Business Analysis In Today’s Uncertain Times

When people learn that I am a "forensic accountant," I am not surprised if they picture an accounting sleuth diligently searching for the proceeds of crime. However, the field in which I specialize, namely loss quantification, lends itself more to using business "smarts" than the "Sherlock Holmes" image of a detective finding the criminal.

The need for "loss quantification" arises in many types of insurance or litigation claims, particularly when an earnings loss has occurred. This need is often accompanied by the underlying question: "How much income would have been earned if the adverse event had not occurred?" And from this "what if" beginning, one quickly moves into the arena of financial and business analysis, gaining a real understanding of the business issues behind the numbers.