What are the objectives of financial reporting standards?
To determine the types and amounts of information that must be provided to users of financial reports by providing principles for preparing them
What is the goal of the IASB?
The objective of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is to provide useful financial information to users who make decisions (invest, lend to, work for, extend credit) regarding the corporate entity in question. It aims to promote convergence of all reporting standards, because finance is global
Why is it important to understand financial reporting standards when it comes to security analysis and valuation?
Because judgements and estimates are used in forming the information that makes up financial reports
What are the two kinds of bodies involved in financial reporting standards?
Standard setting bodies (private, usually not for profit, i.e., the IASB, FASB) and regulatory bodies (public/government entities, i.e., the SEC)
What financial reporting standard does the IASB set?
IFRS
What financial reporting standard does FASB set?
US GAAP
What is the difference in roles between the two kinds of financial reporting standards bodies?
Standard setting bodies set the standards (i.e., IASB, FASB set IFRS and GAAP), regulatory bodies (i.e., SEC) recognise, require, and enforce them
What is the IOSCO?
The International Organisation of Securities Commissions establishes principles and objectives that guide regulation. Thus they do not control regulation directly. It is not a regulatory body in itself but rather a collective of regulators across different markets.
What are the 3 core objectives of the IOSCO’s financial reporting regulation?
What companies must report to the SEC?
Any company that issues securities in the US, whether domiciled in the US or not, must submit filings to the SEC in a standardised format through EDGAR (Electronic Document Gathering Access and Retrieval)
What is the IASB’s conceptual framework?
To provide useful financial info for making decisions about providing resources (i.e., financing) to the entity
What are the two fundamental characteristics and 4 enhancing characteristics the IASB’s conceptual framework seeks to promote in info in financial reports?
Fundamentally the info must be:
1. Relevant: it would affect or make a difference in the info user’s decision
2. Faithful representation: complete, neutral (without bias), free from error
Enhancing characteristics:
1. Comparability: all standards consistent across all companies
2. Verifiability: if there are any estimates involved in the info the company must disclose the methodology used in the notes
3. Timeliness: information available before becoming an investor in the company
4. Understandability: info is clear and concise if you have accounting knowledge
What are the constraints associated with standardised financial reporting outlined in the IASB’s conceptual framework?
The cost of providing the information in the financial statement should not outweigh the benefits
What two properties may be traded off when preparing a standardised financial report?
Timeliness and verifiability
What elements are associated in the measurement of financial position of an entity in FR?
What elements of a financial report are measurements of performance of an entity?
What are the two assumptions that underlie financial reporting?
What are the six monetary amounts recognised and measured?
What is the difference between realisable value and present value of an asset?
Realisable value is the amount a company would be able to get if it sold an asset now. Fair value is that would be realised in a sale under normal market conditions. During a market rout or financial crisis, the realisable value of an asset may be lower than its fair value
What are the five components generally required of a financial statement?
What are the four general features of financial statements?
What financial reporting standard does the CFA course take the perspective of?
IFRS. The FRA course will point out where US GAAP differs from IFRS but does not teach from a US GAAP perspective
How regular are financial statements?
Audited statements are at least once a year (audited by a US govt body). Unaudited statements are periodic, typically quarterly
What is the order of a statement of financial position?
The statement of financial position (or balance sheet) usually places assets first (debit entries), then liabilities second (credit entries), then the statement of equity. However, within assets and liabilities the ordering may differn, as the IFRS specifies the categories but not the order. Some companies will list them most liquid to least liquid, others the other way around