When the cost of forensic accounting doesn’t fit the matter yet
You may not need a full forensic accounting engagement
A full forensic accounting engagement can easily reach $5,000–$15,000 or more before expert reports or testimony are involved. For many matters, what you need first is organized records — indexed, scheduled, and sourced — so that counsel, a CPA, or a reviewer can work from them directly.
Built by HopkinsForensic. Powered by StatementProof workpapers.
What a full forensic engagement costs
The cost of traditional forensic accounting — and where it goes
Traditional forensic accountants bill by the hour. A standard engagement covering three to five bank accounts over two years can easily reach $5,000–$15,000 or more before any retained forensic expert report or testimony is involved. That cost is appropriate when the matter requires a retained expert report, a damages opinion, or testimony. It is not always proportionate at the pre-litigation or early-litigation stage when what is actually needed first is the financial records organized into a format that counsel, a CPA, or a reviewer can use. The largest component of a forensic engagement’s early cost is record organization — indexing source documents, reconstructing transaction histories, identifying gaps, and producing schedules. That organizational work happens before any expert opinion is formed. In many matters at this stage, organized records are the right deliverable.
What FinancialProofReview does
Organized financial records — the intermediate step
FinancialProofReview organizes financial records — bank statements, credit card records, invoices, EOBs, vendor ledgers, transfer histories, and supporting documents — into workpaper-style schedules. The output is a structured, source-referenced record base that attorneys, CPAs, fiduciaries, and reviewers can work from directly. It is not an expert report. It is not a damages opinion. It is not testimony. It is organized records, properly indexed, with gaps documented and follow-up questions listed — the same foundation that a full forensic engagement builds on anyway. For many matters at the pre-litigation or early-litigation stage, this is the right deliverable. For matters that require a retained forensic expert, FinancialProofReview can organize the records that expert will need — which may reduce the expert’s time spent on record organization.
When this fits
Matters where organized records are the right first step
- Your attorney needs organized bank records before discovery strategy is set
- You suspect financial exploitation of an elder family member and need records organized before engaging counsel
- You are in a divorce matter and need marital financial records organized before your attorney engages a forensic expert
- You are a trustee, beneficiary, or fiduciary reviewing an accounting and need the underlying records organized for comparison
- You have a vendor payment dispute, FCRA matter, or insurance reimbursement issue and need records organized for attorney or CPA review
- You are in a business dispute and need the financial records organized before strategy is set
- The matter is real but a full forensic retainer is not proportionate to the claim at this stage
- You need a law-enforcement-adjacent financial record review without a full forensic expert engagement
When you need more
When a retained forensic expert is the right call
FinancialProofReview is not a substitute for a retained forensic expert when the matter requires an expert report, a damages opinion, or testimony. If the matter is heading toward trial, requires a Daubert-ready methodology report, or involves damages calculations that a court or opposing party will scrutinize, a retained forensic expert is the right engagement. FinancialProofReview can organize the underlying records that expert will work from — which may reduce the expert’s time spent on record organization. But the expert engagement itself is separate, and FinancialProofReview does not provide it.
Which review fits
FinancialProofReview add-ons organized by matter type
The right starting point depends on the records available and the question that needs answering. Common starting points:
- Records are scattered and need to be put in order first → Record Chronology Packet
- Bank records disorganized or incomplete → Missing Bank Records review
- Need to trace where deposits came from → Source Deposit Tracing
- Trust or estate accounting in dispute → Trust / Estate Accounting Review
- Divorce financial records need organization → Divorce / Marital Financial Tracing
- Elder financial exploitation concern → Elder Financial Exploitation Review
- Vendor payments or disbursements at issue → Vendor / Payment Irregularities
- Attorney needs litigation support packet → Attorney Litigation-Support Packet
- General bank record review, defined scope → StatementProof Starter Review
- Complex matter, multiple accounts or periods → StatementProof Advanced Review
- LIBR / commingled fund tracing needed → Lowest Intermediate Balance Review
How it works
Intake, scope, and secure record transfer
Intake is through a written scope review. You describe the matter, the accounts involved, the time period, and what the records need to show. FinancialProofReview confirms scope and record availability, then indexes, organizes, and delivers a workpaper-style schedule. All record transfer is handled through a secure document exchange — not email. Record handling and retention are addressed as part of the engagement scope.
What this is and is not
Financial-record review support — not a forensic expert engagement
FinancialProofReview organizes financial records and produces workpaper-style schedules. It does not provide expert reports, retained forensic expert opinions, damages calculations, legal advice, or testimony. It does not replace a retained forensic expert when the matter genuinely requires one. The work is financial-record review support — an intermediate step between disorganized records and the full forensic engagement, or a standalone deliverable for matters where organized records are the right scope. Expert-witness engagements, if needed, would require a separately retained qualified expert. The usefulness of any schedule depends on the completeness and availability of the records.
Methodology
Built on StatementProof workpapers
StatementProof is the structured workpaper system behind FinancialProofReview. Each engagement runs through the same disciplined process: source documents are indexed, transactions are reconciled, and findings are organized into reviewer-grade workpapers rather than narrative memos.
FinancialProofReview engagements are led by a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) with subject-matter expertise in forensic accounting, fraud examination, and financial-record review. Reviews are conducted from a fraud-examination perspective and produce workpaper-style analysis, summaries, timelines, and issue lists. The work is financial-record review support, not legal advice, law-enforcement authority, charging decisions, or testimony.
The methodology is operated by HopkinsForensic, an independent forensic-accounting firm.
Start here
Start with the records available
If the financial records need organization before counsel, expert, or CPA review — or if the cost of a full forensic engagement is not yet proportionate to the matter — the first step is an intake review to confirm scope and record availability.
About this review service
FinancialProofReview and HopkinsForensic provide forensic accounting and financial-record review support. They are not a law firm, retained forensic expert firm, damages calculation firm, or expert witness service. They do not provide legal advice, expert reports, damages opinions, or trial testimony. The scope and usefulness of any review depends on the records available.