Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog

Expected Developments Affecting Accountants in 2013—Part 1, FASB

Posted by Ron Pippin on Mon, Jan 21, 2013

My last two blog postings discussed what happened in “Accounting Land” in the United States in 2012. But that’s history. What about the future? Let’s dust off the crystal ball and I’ll share with you my thoughts on developments that may occur in 2013, in a series of three blog articles.

Read More

Tags: SEC, Accounting & Tax, Lease Accounting, Accountants, US GAAP

2012: A Year in Review for Accountants—Part 2, Auditing and SEC

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Jan 04, 2013

This is the second of two blog articles on 2012 changes in the literature frequently used by accountants. Previously, I covered accounting developments in the United States and internationally. This article covers developments affecting companies (registrants) subject to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversight and auditing developments.

Read More

Tags: SEC, Accounting & Tax, Audit Standards, Accountants, JOBS Act, US GAAP, GAAP, IFRS, Internal Control

2012: A Year in Review for Accountants—Part 1, Accounting Standards

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Dec 21, 2012

As 2012 comes to a close, it is time for accountants in the United States to reflect on new financial reporting rules or developments and what may transpire in 2013. This is the first of two blog articles on the topic. In this article, I cover accounting developments in the United States and internationally. The second article will cover Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) developments and auditing developments.

Read More

Tags: SEC, Accounting & Tax, Lease Accounting, Accountants, US GAAP, GAAP, IFRS, Decision on IFRS

Internal Control—An Updated Framework Coming

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Nov 30, 2012

Ever since the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), the concept of internal control over financial reporting has taken on a new meaning. The U.S. Congress passed this legislation in part because of the failure of certain large companies, notably Enron and WorldCom, which met their demise in part because of real or perceived weaknesses in company internal control and less than adequate corporate governance. SOX reinforces the concept that company management is responsible for establishing and maintaining an adequate internal control structure and robust procedures for financial reporting.

Read More

Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, SEC, Accounting & Tax, Accountants, JOBS Act, SOX, Internal Control

Accountants in Demand in the United States

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Nov 16, 2012

Accountants in the United States are in demand once again. There are specific needs at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Separately, the skills and talents of those CPAs that practice in the “income tax world” will be helpful to address scheduled individual income-related issues as year-end looms.

Read More

Tags: Business & Legal, SEC, Accounting & Tax, Accountants, GAAP, IFRS, Decision on IFRS

International Group Comments on SEC Non-decision on IFRS

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Oct 26, 2012

As discussed in my prior blog item, the staff in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) did not make a recommendation to the commissioners of the SEC on whether U.S. registrants should be required or permitted to use International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). I termed it a “punt.” On October 22, 2012, the IFRS Foundation staff published an 84-page analysis of this SEC staff report. In the press release announcing issuance of the IFRS Foundation staff report, Trustee Chairman Michel Prada observed that there are “no insurmountable obstacles for adoption of IFRS by the United States.”

Read More

Tags: Business & Legal, SEC, Accounting & Tax, JOBS Act, GAAP, IFRS, Decision on IFRS

Where Is the Regulator of Auditors of Public Companies?

Posted by Ron Pippin on Tue, Oct 09, 2012

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) was created by the U.S. Congress as a result of passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). Some believe that the PCAOB has been sleeping, because its recent activity has not been very visible. But as discussed below, the board is addressing many complex and sometimes highly controversial changes to the auditing profession.

Read More

Tags: Corporate Governance, SEC, Accounting & Tax

Possible New Lease Accounting Rule—An Update

Posted by Ron Pippin on Wed, Sep 19, 2012

It has been more than two years since the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued their joint proposal on lease accounting. In fact, the proposal was issued on August 17, 2010, and the boards were seeking comments on their proposal by December 15 of that year.

Read More

Tags: Business & Legal, Accounting & Tax, Lease Accounting, US GAAP, GAAP

New Accounting Principles for State and Local Government Pensions

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Aug 31, 2012

The liability associated with a company’s defined benefit pension has always been hard to measure and, as a result, controversial. Companies in the private sector in the United States were forced to “bite the bullet” on this issue many years ago—in fact, it was in 1985 when Ronald W. Reagan was president.

Read More

Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, SEC, Accounting & Tax, Audit Standards, GAAS, GAAP

New FASB Accounting Principles Make Impairment Testing Easier—or Not?

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Aug 17, 2012

On July 27, 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) released Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2012-02, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), “Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment.” ASU 2012-02 employs a qualitative concept that is similar to the one developed in ASU 2011-08, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), “Testing Goodwill for Impairment,” which was issued on September 15, 2011. While the FASB’s issuance of these standards gives companies an option when testing indefinite-lived assets and goodwill for impairment, does it really make impairment testing easier?

Read More

Tags: SEC, Accounting & Tax, Audit Standards, GAAP