ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Forensic accountant

Okay, so you know how sometimes grown-ups use money to buy things like toys or food? Well, sometimes bad people try to take that money away from other people in sneaky ways, like stealing or lying. That's where a forensic accountant comes in!

A forensic accountant is like a detective who uses really good math skills to figure out if someone has stolen or cheated with a lot of money. They look at numbers and papers like bills, bank statements, and tax records. They follow the money trail to see where it all went, and if it went to places it shouldn't have.

Sometimes they have to do some investigating and ask people questions to find out what happened. But they always make sure to follow the rules, just like the police. Once they have all the information they need, they write reports to tell the grown-ups in charge what happened and what they found.

The grown-ups can then use that information to make sure the bad people get caught and that the stolen money gets back to the right people. So, a forensic accountant is like a superhero who uses math and numbers to fight financial crimes and protect people's money. Cool, right?