Renee Howdeshell

Renee Howdeshell is a founding member of Fulcrum Inquiry, an accounting, finance and economic consulting firm that performs damage analyses for commercial litigation, forensic accountings, royalty & distribution audits, financial investigations, and business valuations. Ms. Howdeshell holds a degree in Finance and Marketing from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). She has testified as an expert witness in federal court, CA state court and arbitration regarding the results of her work. She can be reached at (213) 787-4112 and her resume is available at www.fulcrum.com.

Most commented posts

  1. “Too Big to Audit” is no defense — 2 comments
  2. Steve Jobs’ Key Man Discount — 1 comment
  3. Hollywood Accounting: Another good reason to read (and audit) your contracts. — 1 comment
  4. Michael Vick and the Duration of Reputational Damage — 1 comment
  5. Get the benefit of the government’s experience when selecting vendors. — 1 comment

Author's posts

Legal Fees in Divorce Disallowed as a Business Expense

A recent case in the Tax Court decision, Lucas, T.C. Memo. 2018-80 held that legal and professional fees related to an investment advisory firm partner’s divorce do not qualify as business expenses.  The Tax Court determined that they were instead nondeductible personal expenses. One of Mr. Lucas’ arguments was that the millions in legal and professional fees …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/02/legal-fees-in-divorce-disallowed-as-a-business-expense/

IRS Whistleblowers Set New Record

A concerted effort by the IRS to improve its whistleblower reporting program is showing benefits to both sides.   IRS whistleblowers collected $312 million in fiscal 2018, a huge increase over the $33.9 million received in the prior year.  The IRS collected $1.4 Billion from the tips provided by these whistleblowers. In order to collect an …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/02/irs-whistleblowers-set-new-record/

Tinder Age Discrimination Suit

Tinder will provide an estimated $17.3 million in subscription features and cash to settle an age discrimination suit which claims the company overcharged its older generation of dating app users. Tinder’s policy of charging an extra $10 per month to its Tinder Plus users over the age of 30 has been called a  violation of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/01/tinder-age-discrimination-suit/

Happy Tax Alleges False Advertising Claim Against H&R Block

Happy Tax is a smaller, lesser known competitor to H&R Block, one of the leaders in the tax preparation industry.  Happy Tax alleges that H&R Block misleads the public by advertising its upfront and transparent pricing plan is available “only from H&R Block.” Happy Tax contends this pricing strategy was Happy Tax’ innovation, and that it …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/01/happy-tax-alleges-false-advertising-claim-against-hr-block/

When Litigation Proceeds Are Taxable

Economic damages should return a plaintiff to the position they would have been in “but for” the underlying improper act[s] by the defendant.  They should not provide a windfall to plaintiff.  In a similar vein, whether such damages are taxable is generally related to how the proceeds would have been treated if obtained in the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/01/when-litigation-proceeds-are-taxable/

Rihanna sues her father over use of their shared name

Although many people know her simply as Rihanna, the worldwide superstar’s full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Rihanna has trademarked the name “Fenty” and used it for various branded ventures, most notably her successful beauty line Fenty Beauty.  Certainly the name has value and is worth protecting.   As reported by TMZ, Rihanna is currently endeavoring to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/01/rihanna-sues-her-father-over-use-of-their-shared-name/

Defend Trade Secrets Act Provides Federal Protection from Misappropriation

Defend Trade Secrets Act “DTSA” now provides federal protection against and remedies for trade secret misappropriation that previously existed via the state courts.  DTSA defines a  trade secret as: “All forms and types of financial, business, scientific, technical, economic, or engineering information, including patterns, plans, compilations, program devices, formulas, designs, prototypes, methods, techniques, processes, procedures, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/01/defend-trade-secrets-act-protects-against-misappropriation/

Couple’s Homeless Man Generosity Story is an Alleged Fraud

After raising nearly $400,000 in donations on popular charitable giving site GoFundMe with an inspiring story of a homeless man who gave his last $20 to help a stranded woman motorist, the story is now alleged to be a fraud perpetuated by a couple in conspiracy with him.  The three have been charged with second-degree theft …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2018/11/gofundme-couples-homeless-man-generosity-story-is-an-alleged-fraud/

NFL Player Claims Lost Earnings of $180 Million

It has been reported that Sharrif Floyd, a former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle, will sue the notable surgeon who he claims prematurely ended his NFL career.  Floyd is claiming damages of $180 million, an amount described as his lost future earnings in the NFL. Many have questioned the reasonableness of the reported claim.  While NFL …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2018/11/nfl-player-claims-lost-earnings-of-180-million/

The Appropriate Discount Rate in a Lost Earnings Claim

Every few years, the Journal of Forensic Economics (JFE) publishes the results of its survey of National Association of Forensic Economics (NAFE) members regarding their methods, estimates, and perspectives on lost earnings calculations.  As described in this related article, this survery demonstrates how damages experts often disagree regarding the appopriate discount rate in a lost …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2018/11/the-appropriate-discount-rate-in-a-lost-earnings-claim-2/