Financial Reporting Environment Flashcards
Explain FASB due process system
- topics are identified and placed on agenda
- research is done and preliminary pros and cons issues
- public hearing on standard
- exposure draft
- accounting standard update
What is FASB Codification
provides all authoritative literature related to a topic
simplifies user access to all authoritative US GAAP
eliminates nonessential info
organized into one online system
replaces “house of GAAP”
how is codification organized
Topic –> subtopics –> sections —> paragraphs
Why is reliable financial reporting important
helps investors to compare income and assets of different companies. Also helps investors to assess amounts, timing and uncertainty of future cash flows from dividends, interest & proceeds
overall, it allows investors to assess risk & reward–> use resources more efficiently
What is the SEC
securities and exchange commission: administers many acts, requires companies to have file audits
can prescribe accounting practices and standards
relays to FASB for all
objective of financial reporting
to provid financial info that is useful to present to equity investors, lenders and other creditors in making decisions about providing resources
Purpose of general purpose of financial statements
provide users who have some basis of financial knowledge some information about financial status of an econ entity
qualitative characterisitcs
distinguish better information from less useful information
fundamental qualities
relevance and faithful representation
Relevance
must be capable of making a difference in a decision
Ingredients of relevance
predictive value, confirmatory value, materiality
predictive value
helps users form own expecations about future ex/ uses pasts income performance to predict the amount, timing and uncertainty of future cash flows
confirmatory value
helps users confirm or correct prior expectations ex/ year end financial statements help confirm or change past expectations
materiality
info that is omitting or misstating would influence decision making- must make a difference - assessing is difficult bc size and importance (relative size)
faithful representation
numbers and descriptions match what actually happened
Ingredients of faithful representation
completeness, neutrality, free from error
Completeness
all the info that is necessary is provided ex/ omission causes information to be false or misleading - failing to provide correct info on assets
Neutrality
company can not select info to favor one party over another ex/ in notes suppressing info about lawsuits
free from error
accurate (faithful) representation of a financial item
Enhancing qualities
comparability, verifiability, timeliness, understandability
Comparability
enables users to identify real similarities and difference in econ events between companies
Consistency- when company applies same accounting treatment to similar events from period to period
what must a company do if it wants to change accounting methods?
demonstrate why adopted method is preferable, disclose in notes, nature and effect of accounting change, what period it was changed, justification for it
Verifiability
when independent measurers obtain similar results ex/ two auditors arrive at same quantity for inventory