Certifications

Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – Licensed State of Texas

Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) – American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

The ABV credential, established in 1998 by the AICPA, is granted exclusively to qualified CPAs with significant business experience in the area of business valuation. A CPA attaining this credential must hold a valid and unrevoked CPA certificate issued by a legally constituted state authority and pass a rigorous ABV examination. Upon successfully passing the exam, a candidate must also have a certain amount of combined business valuation experience and lifelong learning continuing professional education hours in the area of valuation. CPAs who have earned the ABV credential must be recertified every three years to maintain the credential.

Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) – American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

The AICPA established the Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) in 2008 for CPAs who specialize in forensic accounting. The CFF credential is granted exclusively to CPAs who demonstrate considerable expertise in forensic accounting through their knowledge, skills, and experience. The CFF encompasses fundamental and specialized forensic accounting skills that CPA practitioners apply in a variety of service areas, including: bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization; computer forensic analysis; economic damages calculations; family law; fraud prevention, detection and response; financial statement misrepresentation; and valuations. To qualify, a CFF applicant must maintain AICPA membership, have at least five years of experience in practicing accounting, and meet minimum requirements in relevant business experience and continuing professional education, hold a valid and unrevoked CPA certificate or license issued by a legally constituted state authority, and pass the CFF Examination.

Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) – National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA)

The NACVA is an association whose mission is to support the needs of CPAs and other business professionals in their pursuit to provide business valuation and financial forensics consulting services. To qualify for the Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) designation, the applicant must (1) hold a valid and unrevoked CPA license issued by a legally constituted state authority and (2) pass a comprehensive two-part examination. Part One is a five-hour proctored exam, and Part Two is an in-office exam incorporating a standardized case study that requires performing a complete business valuation estimated to take 40–60 hours to complete that is peer reviewed.

Accredited – Institute of Business Appraisers (AIBA)

The Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA) is the oldest professional society devoted solely to the appraisal of closely-held businesses. Established in 1978, the IBA is a pioneer in business appraisal education and professional accreditation. To qualify as an AIBA, an applicant must possess a 4-year college degree or equivalent, successfully complete an 8-day workshop in Valuing Closely Held Businesses, and complete IBA’s 16 hour course in report writing. In addition, the applicant must pass a comprehensive written examination on current business valuation theory and practice and submit one report demonstrating competence as a Business Appraiser that is peer reviewed.

Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) – Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)

The ACFE is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education. Its mission is to reduce business fraud world-wide and inspire public confidence in the integrity and objectivity within the profession. Applicants for the CFE certification must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an institution of higher learning and pass the CFE exam that tests knowledge and expertise in the four primary areas of fraud examination: Fraudulent Financial Transactions, Legal Elements of Fraud, Investigation Methods, and Fraud Prevention and Deterrence. The exam takes approximately 10 hours to complete.

Certified Specialist in Asset Recovery (CSAR) – International Association for Asset Recovery (IAAR)

The IAAR is the international membership organization for private sector and government professionals who work to recover assets derived from illegal activity or withheld from their rightful owners. To be eligible to sit for the CSAR Examination, an applicant must document a certain amount of qualifying credits in asset tracing, recovery, and closely-related fields based on education and training, professional certifications, and professional experience. The certification exam tests a candidate’s knowledge in nine major areas of asset recovery covering many elements such as the legal considerations in asset recovery and ethics to financial flow analysis and investigative techniques.

Forensics Certified Public Accountant (FCPA) – Forensics CPA Society

The purpose of the Forensic CPA Society is to promote excellence in the forensic accounting profession. One of the ways the Society has selected to accomplish this is by awarding the FCPA certification. To obtain the certification an individual must be a licensed CPA and either be a Certified Fraud Examiner or take a 5-part certification exam. Once an individual has earned their FCPA, he or she must take 20 hours of continuing professional education in forensic accounting or fraud related subjects each year to keep their membership current.

Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) – Institute of Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA)

The IDFA is a national organization dedicated to the long-term financial future of families going through a divorce through certification, education, and promotion of the use of financial professionals in the divorce arena. An applicant is required to have two years of experience within the financial or legal industry to receive the CDFA™ designation. In addition, four separate exams must be passed on (1) The Fundamentals of Divorce, (2) The Financial Issues of Divorce, (3) The Tax Issues of Divorce, and (4) Working as a CDFA™ – Case Studies.