A PRACTICAL FINANCIAL REVIEW SYSTEM
FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
Know Where Your Money Is Going—
Before a Small Problem Gets Expensive.
The Small Business Money Defense Guide gives you a simple, repeatable system for spotting fraud risks, financial leakage, reporting errors, and costly control gaps—without needing an accounting background or spending hours reviewing reports.
Created by Chad Thompson, CPA, using patterns from 30 years of forensic accounting matters, financial disputes, and records that did not tell the whole story.
Guide + Full Toolkit · $97
Secure checkout · One-time purchase
THE PROBLEM
Most Owners Are Looking at the Wrong Numbers.
You may know how much money is in the bank. That does not tell you:
whether every customer payment reached the business;
whether an employee added unauthorized pay;
whether refunds went back to actual customers;
whether a vendor’s bank information was changed;
whether company cards are being used properly;
whether your margins are quietly deteriorating;
or whether one employee has too much control over the process.
Most losses do not begin with a sophisticated scheme. They begin with ordinary access that nobody independently reviews.
The evidence is usually already there—in the payroll register, refund report, bank activity, vendor list, credit-card statement, or a shifting financial ratio.
The problem is not always that the records are missing. It is that nobody has a repeatable system for reviewing them.
What This System Helps You Do
In about 15 minutes each month, you will know what to review, what should agree, what changed, and which questions to ask.
The system helps you:
catch unusual activity sooner;
create clearer accountability for employees and outside bookkeepers;
identify financial leakage before it becomes normal;
compare records that should agree;
track margins and ratios that may signal a problem;
separate an innocent error from something that requires deeper review;
build oversight without micromanaging your team.
The Guide teaches the system. The Toolkit helps you run it.
the toolkit
You're Not Just Getting a Guide. You're Getting the System That Runs It.
Most financial "guides" tell you what to think about. This one gives you the actual documents to run the review — so the system survives past week one.
| AREA / USE | TOOLKIT FILE(S) |
|---|---|
| Core Habit MONTHLY | Monthly Review Checklist |
| Risk Focus AS NEEDED | Cash Handling, Vendor & Payroll Review Checklists |
| Tracking & Issues MONTHLY | Key Metrics Tracker, Issue Log |
| Structural Risk Review QUARTERLY | Employee Access Review Matrix |
| Protection Layer ANNUALLY | Insurance Review Checkup |
WHAT A SIMPLE REVIEW CAN REVEAL
Problems Often Show Up in Ordinary Records.
The system is designed to help surface warning signs such as:
a paycheck that does not match authorized compensation;
company-card charges with no clear business purpose;
refunds issued to an employee-controlled card;
deposits that do not agree with recorded sales;
duplicate or unfamiliar vendors;
unexplained changes in gross margin;
payments sent after a vendor’s banking information was changed;
one employee controlling too many steps in a transaction;
insurance limits, valuations, or policy terms that may no longer reflect the business;
explanations that change each time a question is asked.
The Guide does not assume every discrepancy is fraud. It shows you how to identify the issue, ask the next question, document the response, and decide whether a deeper review is needed.
how it works
Nine Parts. One Repeatable System.
Nine short parts. No accounting degree required. Each one turns a forensic-accounting principle into something you can
actually do this month.
| 01 | Trust Is Not a Control Why good people without review still create risk |
| 02 | The Rule of Person, Document, and Frequency Turns "we keep an eye on it" into an actual control |
| 03 | The 15-Minute Monthly Money Review The core habit—ten steps that keep you connected to the numbers |
| 04 | The Numbers That Should Agree Eight comparisons that reveal what explanations may not |
| 05 | Ratios Tell Stories What a shifting percentage is trying to tell you |
| 06 | Access Creates Risk Map who can touch the money—and where independent review exists |
| 07 | Insurance Is Not a Control The questions to ask before you need the answers |
| 08 | What to Do When Something Looks Wrong The first six moves, in order |
| 09 | Implementation Plan A 30-day roadmap that makes review normal |
who it's for
Every Business Is Different. The Principle Isn't.
This was built for owners who:
rely on a bookkeeper, office manager, controller, or outside accounting professional;
cannot personally review every transaction;
want oversight without becoming suspicious of everyone;
have employees using company cards or handling cash;
process payroll, refunds, reimbursements, or vendor payments;
receive financial reports but are not always sure what deserves attention;
have grown beyond the point where informal oversight is enough;
want stronger financial habits before there is a problem.
It is especially useful for professional practices, contractors, retailers, restaurants, service companies, real-estate operations, medical and dental offices, family businesses, and other owner-managed companies.
about the creator
30 Years of Cases, Reverse-Engineered Into a System.
I’m Chad Thompson, CPA, a forensic accountant with 30 years of experience analyzing fraud matters, business interruptions, financial disputes, damages, valuations, and financial records that did not tell the whole story.
I have spent my career reconstructing what happened after money went missing, reports were wrong, controls failed, or the explanation did not match the numbers. The same patterns appear again and again:
one person controls too much;
reports are accepted without comparison;
unusual activity becomes normal;
owners assume their accountant is reviewing areas outside the scope of the engagement;
and questions are not asked until the loss is already significant.
My career has been spent explaining how businesses lost money. This Guide is about helping them keep it.
I created the Small Business Money Defense Guide to turn those lessons into a practical system owners can use before they need a forensic accountant.
what readers say
Known for Making Complicated Subjects Clear
The Small Business Money Defense Guide is new, but the approach behind it is not.
Readers of Chad’s books consistently describe his work as practical, engaging, and easy to understand.
Excerpts from verified reviews of Chad's books.
the complete system
Get the Guide + Full Toolkit
A customized financial review system built through a consulting engagement could cost thousands of dollars. This package gives you a practical framework and working tools you can implement yourself.
The 52-page Small Business Money Defense Guide
The 15-Minute Monthly Review System
Eight practical Toolkit files
Editable tracking spreadsheets where applicable
A 30-day implementation plan
Immediate digital access
Get the complete system for $97
Secure checkout · Immediate access · One-time purchase
common questions
A Few Questions Owners Ask
| What do I actually get? The complete Guide (52 pages) plus the full Toolkit it’s built on — including checklists, a Key Metrics Tracker, an Issue Log, and an Employee Access Review Matrix. |
| How will I receive the files? Immediately after purchase, you will receive access to download the Guide and Toolkit files. |
| Do I need to be an accountant or have special training to use this? No. The core system is designed for busy small business owners. Most people can complete the monthly review in about 15 minutes once their reports are ready. The deeper checklists are optional and can be added over time. |
| Do I need to complete all eight tools? No. Start with the Monthly Review Checklist and Key Metrics Tracker. Add the focused checklists as the system becomes familiar. |
| How much time does it take? The core monthly review is designed to take about 15 minutes once the reports are available. Initial setup and deeper reviews will take longer. |
| Will this work with QuickBooks or my accounting software? Yes. The system is based on reports and records commonly available in most bookkeeping and accounting systems. The exact report name may differ, but the underlying comparisons remain the same. |
| Is this only about employee fraud? No. Fraud risk is part of the system, but the Guide also helps identify financial leakage, reporting errors, weak oversight, deteriorating margins, access risks, documentation problems, and costly financial mistakes. |
| Is this a replacement for my CPA or bookkeeper? No. Your CPA or bookkeeper may prepare records and reports. This system helps the owner perform a separate oversight function and ask better questions. |
| Is this legal, tax, or accounting advice? No. This is an educational toolkit designed to help you build better review habits. It is not a substitute for professional advice. For questions specific to your business, consult your CPA, attorney, or other qualified advisor. |
| Can I share it with my employees? Yes. You may use the files within one business you own. The files may not be resold, distributed publicly, or shared with unrelated businesses. |
| Does this guarantee that I will prevent fraud or financial loss? No system can guarantee that. The purpose is to improve visibility, strengthen review habits, and help surface warning signs earlier. |
| Is the purchase refundable? Because this is a digital product, all sales are final except where required by law. If you have trouble accessing the files, we will assist you. |
start with last month
You Do Not Need to Rebuild Your Entire Financial System
Start with one month.
Pull the reports.
Make the comparisons.
Ask the questions.
Document anything that does not make sense. Then do it again next month.
The value does not come from reading one more business book. It comes from building a review habit that makes unusual activity harder to hide and costly mistakes easier to catch.
Your business already produces the records. The Small Business Money Defense Guide shows you how to use them.
Secure checkout · Immediate access · One-time purchase
