Using Lifestyle Analysis to Find Hidden Income and Assets

Forensic accountants have many tools to help them find evidence of hidden assets or fraud. But one of the most effective, particularly in divorce matters or legal disputes with former business partners, is using lifestyle analysis to find hidden income and assets. This method involves developing a financial profile of a subject and then examining mismatches between the person’s known resources and lifestyle. Financial profiling Forensic accountants develop a financial profile of a subject by examining: Bank deposits. The expert reconstructs the subject’s income by analyzing bank deposits, canceled checks and currency transactions, as well as accounts for cash payments from undeposited receipts and non-income cash sources, such as gifts and insurance proceeds. Expenditures. Here, the expert analyzes the subject’s personal income sources and uses of cash during a...