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IFRS decision a “few” months away, based on SEC staff report timeline

An SEC decision on the use of IFRS by U.S. public companies is still a “few” months away, SEC Chief Accountant James Kroeker indicated Monday. At an IFRS Advisory Council meeting in London, Kroeker declined to get more precise because he wants the SEC staff focused on completing a report

Round table explores investment company proposals

Questions arose about the scope and substance of accounting standards proposals on investment companies Friday during a round-table meeting sponsored by FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The meeting, which was held in Toronto, was the first of four public meetings to discuss the FASB and IASB proposals.

SEC changes performance fee thresholds, net worth calculation

Investors no longer will include the value of their home in the net worth calculation that can determine whether registered investment advisers can charge them performance fees, the SEC announced Wednesday. SEC rules allow registered investment advisers to charge performance fees if the client’s assets managed by the adviser or

Three financial reporting standards to get FAF reviews

The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) will conduct post-implementation reviews on standards regulating financial reporting for business combinations, operating segments and investment disclosures. Standards selected for review, as announced in a FAF news release, are: FASB Statement No. 141R, Business Combinations, which requires an acquiring organization to recognize the assets acquired,

Oversight groups report on steps to enhance IASB governance, financing

In a move that will be closely scrutinized in the United States, the IFRS Foundation Monitoring Board and trustees announced Thursday joint plans for improving the governance and financing of the IASB’s parent organization and setting its strategy. The monitoring board, a group of public authorities, will begin making the

Regulation tops concerns for small and medium-size accounting firms and their clients

The burden of standards and regulations is the most significant issue facing small and medium-size accounting practices (SMPs) worldwide, an International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) survey suggests. Forty-one percent of the 2,441 SMP respondents in the IFAC SMP Quick Poll for the fourth quarter of 2011 said keeping up with

Financial Reporting

  The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), the parent organization of the U.S. standard setter FASB, outlined its preferred path for incorporating IFRS into U.S. GAAP. In a letter to the SEC in November, available at tinyurl.com/7crlk54, FAF Chairman John Brennan described a number of recommended changes to the approach called

Three common currency-adjustment pitfalls

Although the rules on accounting for foreign-currency translations have not changed in many years, mistakes in this area persist. Such mistakes can result in misstatements in financial reporting, hurting the bottom line, creating false understandings of business results, and exposing companies to possible regulatory scrutiny. A key factor raising the

FASB, IASB to work on classification and measurement for financial instruments

FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) are working together to reduce differences in their respective classification and measurement models for financial instruments. The boards announced Friday that they will explore these models jointly, then decide whether to propose amendments to IFRS and U.S. GAAP. These discussions will take

FASB proposal aims to simplify impairment testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets

FASB on Wednesday issued a proposed Accounting Standards Update it said would reduce costs and simplify the guidance for testing indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill for impairment. The amendments in the proposed update, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment, would allow an organization to

IASB’s Hoogervorst predicts SEC will adopt IFRS

International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) Chairman Hans Hoogervorst predicted in a speech in Moscow on Monday that the SEC will adopt IFRS for U.S. issuers. Hoogervorst doesn’t have any privileged insight regarding the SEC’s internal decision-making, according to the speech posted on the IFRS Foundation’s website. But he said that

Guidance available on Early Retirement Reinsurance Program payments

The AICPA issued Technical Practice Aids (TPAs) 6931.13–.17 to provide nonauthoritative guidance on health and welfare plan accounting and reporting for reimbursements received under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) Early Retirement Reinsurance Program (ERRP). The TPAs describe the ERRP and cover matters such as how to report

U.S. GAAP Financial Reporting Taxonomy available for 2012

The 2012 U.S. GAAP Financial Reporting Taxonomy, which is awaiting final acceptance by the SEC, has been made available, FASB announced today. The taxonomy contains updates for accounting standards and includes other changes to the 2011 taxonomy being used by SEC issuers. The taxonomy is a list of computer-readable tags

FASB won’t require management to make going-concern assessments

FASB will not require management to assess whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. After its board meeting Thursday, FASB announced that a majority of board members determined that such a requirement would be difficult to apply. Board members decided that users

Comment period on private company reporting draws to a close

A comment period on private company financial statements that already has produced more than 6,500 letters has left the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) trustees with a lot to consider, FAF President and CEO Terri Polley said Thursday. Speaking at a North Carolina Association of CPAs meeting that was simulcast on

FAF releases “post-implementation review” of FIN 48

The Financial Accounting Foundation’s first formal “post-implementation review” of a FASB standard is complete with this morning’s report that FASB Interpretation no. (FIN) 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, generally achieves its purpose. According to a FAF announcement, the review concluded that FIN 48 increases relevance and comparability in

Guidance provided on electronic health record incentives

The federal government’s promotion of electronic health records has created financial incentives for medical professionals and hospitals that make meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. But medical providers must comply with standards for use of the technology and properly account for the incentive payments in an area

The 20 most popular stories of 2011

We tallied the traffic on journalofaccountancy.com to determine 2011’s most popular JofA articles and news. Use the lists below to catch up on important news and professional developments you may have missed in the past year. Here are the most popular feature articles of 2011 from the JofA’s monthly print

A new system for recognizing revenue

FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in November released a revised proposal that would create a single revenue recognition standard for both U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The standard is designed to streamline accounting for revenue across industries and correct inconsistencies in existing standards and practices. The new standard

One size does not fit all

The U.S. stakeholders—issuers, preparers, users, auditors, standard setters and others—have expressed concern over “the goodness of fit” of current FASB standards to public companies as well as approximately 28 million private companies and businesses. The “one size fits all” school of thought has dominated the FASB mentality. Private companies’ financial

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