Ms. Bastian is the President of FVL Consultants, P.A., with over twenty-five (25) years experience in public accounting, specializing in forensic accounting, business valuations, litigation support (family law & complex commercial), expert witness testimony, taxation, estate and gift tax, international tax, financial analysis, cash flows, budgeting, purchase/sale transactions, restructure consulting, and management consulting in a variety of industries.
Forensic Accounting - Ms Bastian has performed forensic accounting, including testimony, related to shareholder disputes, embezzlement fraud & misappropriation, breach of fiduciary duty, related party transactions, tracings, and trust accounting. Several of her cases have gone on to have criminal prosecutions of the defendants.
Litigation Support - Ms. Bastian has qualified as an expert in Florida, Texas, and California on numerous occasions. She also has participated in mediation and collaborative cases. Many of her cases settle subsequent to her report and/or deposition testimony. She has provided expert witness testimony and litigation support, successfully defending her opinions, in the following areas:
- Marital Dissolutions
- Breach of Contract
- Real Estate and Construction Disputes
- Business Valuations
- Tracing
- Shareholder Disputes
- Trust Accounting and Estate Disputes
- Business Interruption
- Complex Economic Damages
Business Valuation Appraiser - Ms. Bastian has directly appraised or managed the appraisals of various entities, including operating companies, professional practices, holding companies, family limited partnerships, and start-ups in the following disciplines:
- Business Valuation
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Succession Planning
- Business Damage Analysis
- Dissenting Stockholder Suits
- Estate and Gift Tax Valuations
- Solvency Analysis
- Buy/Sell Agreements
- Marital Dissolution
Employment
2018 to Present - President, FVL Consultants
2016 to 2018 - Director, SWFL Litigation & Valuation Services, HBK Valuation Group LLC
2013 to 2016 - Litigation Manager, Stahl Consulting Group, P.A.
2012 to 2013 - Owner, Christy Bastian CPA
2011 to 2012 - Senior Manager, Briggs & Veselka Co.
2010 to 2011 - Senior Tax Manager/Leader of Houston Forensic, Valuation, and Litigation Services
Group, T.R. Moore & Company (A Doeren Mayhew Firm)
2008 to 2010 - Partner, Kemper CPA Group LLP
1996 to 2008 - Partner, The James Company (an Accy Corp.)
1992 to 1996 - Tax Manager, Grant Thorton LLP
Professional Memberships
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
- National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA)
- Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA)
- Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
- The Florida Bar
- Collier County Bar Association
- Collier County Women's Bar Association
Professional Designations
- CPA - Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Certification by the Accountancy Boards of the following states: Florida (#AC47169), California (#68423), and Texas (#099122).
- ABV - Certified Public Accountant/Accredited in Business Valuation (CPA/ABV). Designation awarded by the American Instiute of Certified Public Accountants to CPAs who possess substantial experience in business valuation and pass a written exam.
- CVA - Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA). Designation awarded by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.
College Education
Graduated 1992
California State University, Sacramento, CA
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Concentration in Accounting
Continued Education
Regularly completed Continuing Professional Eduction (CPE) credit hours in specialized courses, seminars, and conferences related to business valuations, family law and litigation support theory and practice, including:
- Business Valuations: Fundamentals, Techniques & Theory, NACVA (2005)
- Matrimonial Litigation Workshop, NACVA (2005)
- National Business Valuation School, AICPA (2006)
- National Conferences on Divorce, AICPA (various)
- National Business Valuation Conferences, NACVA (various)
- National Business Valuation Conferences, AICPA (various)
- Advanced Valuation & Case Study Workshop, NACVA
- Collaborative Practice Interdisciplinary Training
- Family Mediation Certification Training, USF (2013)
- Forensic & Valuation Services Conference, AICPA (various)
- AAML Marital & Family Law Review Course, AAML (various)
Professional and Civic Organizations
- Current - Marco Patriots, Inc. (non-profit financial advisor); The Florida Bar; Collier County Bar Association; Collier County Women's Bar Association
- Past Board of Director - Goodwill Foundation; Delta Rotary Club; Junior Aid of Stockton
- Past Member - The Florida Bar 13C Grievance Committee Member; Stockton Estate Planning Council; Women's Center Fundraising Committee; Northwest Houston Collaborative Family Law Professionals; Sacramento Collaborative Practice Group; Executive Women's Alliance; Next Generation Divorce; Carrollwood Bar Association; Hillsborough County Association
Speaking Engagements, Seminars & Publications
- University of the Pacific, Adjunct Accounting Professor, 1994-1995
- New Year New Tax Strategies - Montgomery County CPA Forum, November 2010
- How to Effectively Use Your Financial Expert in Valuation & Litigation Support - The Woodlands Bar Association, February 2011
- Effectively Using Your Financial Expert in Valuation & Litigation Support - Northwest Houston Collaborative Practice Group, November 2011
- What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger: Finding Balance In Your Life - Candid Conversations with Women CPA's... And It's Not About the Numbers - Greater Houston Women's Chamber Conference, April 2012
- What's That Business Really Worth? - Montgomery County CPA Forum, August 2012; Woods Edge Business Support Group, October 2012
- Locating Hidden Assets - National Business Institute Presents: Family Law From A-Z, December 2014, Tampa, FL
- Oversights That Result in Having 501(c)(3) Status Revoked: What You DON'T Know and Noncompliance with Lobbying Activity Rules/Limitations/Requirements, National Business Institute Present: Top 10 Mistakes 501(c)(3) Organizations Make, October 2015, Tampa, FL
- The Search for Hidden Income in Divorce Valuation - "Blogsight" blog, January 2011
- It's Complicated: Goodwill in Divorce Proceedings Provokes Much Conflict - "Blogsight" blog, April 2011