Fort Lauderdale, FL - When disaster strikes, businesses turn to more than just spreadsheets and ledgers. They need someone who can read between the lines, ask the right questions, and help piece together a financial future out of chaos. For more than four decades, Bruce Smith, CPA/CFF, CFE, CPIA, founder of Smith Forensics, has been that someone with a steady hand that turns forensic accounting into both an art and a science.Bruce Smith’s journey through the world of numbers began at the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated in 1976 with a degree in investment and finance. After thirteen years as a controller for a major retail corporation in Milwaukee, Smith traded snow for sunshine, relocating to Florida in 1989 for a position with renowned accounting firm Arthur Young. There, Smith discovered his passion for forensic accounting, a field that would soon become his life’s work.In 1992, Smith launched his own practice with a focus on evaluating business interruption and property insurance claims. “Even as a child, I have always been interested in numbers and money,” shares Smith. “But forensic accounting is so much more than crunching numbers. It’s about understanding people, businesses, and the stories behind the numbers. Every engagement is different because every client’s story is unique.”Turning Complex Claims Into ClarityForensic accounting, as Smith describes, is a distinctly different specialty from traditional accounting. Rather than focusing on taxes or financial statement preparation, his role involves combing through financial records to determine the value of losses after disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and hailstorms. “I don’t prepare taxes or standard financial statements,” he explains. “I use them for analytical purposes to calculate the real-world effects of a loss. My job is to help clients and insurance companies understand what was lost in order to settle claims fairly.”A standout case in Smith’s career involved a Florida roofing nail manufacturer affected by Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. The insurance company’s forensic accountants had calculated the business interruption loss strictly using historical data. “But just before the storm, the client had purchased cutting-edge nail-making machines from Korea. They’d only used them for a few weeks, so their previous output did not reflect their true capabilities,” Smith recalls. After enlisting engineers from South Korea and conducting interviews with the manufacturer’s customers, Smith was able to demonstrate that potential production was far greater than the insurer’s initial calculations. The result: a settlement of $1.5 million versus the original $200,000 that had been offered.A Process Built on Curiosity and CommunicationSmith’s approach blends analytical rigor with investigative curiosity. Each engagement begins with interviews, not only to collect records but to understand how the business operates, what has changed recently, and what makes it unique. “Sometimes I dig into third-party sources, industry statistics, or even competitors’ data, especially when working with hotels or other service businesses. There’s always more to the story than meets the eye,” Smith emphasizes.Staying up to date in this rapidly evolving industry is a serious commitment. Smith regularly attends professional seminars, completes continuing education courses,