What the Movie "The Accountant" Tells You about Forensic Accounting and Why It's Legit
Recently, Ben Affleck took on a very serious role in a movie known as The Accountant. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "That sounds incredibly boring. Who would want to watch a movie about an accountant?" What you are missing is the fact that his character does not just play an accountant; his character is a high-functioning adult with ASD who is a forensic accountant. That career is shades darker and potentially more interesting than a standard accountant. In fact, the movie reveals some very real scenarios and facts that are part and parcel of every forensic accountant's career. Here is what is truly legitimate about the movie, sans action scenes.
Forensic Accountants Are Paid Extremely Well by High-Profile Clients
Yes, this is true. High-profile clients hire forensic accountants to needle out embezzlement, fraud, money laundering, insider trading, and extortion, among other white-collar crimes. In the movie, the character finds a scheme that involves embezzlement for the purpose of buying up company shares quickly when the company goes public to be traded on the stock market. The CEO hires the accountant to root out who is doing this so that the criminal may be fired and arrested. Embezzling is bad enough, but when people know that a company is about to go public and they want to buy as many shares as possible, it becomes inside trading. CEOs pay forensic accountants big bucks to root out these criminals and avoid scandals.
Forensic Accountants May Have Less Upstanding Clients
Not every client a forensic accountant has is necessarily an upstanding business owner. However, every client does have to file taxes, and he or she needs the discretion of the forensic accountant to file. Unless subpoenaed by a federal court of law to testify against a client, a forensic accountant does not talk about his or her clients in a way that exposes them and what they do to earn money. In fact, most clients do not have to reveal the nature of their careers or businesses either. Because the accountant doesn't know much about the client and the client only knows that the accountant is able to file taxes without divulging sensitive client information, they have a very private relationship. It also protects the accountant from any subpoenas or warrants against a client now or in the future.
Uncovered Crimes Lead to Arrests
Unlike the movie, uncovered crimes lead to arrests, not assassinations (although character assassinations by the press may follow). Just look at the account of Martha Stewart a few years back. A forensic accountant found out about the insider trading she was doing or attempting to do, and she was arrested. That is exactly what happens to people who are exposed to be participating in white collar criminal activity.
For more information about forensic accounting, contact a professional forensic accountant.