Blog - Marcy Phelps and Associates

Giving thanks

November 22, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Odds & Ends / 2 comments

This week in the U.S., we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Several years ago, I wrote about how thankful I was for for the people who make a difference by sharing their knowledge. Nothing’s changed on the list, and I could have just re-posted it, but a lot has happened over the past couple of years, […]

Hedge fund due diligence investigations FAQ

November 8, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Due diligence, Fraud, Investigations / 0 comments

As a private investigator, my area of specialty is fraud. I help my clients spot it and prevent it. One way I do this is with hedge fund due diligence background investigations. Through the years, I’ve been asked a lot about hedge fund background investigations and what’s involved, and I’ve discovered that there are lots […]

Things this private investigator doesn’t do

October 25, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Investigative business / 2 comments

No Thanks note on stack of business papers

After becoming a private investigator, I discovered that investigators are a diverse group. We have different backgrounds, areas of specialty, and clientele. We also have different work styles, and, over the years, I’ve discovered some of my non-negotiables, like doing client work on weekends and not verifying degrees until I have the proper paperwork in-hand. […]

Investigative research – What makes it unique?

October 11, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Investigations / 2 comments

Research is research, right? As a private investigator and fraud examiner, I conduct a lot of research on people, companies, industries, and trends. Which is what I also did as a market researcher before becoming an investigator. Back then, I gathered information from online and human sources, looked for patterns, and transformed my findings into […]

Not enough Google results? – Time to get creative

September 27, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Information skills, Tips/Techniques / 1 comment

Using Google for research and investigations can be a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that Google is a great starting point for finding answers and leads to even more answers. The bad news? Sometimes, it’s not so great. Most often, you get too much information, increasing the risk of missing something important. […]

Spotlight on fraud: Catching up on the Elizabeth Holmes trial

September 13, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Due diligence hall of shame, Fraud / 2 comments

file folders for fraud and investigations

For fraud fighters worldwide, the spotlight is currently on the Elizabeth Holmes criminal trial, which started last week in San Jose, California. The case, U.S. v. Elizabeth Holmes, et al., is the culmination of a broad investigation into Holmes’ and her then-boyfriend Sunny Balwani’s…”allegedly deceptive representations about their company and its medical testing technology” and […]

The best parenting skills for working with clients

August 16, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Investigative business / 4 comments

Some of the best client management tips come from the parenting experts. No, I’m not advocating that we treat our clients like children. In fact, my favorite advice is based on the Golden Rule and treating children–and our clients–like equals. Treat them just the way you would want to be treated if the roles were […]

5 goals of due diligence background investigations

August 2, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Due diligence / 0 comments

soccer ball with goal posts - focus on your goals

In investigations, clients often ask us to “find everything.” They haven’t decided exactly what they want to know, so they ask for it all. Even if we could find everything, it wouldn’t be worth the time and expense, so, through a series of client conversations, we narrow things down to some basic objectives for each […]

Google alternatives – So many choices

July 19, 2021 / by Marcy Phelps / Search tools / 0 comments

We all do it – Start with Google, get some answers, and stop there. But, as you’ve read here, I’m a big fan of using Google alternatives, because other search engines offer us, well, alternatives. Maybe you need something more private or more streamlined, or you want to do some good while searching the web. […]

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