It has been published that some Attorneys have reached a point in their careers where they are burned out and maybe even considering a change of profession. It is known that the COVID-19 months of isolation have taken their toll and have reduced the desire for some...

Forensic accounting[1] investigates financial transactions and business situations to obtain the truth and develop an expert opinion regarding possible fraudulent activity. Two areas of expertise make up the field of forensic accounting: Litigation support and...

As a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) of 30-plus years and retired federal agent, it is part of my job to educate the community and provide information that will help people identify scams and prevent them from losing their hard-earned money. The Sage Team has compiled...

Early on, the Texas Supreme Court established the basic principles of tracing separate property. Where separate and community funds were commingled in a bank account, it was considered impossible to segregate the funds.[1] In 1976 James D. Stewart adopted from Farrow...

It is nearing the end of 2022, and like every other year, fraud is the cases worked on by the Sage Team. The Sage Team has been hired to handle fraud cases by corporations, attorneys, and accounting departments. We saw a lot of occupational fraud throughout the year,...

Tracing Essentials If your client is contemplating marriage after the death of a spouse or divorce and the client was left with a high net worth, it is necessary to protect their separate property before their remarriage. It is best since you are marshaling the assets...

Business attorneys like yourself are always trying to help clients prevent fraud in their businesses. To prevent fraud, it is critical first to encourage your clients to develop a policy to deter fraud and make employees aware of the impact of fraud on the...

During the tax shelter years, individuals would invest in schemes to save money on federal income tax owed. As a result, scores of people lost money and became part of a con man's "sucker list." In early 2001, there was a fraud scheme in Las Vegas where sales...

Written by Edmond Martin, CFE, TBCI, and Daniel Fannin, CPA, CFE, CAMS – of Sage Investigations, LLC.  A retired individual and his wife divorced after more than 25 years of marriage. They sold their family home, and he received half of the proceeds totaling $175,000,...

The Texas Constitution, Article XVI, Sec. 15, defines Separate Property as all real and personal property of a spouse owned or claimed before marriage, and that was acquired afterward by gift, devise, or descent shall be the separate property of that spouse.[1] States...