Accounting and auditing services are common to all accounting firms. Yet even within these "basics" there are real and discernable differences. At Cornick Garber Sandler, we offer our clients a sophisticated, in-depth approach - one that treats the audit, review, compilation or attestation engagement as the first step of a process, not the final product.

At the Outset
The engagement begins with a determined effort to understand your business almost as well as you do. We utilize this knowledge in order to provide the most cost effective service. In addition to rendering financial statements and reports, we seek to identify and evaluate a company's strengths and weaknesses so that management can make sound decisions. While other accounting firms may solve problems when they are presented, we seek to identify problem situations before they surface and suggest appropriate action.

Partner Involvement
Our partners possess a broad range of accounting, auditing and industry expertise, including new or highly complex accounting standards and SEC rules and regulations. After meeting with the client direct partner involvement continues with planning the engagement strategy, and continues with staff supervision through the review, evaluation and final client discussion phase. Our partners understand and assist our clients in achieving their objectives, whether they are related to the needs of a relatively simple start-up operation, an initial public offering or a sophisticated business that is expanding internationally.

Our involvement consists of assisting in the development of business plans, including financial forecasts and projections for an existing or for a contemplated business. Our network of financial resources and other professionals often provides the wherewithal to make the plan a reality.

Business technology grows more powerful and complex each year. In today's challenging business environment companies require expert guidance to help them leverage the benefits of business technology to make their businesses more efficient, responsive and profitable. Our certified professionals offer a broad range of business technology expertise to assist our clients in achieving their business goals, including:

• Business Needs Analysis and Process Re-engineering
• Accounting/Business Management Software Analysis and Selection
• Accounting/Business Management Software Implementation and Customization
• IT Systems Selection, Procurement, Maintenance and Technical Support
• Local and Wide Area Networking Design and Implementation
• Internet Business Technologies Consulting and Implementation
• Network Security Technologies Consulting and Implementation
• Document Management Systems Consulting and Implementation
• Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning and Consulting
• Information Technology and Business Application Training and Support

As accountants and tax advisors, we are well equipped to advise you on various aspects of your start-up company. Additionally, we are dedicated to providing objective advice and support throughout the various stages of growth and expansion. Our hands-on approach provides clients with an entire team of experienced professionals ready to assist you with any and all of your business and financial planning needs.

Cornick Garber Sandler provides estate planning for high net worth individuals and family businesses. Our experienced advisors work closely with your family and corporate attorneys to devise an effective plan that meets your financial goals. Our planning services cover everything from trust and estate tax preparation and compliance, estate administration, and planning for charitable giving, to gifts for children and grandchildren.

Creating effective solutions is the goal of our IT Department. We work closely with our clients to understand how their information flows and what types of controls exist, and then determine what will be needed for the future. We can assist in the selection and implementation of accounting software, whether it's for small to mid-sized enterprises or not-for-profits.

As members of The International Accountants Group (TIAG), a global alliance of independent firms, our resources reach across the globe and enable us to serve businesses and individuals operating across borders. Whether you are a U.S. business owner looking to do business in a foreign market, a foreign business owner seeking opportunities in the U.S. or an expat with various U.S. compliance issues, we can provide you with effective advice.

Careful tax planning is critical to any business operation. It involves an understanding of the interrelated areas of tax laws as they continually change through new legislation, regulations and rulings. It also involves the motivation and skill to recognize opportunities and recommend creative solutions. Taxes are a complicated and demanding discipline and at Cornick Garber Sandler we place a distinct professional emphasis on our Tax Department, as evidenced by the high ratio of tax practitioners to total professionals in the firm.

A Unique Angle of Approach

Individuals often require professional assistance in identifying their financial objectives and goals. Under the direction of a Certified Financial Planner, we assist our clients in developing a comprehensive framework that incorporates such elements as estate planning, insurance requirements and investment planning to meet short and long-term requirements.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed by Congress primarily in response to some of the more notable business failures (Enron, Worldcom, etc.) resulting from financial reporting fraud. Section 404 of that Act, which deals with management's responsibility for and requires the auditor's opinion on a registrant's internal control over financial reporting, is considered the most controversial and expensive portion of that law. At Cornick Garber Sandler we provide timely and cost-effective assistance to our clients with their Section 404 compliance programs by providing appropriate documentation of the systems, assisting with the periodic testing of systems in place prior to the year-end audit and our recommendations for system remediation and improvement. Our services include a complete documentation process and meetings with management, boards of directors and external auditors to discuss our findings and recommendations. Our clients advise us that by us performing the interim testing, it not only provides greater objectivity but it also reduces internal disruptions resulting from their need to rely on their limited internal resources. It is also considered as desirable by their external auditors who tend to place greater reliance on an outside source and can thus reduce the scope of their own audit procedures.

While entering the publicly traded markets constitutes a significant step in the growth of many businesses, it also involves a change in the mindset of entrepreneurs who must now consider their new partners, the public and the many rules and regulations which apply under the securities laws. At Cornick Garber Sandler we have served as accountants, advisors and auditors to publicly traded enterprises throughout our existence, beginning in 1968. Some of our clients have grown from relatively small family owned businesses to large multi-national corporations. As a long time member of the AICPA's Center for Audit Quality and its predecessor, the SEC Practice Section and under the direction of our Director of Accounting and Auditing Practices, who has served as Chairman of the SEC Practice Committee of the New York State Society of CPA's and on the SEC Advisory Committee of the AICPA, we provide our clients with a thorough, experienced background to guide them through the sometimes arduous registration process with the SEC, advise our clients on compliance with the rules and regulations pertaining to various SEC filings and serve as auditors of publicly traded entities. We also advise publicly traded companies on compliance with some of the more complex new accounting issues as they arise.

Our firm has been registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Standards Board (PCAOB) since its founding and has already undergone successful inspections by the PCAOB staff. Unlike the large international accounting firms where your inquiries can take days or weeks to be cleared through the "national office", at Cornick Garber Sandler we are structured to rapidly respond to our client's inquiries.

The information contained on this website should not be construed as giving accounting, tax, legal, consulting, or other professional advice or services. The contents of this website are in no way a substitute for professional advice from a qualified professional who understands the user's particular circumstances. Accordingly, we do not intend or represent that information contained herein addresses any individual matters or situations involving individuals or any specific business entity.