Tax Read more...

Five Ways Forensic Accountants Can Make Workplace Fraud Settlements Easier

Alex Helfand, ENCE, Computer Forensic Specialist

It’s in the local newspapers every week – an employee finally gets caught committing white collar fraud at his or her workplace. Worse yet, the employee is found out years after the fraud began, and typically is a trusted team member with no prior criminal record to give an inkling that this could be possible. Some losses are incalculable, such as trust; others are hard to determine – the perpetrator often has had direct […]

May 20, 2013 Accounting, Forensic Accounting Read more...

Heir Necessities: Tips for the Next Generation to Successfully Lead the Family Business

Posting by Geoffrey D. Brown, CPA, Principal

One of the biggest challenges faced by the senior generations of long-time family owned businesses is deciding how they will transition their business to the next generation, and how to do it successfully.

In today’s competitive business market, families wishing to sustain their organizations over many generations must invest considerable time and energy into developing the next generation.  Careful preparation of young leaders will help ensure the success and vitality of the family enterprise.  […]

May 14, 2013 Accounting, Family Owned Businesses Read more...

New Trustee’s Guide to Investments: Risk

Larry Beebe, CPA

New trustees for multiemployer benefit plans can be overwhelmed by the investment knowledge that must be quickly acquired to function effectively in their new roles.  This series will provide in-depth information about plan investments to assist new trustees in their fiduciary duty of managing plan assets.

As we explained in a previous post, the trustees, with the assistance of the plan actuary, set an expected rate of return for the plan’s investment portfolio to ensure the plan has […]

May 9, 2013 Accounting, Forensic Accounting Read more...