Richard F. Fischer, CPA

Partner, Audit

Phone: 412.281.8771 x232
Fax: 412.281.7001

Rich is the Partner-in-Charge of the Accounting and Auditing Department of Louis Plung & Company. He has more than 20 years of experience in audits, reviews, compilations, and internal control engagements in the public, private, nonprofit and governmental sectors. His clients range in size from start-up companies to multi-billion dollar corporations. His extensive industry experience includes real estate, manufacturing, construction, communication, wholesale distributors, and retail. Rich joined Louis Plung in 1999, and previously had worked for two of the "Big Four" accounting firms.

In addition to the above industries, Rich specializes in employee benefit plan audits, which includes financial statement audits, reviews, and compilations, as well as service organization examinations. In addition to providing the traditional employee benefit plan accounting and audit services, he has worked with clients to successfully negotiate with the Department of Labor on matters related to their plan.

Rich also assists public companies address and resolve comments related to their accounting positions or financial disclosure-related issues raised by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In his role as Technical Review Partner, Rich is responsible for ensuring that all financial statements the Firm issues are in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles, and he assesses the impact of new accounting and auditing pronouncements on clients. Rich frequently develops training materials and conducts seminars for clients and the Firm on new accounting and auditing pronouncements, and on hot topics related to accounting, auditing and financial reporting.

• Approved Peer Reviewer (AICPA)
• Chair, Construction Committee (PICPA)
• Chair, Technical Committee of the Employee Benefits Plan Committee (PICPA)
• Member, Peer Review Committee (PICPA)
• Member, Accounting and Auditing Procedures Committee (PICPA)
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
• Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)

• B.S., Business Administration (Accounting), St. Francis University

• Provide accounting, auditing and various consulting services to a large construction company. In addition to performing financial statement audits, also conduct FAR audits, pre-qualification filings, and assist in providing the audited financial information needed to apply for filing for contractor licensees in various states in the Continental U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and various countries in the Pacific rim.
• As Practice Leader for the Employee Benefit Plan Group, provide audit and assurance services to more than 35 employee benefit plans, including defined contribution, defined benefit, and 403(b) plans ranging in size from 100 participants to more than 2,000, and with plan investments ranging in size from $250,000 to more than $100 million.
• Perform simultaneous financial statement audits on 14 real estate partnerships managed by the same real estate management company. In addition to producing audited financial statements, provide assistance to the Tax Department in the preparation and delivery of the various partnership tax returns.
• As government-appointed auditor of record for captive insurance companies in Hawaii and Guam, work with the client and various service providers to obtain the information needed to perform the financial statement audit. Also review the statutory financial requirement of each captive insurance company based on statutory laws of the respective state or country.
• Performed a review and testing on various accounting processes and internal controls for a third-party service provider that maintained and processed financial information for several employee benefit plans, which consisted of interviewing client personnel to determine the accounting processes in place and the individuals responsible for performing those processes. The review and interview process resulted in development of new accounting processes and internal control matrices.