Trust & Estate Accountant

About the role

SingerLewak is a Top 100 accounting and consulting firm primarily operating in the western region. Serving clients since 1959, SingerLewak has developed a reputation for excellence and expertise in the accounting and management consulting industry.

Providing the services of a large firm with a blended environment of practices, services and industry specializations, SingerLewak continues to demonstrate renowned industry leadership year-over-year.

The firm takes pride in client service and professional and personal advancement, as demonstrated by our SL forward program which promotes a culture of learning and growth through targeted development and leadership programs and SL Cares, together with a continual focus on client service and technological evolution.

We are seeking a detail-oriented Trust & Estate Accountant to join our Los Angeles public accounting practice.

This is not a traditional bookkeeping position. The role is designed for an accountant who enjoys working with financial records, solving discrepancies, reconciling complex activity, and turning large volumes of financial information into accurate, well-supported accountings.

The successful candidate will assist with trust, estate, and probate accountings, including reconstructing financial activity, analyzing receipts and disbursements, reconciling bank and investment accounts, and preparing detailed supporting schedules.

This position provides an opportunity to develop specialized expertise while gaining exposure to trust and estate matters, fiduciary taxation, forensic accounting, litigation support, and other complex financial assignments.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the preparation of trust, estate, fiduciary, and probate accountings.
• Analyze and reconcile bank, brokerage, investment, and other financial accounts.
• Reconstruct financial activity from bank statements, investment statements, general ledgers, tax records, and other source documents.
• Analyze and categorize receipts, disbursements, distributions, income, gains and losses, and changes in trust or estate assets.
• Prepare asset inventories and detailed supporting accounting schedules.
• Trace transactions between accounts and investigate discrepancies.
• Perform general ledger analysis and prepare adjusting entries as appropriate.
• Prepare financial statements and other accounting reports.
• Organize large volumes of financial records into clear and supportable workpapers.
• Assist with fiduciary and other income tax return preparation.
• Work with managers, directors, partners, fiduciaries, attorneys, and clients to obtain information and resolve accounting questions.
• Assist with forensic accounting, litigation support, and other special projects as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 2+ years of relevant accounting experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of debits, credits, general ledger, and double-entry accounting.
• Demonstrated ability to perform detailed bank, investment, and general ledger reconciliations.
• Strong Excel skills and comfort working with large volumes of financial data.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to identify discrepancies and trace financial transactions through multiple accounts and source documents.
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Public accounting experience is preferred.
• Prior trust, estate, probate, fiduciary, tax, or forensic accounting experience is highly desirable.
• CPA license or progress toward the CPA is a plus, but not required.

The Person We're Looking For

• We're particularly interested in someone who likes figuring out where the numbers came from.
• You should be comfortable receiving bank statements, brokerage activity, accounting records, tax documents, and supporting materials and methodically turning that information into a complete and reconciled financial accounting.
• Accuracy is critical, but so is curiosity. We're looking for someone who will investigate a difference, trace a transaction, and understand the underlying financial activity rather than simply record it.