An overview of the GAAP Approach of Accounting
Posted on September 23rd, 2010 by admin
If all businesses used their own system of accounting, or indeed no system at all, there would be no way to tell which businesses are profitable and which are not. The majority of businesses follow what are called generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, and there are huge tomes in libraries and bookstores devoted to just this one topic. Unless a company states otherwise, anyone reading a financial statement can make the assumption that company has used GAAP. If GAAP are not the principles used for preparing financial statements, then a business needs to make clear which other form of accounting they’re used and are bound to avoid using headings in its financial statements that could mislead the person examining it. GAAP are the gold standard for preparing financial statement. Not disclosing that it has used principles other than GAAP makes a company legally liable for any misleading or misunderstood data. GAAP methods have been fine-tuned over many decades and bascially created a whole way for the financial systems of companies to work. There are a number of other financial reporting systems which are used for other types of business type such as governments, charities and not for profit businesses.
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