If you are looking for a job as a forensic accountant, a Financial Consultant and Forensic Accountant would be the right choice for you. These three professionals have similar job description but have different responsibilities. With the help of the financial consultants, you can gather data to help in the investigation of tax frauds and accounting frauds. The forensic accountants can use their skills and knowledge to investigate crimes such as insurance frauds, bank frauds, asset frauds, procurement frauds and money laundering etc.
A person who is interested in becoming a forensic accountant can get a degree in accounting from an institution offering accredited courses. After getting trained in this field, you can find employment either as financial consultants or forensic accountants. As a financial consultant you will be responsible for providing consultation to the clients regarding their business’ financial matters. The main job of a financial consultant is to maintain interaction with the clients.
The main duty of a forensic accountant is to collect evidence to aid in investigations. The forensic accountants use several means to gather evidence such as examination of documents, conversations, surveillance and physical activities. The forensic accountant has to ensure confidentiality of all evidence gathered and reports to the client. It is the duty of a financial consultant to make sure that investigations are going on smoothly and that there is no scope of missing out any important piece of information.
A forensic accountant is also responsible for maintaining the books of a company. He ensures that all expenses, revenues are recorded in the correct way so that there is no scope of frauds. A forensic accountant should have sufficient knowledge of the banking system and should know how to handle the bookkeeping records. In some cases, if he fails to do the book keeping work, the regulatory bodies to take action against the company. The legal issues can cost a company millions of dollars and it is therefore very important to hire a highly qualified professional for the job.
Another duty of the financial consultant is to provide advice to the clients regarding their investments. The advice provided by the financial consultant helps the clients to manage their finances and plan their retirement and long term goals. This helps them avoid any losses that might arise. It is the duty of the financial consultant to provide all the required guidance to the clients. Some firms provide training to the professionals on how to conduct the job well.
There are different types of courses offered by the accounting firms. The training usually lasts two years. The candidates who want to get into this profession should have a four year college degree and some additional qualification such as a master’s or Ph. D. to qualify for the job. Many financial consultants and forensic accountants have already graduated from high schools. They often work on a part time basis with two or three companies at one time to make ends meet.