The Ten Generally Accepted Accounting Principles It is today comprised of seven full-time members that are independent of any other organization and charged with ensuring that GAAP works in the best interest of the investing public. The FASB is an independent board that was formed in 1973 for the specific purpose of taking over GAAP determinations and updates. Today, GAAP is monitored and updated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and continues to play a crucial role in ensuring that all financial statements are compiled in an accurate, ethical, and honest manner. These principles were eventually written into law and enforced by the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 along with a number of other laws issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). What they came up with is known today as GAAP. government teamed up with a number of professional accounting groups to create a set of accounting standards that would prevent public companies from releasing misleading financial reports. In response to this catastrophe, the U.S. In fact, such faulty and deceiving reporting practices are considered to be one of the primary factors that ultimately led to the Great Depression in 1929. Without the right accounting standards, publicly traded companies would be free to present their financial information in whatever format that casts the company's position in the best possible light. Explore Online Degrees The Importance of Accounting StandardsĪccounting standards are critical for ensuring that investors aren’t led astray by misleading financial statements. Since all public companies are required to abide by these standards when compiling their financial statements, GAAP is something that every accountant needs to be familiar with. These important principles play a vital role in ensuring that accountants abide by the ethics, regulations, and best practices set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Anyone exploring a degree in accounting or finance is bound to encounter Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) somewhere along their educational path.
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