Nicholas R. Knapton

Nicholas is a Principal at the firm, with specialties including valuation, taxation, and attestation services. After about a decade in public accounting, Nicholas established his own public accounting firm, Nicholas Knapton, P.S., while continuing to offer a full array of accounting, tax, valuation and related services. Nicholas previously worked at the largest accounting firm headquartered in Spokane, which was subsequently acquired by a regional certified public accounting and business advisory firm. He has been in the field of public accounting for over 20 years and works on very diverse projects, ranging from individual, corporate, and estate tax planning to financial analysis, financial statements, and business valuations, while holding many of the designations and credentials currently available by the AICPA.

Nicholas has been recognized by federal and state courts as a financial, valuation, forensic, and tax expert, also serving as an expert witness in many instances. He has significant experience preparing valuations, reports, and other analysis as an expert in non-litigation contexts as well. Nicholas has worked on many types of disputes including commercial, contract, employment, shareholder/corporate governance, dissolution, torts, and contested estates and trusts. He is an investment adviser representative and also serves as a director of an investment adviser to a private fund which is primarily regulated by the Washington Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), which is the primary regulator of financial institutions and banks. As such, he works to monitor regulatory compliance with the requirements set forth regarding securities laws and regulations.

In addition to being a certified public accountant, Nicholas is also a licensed attorney and has experience with compliance of regulatory requirements for clients, as needed, primarily in the financial services industry, together with resolving complex federal, state and local tax issues.

Having received a concentration in finance with his undergraduate degree, Nicholas has significant knowledge and additional fluency in the financial services industry, which includes working with complex derivative securities, classification and measurement of financial instruments, and accounting for fair value measurements.

Valuation engagements are also an important part of his practice, and Nicholas has performed services including stock option pricing, valuation of intangible assets, and ESOP valuations, along with valuation of real estate securities and more traditional valuation engagements. Nicholas also has significant experience and expertise helping clients work and negotiate with business partners and family members to structure transactions that are amicable and have equitable terms. Past completed business transactions have helped to provide and create exit and retirement strategies while avoiding conflict whenever possible.

For more than a decade, Nicholas served on the Board of Directors of a publicly traded life insurance company to represent shareholder interests with duties including executive oversight and long-term strategic planning of the corporation. Nicholas worked with regulatory agencies including Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), California Department of Insurance, Idaho Department of Insurance, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). He also served on the company’s finance and audit committee as the only C.P.A. on the committee. Nicholas’ responsibilities included, in part, oversight of the company’s annual tax return, along with its audited financial statements which were prepared under both Statutory Accounting Principles (SAP), as well as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP). The company had over $120,000,000 in assets.

Nicholas previously worked in retail banking where he learned and implemented detailed internal controls. While working in banking, he performed research for an internal embezzlement investigation. He also spent time working with foreign currency transactions in the bank’s Capital Markets division. Nicholas also has past experience working for a property and casualty insurance company in their claims department.

As a result of his tax, legal, accounting, insurance, banking, financial and other business experiences, Nicholas has past regulatory experience with, including but not limited to: Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, Washington State Board of Accountancy, Washington State Department of Revenue, Washington State Bar Association, Oregon State Bar, Idaho State Bar, U.S. Treasury, and U.S. Department of Labor.

Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.)
American Association of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants (AAA-CPA)
Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA)

• Personal Financial Specialist (P.F.S.): Demonstrates expertise and financial planning insight, and is the only personal financial planning credential exclusively offered to C.P.A.’s.
• Accredited in Business Valuation (A.B.V.): Demonstrates premier valuation services provider.
• Certified in Financial Forensics (C.F.F.): Demonstrates forensic accounting skills in bankruptcy, insolvency, and reorganization, along with computer forensic analysis, economic damages calculations, and fraud prevention.
• Chartered Global Management Accountant (C.G.M.A.): Demonstrates a knowledgeable leader, staying connected to their profession.
• Certified Information Technology Professional (C.I.T.P.): Demonstrates unique ability as a C.P.A. to provide business insight by leveraging knowledge of information relationships and supporting technologies.

Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (WSCPA)
Washington State Bar Association (WSBA)
American Bar Association (ABA)
King County Bar Association (KCBA)
Spokane County Bar Association (SCBA)
Oregon State Bar (OSB)
Idaho State Bar (ISB)

• Linden Cup Appellate Advocacy Competition, Quarter Finalist
• CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Taxation of Gifts & Estates

Gonzaga University, Masters in Accountancy (M.A.C.C.), Concentration in Taxation
University of Washington, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Business Administration, Concentration in Finance
Eastern Washington University, Running Start Program