Shea Smith Selected as United Way of Broward County's "Man of Style"

Congratulations to BDPB Audit Manager Shea Smith who was recently selected as the 2010 "Man of Style" to represent the United Way of Broward County. Men of Style are recognized for their outstanding efforts to better the local community.

Shea was honored at the Men of Style Launch Party on Tuesday, September 28th at the Capital Grille in Fort Lauderdale and will be recognized again Thursday, December 2nd at the Men of Style Shopping Event at the Galleria Mall.

The Men of Style Shopping Night provides local charities the opportunity to raise much needed funds for vital community programs. Participating charities include: Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, ArtServe, Fort Lauderdale Children's Theatre, Junior Achievement of South Florida, Leadership Broward Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Southern Florida, United Way of Broward County, and Women in Distress.

Two New Associate Directors Announced at Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, LLP

Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, LLP is pleased to announce to announce that Richard S. Fechter and Joel D. Glick, members of the Forensic and Business Valuation Department, have been promoted to Associate Director.


From Manager to Associate Director:

Richard S. Fechter, JD, CAMS is an expert in forensic accounting investigations. He assists governments, court-appointed receivers, and corporate officers and directors and their outside counsel in the following situations: (1) government misappropriations; (2) anti-money laundering investigations and compliance; (3) embezzlement schemes; (4) ponzi schemes; (5) payments to fictitious vendors; (6) compliance with corporate ethics policies; (7) improper financial reporting; (8) analysis of lost profits; and (9) analysis of fraudulent conveyances, preferences, and other forensic issues involving insolvency case. An attorney and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, he is a member of the Florida Bar Association; The Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists; the Dade County Bar Association; and the South Florida Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Mr. Fechter received his Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Maryland. He also received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law.



Joel D. Glick, CPA, CFF provides litigation support in the areas of lost profit and damage analysis, bankruptcy and receivership matters, fraud and forensic accounting investigations, breach of contract, shareholder disputes, non-compete covenants, securities litigation, matrimonial disputes, wrongful death, defamation, and other general commercial matters.
He also practices in the areas of strategic financial consulting and business advisory services including due-diligence investigations, preparation of pro-forma financial information and financial forecasts.

Certified in Financial Forensics, he is a member of the Association of Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Mr. Glick received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Florida.

Four New Directors Announced at Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, LLP

JULY, 2010---Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, LLP is pleased to announce that Associate Directors Andreea Cioara-Schinas, Adam L. Firestein, Daniel S. Hughes and Sandra L. Perez have been promoted to Firm Directors.

Andreea Cioara-Schinas, CPA
Director of Tax Services

Andreea Cioara-Schinas has extensive experience in various areas of taxation, including pass-through, corporate, bankruptcy, receiverships, FAS 109 and Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404. She provides tax consulting services to recognized names in the real estate industry and to corporations engaging in mergers and acquisitions. She is also an insolvency tax specialist on some of the largest bankruptcy and receivership cases in South Florida.

A summa cum laude graduate of the Florida International University Master of Science in Taxation program, Ms. Cioara-Schinas is a member of the Leadership Council of Take Stock in Children of Miami –Dade County as well as Vice-Chair of the FICPA Florida Institute on Federal Taxation Committee. She was named as an “Emerging Leader-A Woman to Watch” this June at the FICPA’s Women’s Leadership Summit. She also is a guest speaker at the Florida International University, Executive Master in Taxation Program, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Tax Council, and at the Greater Miami Tax Institute.



Adam L. Firestein, CPA
Director of Attest and Accounting Services

Adam L. Firestein has provided attestation services to clients for more than 13 years. His experience includes auditing financial statements (including audits under Yellow Book requirements and public entities), performing review and agreed-upon procedure engagements and reviewing internal controls. He is also responsible for managing multiple audit engagements as well as the supervision and training of audit staff. His diversified experience includes clients in the governmental, employee benefit plan, not-for-profit, construction and manufacturing industries.

Mr. Firestein is a former member of the Annual FICPA Nonprofit Conference Committee and a current member of the Annual FICPA Construction Conference Committee as well as a Reviewer on the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and a member of the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA). He is a graduate of the University of South Florida with both a BS and a Master’s degree in Accounting.



Daniel S. Hughes, CPA, CFF
Director of Forensic and Business Valuation Services

Dan Hughes focuses his practice in Forensic Services and has nearly 20 years of experience with international accounting and consulting firms. Mr. Hughes has extensive experience in the quantification of economic damages in variety of commercial litigation matters as well as complex business interruption insurance claims. In addition, he has significant experience assisting officers and Board of Director committees with accounting investigations for financial reporting irregularities, embezzlement schemes, undisclosed transactions, unfair self-dealing, and undisclosed conflicts of interest / related party transactions. Mr. Hughes also has experience in post-merger / acquisition disputes as well as bankruptcy / reorganization. Industries served include hotels/real estate/restaurants, consumer retail, health care, and financial institutions.

Mr. Hughes is a graduate of the University of Illinois. A member of the 2010 class of Leadership Miami, he is also a member of the Board of Directors of the South Florida Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and Treasurer and member of the Board of the Bankers Club.



Sandra L. Perez, CPA, ABV, CFF
Director of Family Law Forensic Services

Sandra Perez has been performing forensic and valuation services for over 16 years and has developed a specialization in complex matrimonial and divorce issues. She has provided deposition testimony and has appeared before the courts as an expert witness. Assisting legal counsel in all aspects of the cases, she provides assistance in settlement conferences and mediations; she testifies in court; and she prepares business valuations as a part of determining the net worth and income of the parties. Ms Perez also prepares valuations of closely held companies for estate and gift tax purposes, purchase and sale transactions and buy-out agreements.

Certified in financial forensics and accredited in business valuation, Ms. Perez has been recognized several times as one of the top CPAs in Litigation Support. She is an associate member of the Broward County Bar Association, an affiliate member of the Florida Bar Family Law Section and a member of the Resource Council of the FICPA Valuation/Forensic Accounting and Litigation section. She holds a Master of Science in Taxation from the University of Miami.

New Car Purchases Qualify For A Year End Tax Credit/Deduction

Those who have or will buy new passenger vehicles between Feb. 17 and Dec. 31 of this year may be able to deduct state and local sales and excise taxes paid on up to $49,500 of the purchase price. The deduction applies only to 2009 tax returns and is available regardless of whether a taxpayer itemizes deductions on his or her return, according to the I.R.S. site.

The amount of the new vehicle deduction is phased out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income is $125,000 to $135,000 for individual filers and $250,000 to $260,000 for joint filers.

Elsewhere, legislation passed earlier this year created a special tax credit of up to $2,500 for certain low-speed plug-in electric vehicles and two- or three-wheel vehicles (think the smaller vehicles that resemble golf carts). According to the I.R.S. site, the amount of the credit is 10 percent of the cost of the vehicle, up to $2,500, for a purchase made after Feb. 17, 2009, and before Jan. 1, 2012.

Another credit, of anywhere from $2,500 to $15,000 depending on battery capacity and gross vehicle weight rating, is available for plug-in and hybrid vehicles designed for the highway and bought this year, according to Erik Lammert, a tax researcher at the National Association of Tax Professionals. For vehicles purchased next year, the credit tops out at $7,500.

BDPB Director Ken Strauss Tapes A TV Segment For Broward Kids

BDPB Tax Director, Ken Strauss, once again demonstrates his dedication to Broward County youth.

Ken recently filmed a segment for an episode of the television series Hall Pass, a 10-part series designed to get middle and high school students ready for life. Hall Pass airs on the BECON network, which is owned and operated by the Broward County School board and is viewed all the way from the Florida Keys to Palm Beach County. The series was recently nominated for an EMMY award and has many positive messages for teens.

The episode in which Ken will be featured is set to air in July 2010 and will focus on goal setting and the importance of being organized. Ken was interviewed to provide kids with tips and advice on money management.

If you are interested in viewing Ken's appearance on the show, you can find a full episode schedule at www2.becon.tv/becon-tv-schedules.

Click here to contact Ken Strauss.