Financial Reporting

A&A

FASB Seeks Input on Disclosure Framework

The FASB has issued the Invitation to Comment, Disclosure Framework, to ask for stakeholder input on ways to improve effectiveness of disclosures in notes to financial statements of public, private, and not-for-profit organizations.
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A&A

SOX Has Restored Investors' Confidence

Ernst & Young has released a report - "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act at 10" - that considers the legislation, discusses what it was designed to do, and analyzes its impact.
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A&A

FASB Publishes Proposed Accounting Standards Update

On June 27, the FASB issued for public comment a proposed ASU intended to improve financial reporting about certain risks inherent in financial instruments and how they contribute to the reporting organization's broader risks.
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A&A

COSO Framework Holding Strong - Getting a Polish

J. Stephen McNally, CPA, provides an overview of COSO and his perspective on how it has been leveraged by such companies as Campbell Soup. In addition, he offers insight into COSO's recent ICIF Refresh Project.
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Education & Careers

'Financial Fitness' and Accounting Firm Improvement

Jennifer Katrulya, CPA, will kick off her second year of the BMRG Group Advisory Program on July 1 with a revised four-tier program structure.
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A&A

Educational Institution and Nonprofit Audits Fast Approaching for June 30 Fiscals

June 30, the day on which many educational institutions and nonprofits end their fiscal year, is fast approaching. This brings "joy" to many internal accountants because they know that an annual visit from the auditors is just around the corner.
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A&A

AICPA Supports FAF's Creation of Private Company Council

On May 23, the FAF announced its decision to make process and structural improvements by creating the Private Company Council (PCC). The PPC is based upon the body proposed last October by the FAF to set differences in U.S. GAAP, where appropriate, for privately held companies.
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A&A

New GASB User Guide Helps Taxpayers Understand School District Finances

How can taxpayers follow how their money is being spent on public education? What is the difference between a school district's budget and its financial statements? Answers to these questions, and many others, can be found in GASB's new user guide, What You Should Know about Your School District's Finances.
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A&A

Auditor Independence and Audit Firm Rotation

On March 21 and 22, 2012, the PCAOB hosted a public meeting to obtain further input on ways to enhance auditor independence, objectivity, and professional skepticism, including through mandatory rotation, or term limits, for audit firms.
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A&A

IRS Ends Tax Rule Unpopular with Small Businesses

The IRS has eliminated an unpopular rule relating to how credit card and debit card payments are accounted for on tax returns, prompting relief from small business owners.
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Community News

Big Win for Accounting Profession in New Jersey Supreme Court

In a unanimous decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court on February 16 reversed an Appellate Court decision in a case brought by a third party that found KPMG LLP guilty of negligence for failing to uncover accounting fraud by a former client, Papel Entities.
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A&A

Calcbench Named the Grand Prize Winner of the XBRL Challenge

Calcbench, an open source application that consumes corporate XBRL data and performs comparative analytics, was named the winner of the XBRL Challenge at the XBRL and Financial Analysis Technology Conference on February 29. The contest is for developers of applications that leverage XBRL-formatted data in the SEC EDGAR database.
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A&A

FAF: Post-Implementation Reviews on FASB and GASB Accounting Standards

Accounting standards governing financial reporting for business combinations, operating segments, and government deposit and investment disclosures will be the next subjects of post-implementation reviews conducted by the FAF, the oversight body of the FASB and the GASB, the FAF announced.
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A&A

Study Shows Benefits of Shareholder Involvement in Auditor Selection

In December 2011, the SEC gave GE, Alcoa, and others leave to exclude from their 2012 annual meetings the proposals of shareholders calling for rotation of the companies' external auditors. This was counter to a decades-old rule excluding from proxy materials proposals that will affect firms' "ordinary business."
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Tax

The Ins and Outs of New Reporting Rules in 2012

New cost basis reporting rules now apply to Form 1099-B sent to investors and to the IRS. But other onerous reporting rules for businesses and landlords scheduled to take effect in 2012 have been repealed. If you're confused, you're not alone. Here's a brief recap on what is and isn't taking place this year.
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A&A

Governments and Private Companies Exploring Benefits of XBRL

Congress is beginning to mandate the use of XBRL to track spending and improve transparency in government reports. Bills that contain language calling for the implementation of data standards, such as XBRL, have not yet passed into law, but the requirement could become part of the final payroll tax cut bill.
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IASB Chairman Expects SEC to Approve IFRS

Speaking at a seminar in Moscow on IFRS, Hans Hoogervorst, Chairman of the IASB, said that he expected the IASB and the FASB to make progress on their remaining convergence projects in the coming year. Hoogervorst also predicted that the SEC would eventually approve IFRS for US companies.
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A&A

FASB Is Viewing Private Company Standards through a Different Lens

In advance of a formal decision by the FAF on a differential framework for making exceptions and modifications to GAAP for private companies, the FASB has taken steps to identify and make decisions/tentative decisions regarding current accounting standards.
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A&A

IFRS Update: SEC Decision Still Months Away

James Kroeker, the SEC chief accountant, said last week that the SEC staff will need "at least a few more months" to complete its work on a report to the commission that will show the impact of adopting IFRS on US companies and capital markets. The SEC will study the staff report before making a decision.
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A&A

FAF Rejects Independent Standard Setting Board for Private Companies

A new council with the authority to identify, propose, and vote on specific improvements to U.S. accounting standards for private companies has been proposed by the Board of Trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF).
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What would you do if one of your clients won the lottery? We asked several accountants to weigh in with their advice for the lucky Powerball winner, and the tips we received are useful for anyone who receives a windfall, whether it's a lottery win, an inheritance, a big bonus on the job, or a killing in the stock market.
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Gail Perry, CPA
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AccountingWEB
editor@accountingweb.com
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