Financial Investigator Job Description
Financial Investigator Job Profile and Description
Financial investigators are often hired by conglomerates or holding companies to build-up confidential financial profiles of companies and individuals that are potential parties to large financial transactions with them. These investigators are often certified public accountants (CPAs) who work closely with brokers and financial institutions to ascertain a company’s true stock valuation.
Financial Investigator Duties and Responsibilities
- Gather and review financial documents, inter-office memorandums, audit reports, loan documents as well as newspaper articles about the company and other data sources to assess the company’s true financial condition.
- Examine the minutes of meetings of directors, stockholders and committees to investigate the specific authority extended at various levels of management.
- Investigate activities of institutions to check they’re operations are complying with legal requirements and that no legal livability will burden the acquiring company.
- Train other financial investigators.
- Prepare valuation reports and recommendations with supporting exhibits that detail a target company’s assets and liabilities, loan exposures, acquisition risk and compliance with laws and regulations.
Financial Investigator Skills and Specifications
- Must have an eye for financial detail to spot inconsistencies or errors
- Must have the tenacity to go through voluminous records or a corporation’s financial statements
- Must be able to work long hours and often under pressure of a deadline
- Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Must have excellent interpersonal and social skills for dealing with corporations and individual at various management levels
Financial Investigator Education and Qualifications
- A college degree with BS accounting is basic and a CPA certification is preferred
- Experience in corporate auditing is an advantage
Financial Investigator Detective Salary
The median annual wages of financial non-CPA Financial Investigators were $41,760 in May 2008. The middle 50% earned between $30,900 and $59,000 with the lowest 10% getting around $23,500, and the highest 10% at around $76,700. A CPA can expect to earn higher with an annual median salary of $60,300 in 2009.