• Artificial Intelligence

    Create a Custom GPT to Automate Your Favorite Prompts

    January 7, 2026

    Learn how to create a Custom GPT with AI writing the prompts for you! In this short demo, I will show you how to create a goal-setting Custom GPT. Here is a practical way to put AI to work in your consulting practice. If you find yourself using the same prompt over and over, you can automate it by creating what OpenAI calls a Custom GPT. Every AI platform has its own name for this concept, but the idea is the same: a reusable, automated prompt that delivers consistent results whenever you need it. In the video, I walk through…

  • Artificial Intelligence - Financial Forensics - QuickRead Top Story

    Integrating AI in eDiscovery and Digital Forensics for Corporate Investigations: AI-Driven Digital Investigations Workflow

    December 17, 2025

    In investigations requiring eDiscovery and digital forensics, AI can be a powerful complementary tool. It enables the analysis of digital information in ways that are both efficient and insightful. This article explores practical recommendations and processes for implementing AI in digital investigations and their workflows. Introduction When most people think of Artificial Intelligence (AI), they often envision Generative AI (Gen-AI) tools that create content (such as images, videos, or text) or imagine futuristic scenarios involving intelligent robots or dystopian worlds where AI becomes self-aware, like Skynet and the T-800 from Terminator. While these ideas are fascinating, the real-world impact of…

  • QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Engagement Letter Can Make or Break You: A Business Valuation Expert’s Perspective

    December 3, 2025

    Drawing from a presentation at the 2025 NACVA BVFL Super Conference by Glenn Block and Greg Clark, this article explores key elements of effective engagement letters, common pitfalls, and practical examples to guide valuation experts in crafting robust agreements. In the ever-evolving landscape of business valuation and forensic accounting, engagement letters serve as a cornerstone of professional practice. As highlighted in the 2025 NACVA presentation by Glenn Block and Greg Clark, these documents are not mere formalities. Rather, they are strategic tools that can protect practitioners, clarify expectations, and ensure compliance with professional standards. Drawing from the presentation, this article…

  • Artificial Intelligence - Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Interference? How AI is Reshaping Litigation for Better and Worse

    November 12, 2025

    AI remains a flawed practice companion. In addition to the possibility of hallucinated case citations and incorrect legal analysis, the use of AI introduces data privacy concerns and risks misadvising individuals due to overly generalized AI conclusions. In this article, the author addresses the following: Does the use of AI in litigation represent true artificial intelligence, or is it artificial interference preventing a just outcome? Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the modern-day legal landscape, offering tools for research, drafting, fact development, document review, expert services, jury selection, and even predicting case outcomes. If used correctly and with robust safeguards,…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Create Video Training on Any Topic with AI and Notebook LM

    November 12, 2025

    Here is a practical use for AI in your consulting practice. If you ever need to create training for a new employee or intern, you will find this method very useful. It will save you hours of time and make you look like a well-organized firm. We will use Perplexity in this demo, but you could use your favorite AI chatbot to do the same thing. Watch this video to see how to create professional video training on any topic in a few short minutes. Colin Brown is the CTO of Syncnet.com and helps consultants implement AI into their practice.…

  • Financial Forensics - QuickRead Top Story

    AI Washing: The Hidden Risk Behind the Hype

    October 1, 2025

    Among the most pressing concerns is the phenomenon of AI washing, which can be the practice of overstating or misrepresenting a company’s AI capabilities or can be the increased acceptance of low-quality output. While it may be a trendy marketing tactic, AI washing can also carry significant legal liabilities and valuation distortions that demand scrutiny. The author discusses her views on AI washing and the implications for companies and professionals that view it as a panacea. With all the Artificial Intelligence (AI) prefixes affixed to articles, software, and paid gateway add-ons, buyer’s remorse and cautionary tales are slowly creeping into…

  • QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Clients Turning to AI: Evaluating Your Work Product and Professional Services

    October 1, 2025

    The author states that over the past year, he has seen clients use AI tools to “check” his work, draft their own valuation commentary, and even generate critique his reports. While he welcomes their curiosity, some encounters have been alarming. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a topic for webinars or conference panels. It is now part of daily client interactions. Over the past year, I have seen clients use AI tools to “check” my work, draft their own valuation commentary, and even generate critiques of my reports. While I welcome curiosity, some encounters have been alarming. Ready or…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Addressing Client Data Privacy Concerns with ChatGPT: Data privacy with AI chatbots

    October 1, 2025

    How to deal with the risks. Many consultants are understandably concerned about uploading client information into ChatGPT. The biggest fear is that sensitive, identifiable data could be exposed, shared with others, or even used to train future AI models. Watch this video to show you how to deal with the risks. Colin Brown is the CTO of Syncnet.com and helps consultants implement AI into their practice. He can be contacted at https://Syncnet.com or cto@syncnet.com.

  • Practice Management - QuickRead Top Story

    5 Thoughts on Thought Leadership: It is About Positioning

    September 17, 2025

    In this article, Rod Burkert reflects on the value and limits of thought leadership, how to position oneself or the firm, and ways that AI can help bolster the positioning effort. Ok. First, I am not a fan of the term “thought leadership” … or its predecessor, “content marketing” (so 2010s) … or the latest I’ve heard, “being a sage.” But let’s proceed with “thought leadership,” and if you know what I’m talking about, we are good to go! Pick a Niche, Build a Thought Leadership Platform Around It, and Own It One of the most overlooked opportunities in BVFLS…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Autonomous AI Agents are Here! And They Are Easy to Implement!

    July 30, 2025

    Use ChatGPT’s newly released agents to automate every task you can define. ChatGPT’s new AI agents are purpose-built digital assistants designed to handle specific tasks autonomously, making them a powerful tool for business consultants. These agents can research competitors, summarize client documents, generate reports, follow workflows, or even respond to e-mails; all with minimal input. For consultants juggling multiple clients and projects, AI agents can act like virtual team members, saving hours of manual work and helping you deliver faster, smarter results. Now it is your turn to create your own autonomous AI agent. Post your ideas below the video…

  • Financial Forensics - Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    The Evolution of Fraudulent Schemes: Increased Misuse and Sophistication of AI to Commit Digital Fraud

    July 16, 2025

    The level of sophistication used by fraudsters continues to increase. Fraudsters are using voice recognition and voice swapping, as well as other generative AI tools that continue to evolve. It is critical to constantly reassess internal controls and understand how AI is used and misused. In this article, the author shares some of the schemes used and issues a challenge to entities as well as to accounting and fraud examiners. At this point, the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) generating content is nothing new. You have likely seen plenty of videos and pictures of AI-generated content on Facebook, YouTube, etc.…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Create a Pricing Calculator for Your Services with AI

    July 16, 2025

    Use Canva and ChatGPT to Create a Pricing Calculator you can use on your website. AI is changing the game when it comes to coding. Now, even if you do not know a thing about programming, you can still bring your ideas to life. With AI-powered tools, all you need to do is describe what you want and the AI will handle the code for you. It is as simple as telling the system what you need—whether it is building a website, creating an app, or automating a task—and watching the AI turn your request into functional code. This opens…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    U.S. Copyright Office Clarifies AI-Created Content: Human Touch Still Required

    June 17, 2025

    Copyright Office Clarifies AI-Created Content In a much-anticipated clarification, the U.S. Copyright Office has officially ruled that works involving artificial intelligence (AI) can be eligible for copyright protection, but only when a human hand plays a meaningful role in shaping the final result. In short, AI can assist, but it cannot claim authorship. What Counts and What Does Not According to the Copyright Office’s latest guidance, the key to copyright eligibility lies in human creativity. If a person uses an AI tool to generate raw content—such as text, images, music, or video—that alone is not enough. Simply inputting a prompt…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Using AI to Create a Financial Plan With ChatGPT 4o

    June 4, 2025

    An AI prompt to help you create a financial plan. This last week, I presented an AI webinar for NACVA called “AI Prompt Engineering: How to Get Better Results from AI for Your Consulting Practice” I showed attendees all my favorite tricks and frameworks for getting the most from ChatGPT and other LLMs. Someone from the audience asked if AI could create a financial plan but I simply ran out of time to show her how I would do it. So this week, I am sharing a prompt you could customize to fit your needs with a few adjustments. I…

  • Financial Forensics - QuickRead Top Story

    Is Bitcoin a Ponzi Scheme According to Charles Ponzi? Conversations with ChatGPT

    May 28, 2025

    In this article, the author discusses the conversation she had with ChatGPT regarding Bitcoin and Ponzi schemes. This question has been around nearly as long as Bitcoin itself (without the Charles Ponzi qualifier). How could I have a conversation with Charles Ponzi? Perhaps ChatGPT has ingested enough material about the historical figure to do it for me. I initiated a new conversation with ChatGPT and asked, “Is Bitcoin a Ponzi scheme?” The short answer it gave was no and the model provided some reasons but they are boring. I then responded, “Give me more specific answers designed for a legal…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    10 High-Impact, Practical Ways Consultants Can Use AI to Improve Efficiency by 50% or More

    May 21, 2025

    This article reviews 10 ways you can use AI in your consulting firm to improve efficiency. I have a lot of people tell me that AI is pretty cool but ask, how can I use it to boost the efficiency of my consulting practice? It is easy to get caught up in the hype of new technology, but there really are some immediate benefits that you can implement quickly to have more time with family and friends and less time at the office. Here is my list: AI-Powered Proposal and Report Generation Use Case: Automate the creation of consulting proposals,…

  • Financial Forensics - Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    Reducing Privacy Fine Exposure on the Cheap: (With the Help of ChatGPT)

    May 14, 2025

    In this article, the author provides three versions of a data retention policy that appears compliant with GDPR or NIST. After taking NACVA’s cybersecurity course, a student reached out to me asking for a Data Retention Policy template that would be compliant with the statutes and frameworks discussed in the course, such as the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework or the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). I thought this may be a good question for large language models because the subject matter is old enough that there is a sufficiently large amount of material available…

  • Practice Management - QuickRead Top Story

    AI Managed My Work Schedule for Two Weeks and My Productivity Doubled

    May 7, 2025

    How can one materially improve productivity in just two weeks? In this article, the author describes how she allowed artificial intelligence to start managing her work schedule. What happened next surprised her: the author gained nearly two hours a day and doubled her weekly task completion rate. I am a single mom with two kids under three years old. I work full-time as a forensic accountant and economic damages analyst. I also own several rental properties—most of which are under construction at any given time—and I serve as my own general contractor. That means I juggle everything from client calls…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Exposing Weaknesses in AI

    May 7, 2025

    Today, I am taking a risk. A risk of exposing weaknesses in AI and applying it to the business valuation profession. So, follow along with my experiment and let’s see what happens. First of all, you should know that I have the paid version of ChatGPT ($20/month) and I used the 4o model for my test. Since I am a tech wizard and not a CVA, I started simple. Prompt #1: What kind of data do you need to calculate DCF? Here was the response from ChatGPT. Prompt #2: Yes, could you give me a downloadable DCF template and then…

  • Artificial Intelligence

    AI Keeps Leaping! Gemini 2.5 Pro EXP Shines and Your Shortcut to Staying Current

    April 9, 2025

    Just like I predicted in my last post, the AI chatbot race is heating up, with models leapfrogging each other constantly! This time, Google’s new Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental made a splash, and based on my own quick test, it is impressively capable. [Check it out here: https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/pro/] Putting Gemini 2.5 Pro to the Test I gave it a real-world challenge: write Python code to pull data from a CSV file into an MSSQL database. Honestly, it blew me away. In roughly five minutes, it churned out 379 lines of code that worked; needing just one tiny fix that it…