Wiley GAAP 2016

Interpretation and Application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

Joanne M. Flood

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781119106074
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: CPA (Certified Public Accountant) Study Guides

The complete, cross-referenced GAAP guide, with illustrations, explanations, and examples

Wiley GAAP 2016 contains the most comprehensive coverage of all GAAP pronouncements in a single volume, providing professionals with a complete reference to the entire GAAP hierarchy. This new edition includes the latest updates to the standards, along with AICPA ASEC statements of position and a comprehensive cross-reference of accounting topics to the new FASB codification system. All pronouncements are fully explained in detail, including terminology, and practice exercises demonstrate real-world application. Each chapter includes a discussion of perspectives and issues, sources of GAAP, definitions, concepts, rules, and examples, with specific appendices where applicable. This useful guide contains numerous examples and illustrations, and all original pronouncements are referenced to the FASB Current Text.

GAAP is constantly being updated, and users require expert interpretation and explanation of relevant principles with every new pronouncement. This book provides clear, comprehensive guidance, including FASB Technical Bulletins, AcSEC Practice Bulletins, FASB Implementation Guides, and AICPA Statements of Position and Accounting Interpretations. Readers will:

• Refer to GAAP standards and ASEC statements
• Understand relevant terminology, concepts, and rules
• Study detailed examples to gain a solid working knowledge of the standards
• Gain confidence by practicing GAAP applications before using it in the field

This guide represents the most complete, comprehensive GAAP reference available, and the digital format allows for instant access to information through the point-and-click Index and Table of Contents. A thorough study and analysis of all US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Wiley GAAP 2016 is the essential reference.

1
ASC 105 Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

1. Perspectives and Issues
   1. What is GAAP
      1. Nonauthoritative Sources
      2. Recognition Principles
      3. Disclosure Principles
2. Definitions of Terms
3. Concepts, Rules, and Examples
   1. History of GAAP
      1. Other Sources
   2. GAAP Codification
      1. SEC Guidance in the Codification
   3. Standards-Setting Process
      1. Emerging Issues Task Force
      2. Accounting Standards Updates
      3. Maintenance Updates
      4. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
   4. Researching GAAP Problems
      1. Codification Structure
   5. Research Procedures
      1. Step 1: Identify the Problem
      2. Step 2: Analyze the Problem
      3. Step 3: Refine the Problem Statement
      4. Step 4: Identify Plausible Alternatives
      5. Step 5: Develop a Research Strategy
      6. Step 6: Search Authoritative Literature
      7. Step 7: Evaluation
   6. Search Authoritative Literature (Step 6)—Further Explanation
      1. Researching Wiley GAAP
      2. Researching Nonpromulgated GAAP
      3. Internet-Based Research Sources
      4. The Concept of Materiality
      5. The Conceptual Framework
         1. Components of the Conceptual Framework
      6. CON 8—Chapter 1: The Objective of General Purpose Financial Reporting
      7. CON 8—Chapter 3: Qualitative Characteristics of Useful Financial Information.
      8. CON 5: Recognition and Measurement in Financial Statements of Business Enterprises
      9. CON 6: Elements of Financial Statements
         1. Definitions of Terms
         2. Elements of Not-For-Profit Financial Statements
      10. CON 7: Using Cash Flow Information and Present Value in Accounting Measurements
          1. How CON 7 Measures Differ from Previously Utilized Present Value Techniques
          2. Measuring Liabilities
          3. Interest Method of Allocation
          4. Accounting for Changes in Expected Cash Flows
          5. Application of Present Value Tables and Formulas
          6. Example of Present Value Calculation
          7. Example of an Annuity Present Value Calculation
          8. Example of the Relevance of Present Values
          9. Practical Matters

Perspectives and Issues

What Is GAAP?

The FASB Accounting Standards Codification^TM (ASC) is the

…source of authoritative generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities. Rules and interpretive releases of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under authority of federal securities laws are also sources of authoritative GAAP for SEC registrants. In addition to the SEC's rules and interpretive releases, the SEC staff issues Staff Accounting Bulletins that represent practices followed by the staff in administering SEC disclosure requirements, and it utilizes SEC Staff Announcements and Observer comments made at Emerging Issues Task Force meetings to publicly announce its views on certain accounting issues for SEC registrants. ASC 105-10-05-1

In the absence of authoritative guidance, the FASB Codification (the Codification) offers the following approach.

If the guidance for a transaction or event is not specified within a source of authoritative GAAP for that entity, an entity shall first consider accounting principles for similar transactions or events within a source of authoritative GAAP for that entity and then consider nonauthoritative guidance from other sources. An entity shall not follow the accounting treatment specified in accounting guidance for similar transactions or events in cases in which those accounting principles either prohibit the application of the accounting treatment to the particular transaction or event or indicate that the accounting treatment should not be applied by analogy. ASC 105-10-05-2

Nonauthoritative Sources

The Codification lists some possible nonauthoritative sources:

• Practices that are widely recognized and prevalent either generally or in the industry,
• FASB Concepts Statements,
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Issues Papers,
• International Financial Reporting Standards of the International Accounting Standards Board,
• Pronouncements of professional associations or regulatory agencies,
• Technical Information Service Inquiries and Replies included in AICPA Technical Practice Aids,
• Accounting textbooks, handbooks, and articles.(ASC 105-10-05-3)

GAAP establishes:

• The measurement of economic activity,
• The time when such measurements are to be made and recorded,
• The disclosures surrounding this activity, and
• The preparation and presentation of summarized economic information in the form of financial statements.

GAAP develops when questions arise about how best to accomplish those items. In response to those questions, GAAP is either prescribed in official pronouncements of authoritative bodies empowered to create it, or it originates over time through the development of customary practices that evolve when authoritative bodies fail to respond. Thus, GAAP is a reaction to and a product of the economic environment in which it develops. As such, the development of accounting and financial reporting standards has lagged the development and creation of increasingly intricate economic structures and transactions. There are two broad categories of accounting principles—recognition and disclosure.

Recognition Principles

Recognition principles determine the timing and measurement of items that enter the accounting cycle and impact the financial statements. These are quantitative standards that require economic information to be reflected numerically.

Disclosure Principles

Disclosure principles deal with factors that are not always quantifiable. Disclosures involve qualitative information that is an essential ingredient of a full set o...