Chapter 22: Question 3 (page 1305)
Discuss briefly the three approaches that have been suggested for reporting changes in accounting principles.
The three approaches are currently, retrospectively, and prospectively.
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An entry to record Purchases and related Accounts Payable of $13,000 for merchandise purchased on December 23, 2018, was recorded in January 2019. This merchandise was not included in inventory at December 31, 2018. What effect does this error have on reported net income for 2018? What entry should be made to correct for this error, assuming that the books are not closed for 2018?
Simmons Corporation owns stock of Armstrong, Inc. Prior to 2017, the investment was accounted for using the equity method. In early 2017, Simmons sold part of its investment in Armstrong, and began using the fair value method. In 2017, Armstrong earned net income of \(80,000 and paid dividends of \)95,000. Prepare Simmons’s entries related to Armstrong’s net income and dividends, assuming Simmons now owns 10% of Armstrong’s stock.
(Analysis of Various Accounting Changes and Errors) Mathys Inc. has recently hired a new independent auditor, Karen Ogleby, who says she wants “to get everything straightened out.” Consequently, she has proposed the following accounting changes in connection with Mathys Inc.’s 2017 financial statements.
1. At December 31, 2016, the client had a receivable of \(820,000 from Hendricks Inc. on its balance sheet. Hendricks Inc. has gone bankrupt, and no recovery is expected. The client proposes to write off the receivable as a prior period item.
2. The client proposes the following changes in depreciation policies.
(a) For office furniture and fixtures, it proposes to change from a 10-year useful life to an 8-year life. If this change had been made in prior years, retained earnings at December 31, 2016, would have been \)250,000 less. The effect of the change on 2017 income alone is a reduction of \(60,000.
(b) For its new equipment in the leasing division, the client proposes to adopt the sum-of-the-years’-digits depreciation method. The client had never used SYD before. The first year the client operated a leasing division was 2017. If straight-line depreciation were used, 2017 income would be \)110,000 greater.
3. In preparing its 2016 statements, one of the client’s bookkeepers overstated ending inventory by \(235,000 because of a mathematical error. The client proposes to treat this item as a prior period adjustment.
4. In the past, the client has spread preproduction costs in its furniture division over 5 years. Because its latest furniture is of the “fad” type, it appears that the largest volume of sales will occur during the first 2 years after introduction. Consequently, the client proposes to amortize preproduction costs on a per-unit basis, which will result in expensing most of such costs during the first 2 years after the furniture’s introduction. If the new accounting method had been used prior to 2017, retained earnings at December 31, 2016, would have been \)375,000 less.
5. For the nursery division, the client proposes to switch from FIFO to LIFO inventories because it believes that LIFO will provide a better matching of current costs with revenues. The effect of making this change on 2017 earnings will be an increase of \(320,000. The client says that the effect of the change on December 31, 2016, retained earnings cannot be determined.
6. To achieve an appropriate recognition of revenues and expenses in its building construction division, the client proposes to switch from the completed-contract method of accounting to the percentage-of-completion method. Had the percentage-of-completion method been employed in all prior years, retained earnings at December 31, 2016, would have been \)1,075,000 greater.
Instructions
(a) For each of the changes described above, decide whether:
(1) The change involves an accounting principle, accounting estimate, or correction of an error.
(2) Restatement of opening retained earnings is required.
(b) What would be the proper adjustment to the December 31, 2016, retained earnings?
On December 31, 2017, before the books were closed, the management and accountants of Madrasa Inc. made the following determinations about three pieces of equipment.
1. Equipment A was purchased January 2, 2014. It originally cost \(540,000 and, for depreciation purposes, the straight-line method was originally chosen. The asset was originally expected to be useful for 10 years and have a zero salvage value. In 2017, the decision was made to change the depreciation method from straight-line to sum-of-the-years’-digits, and the estimates relating to useful life and salvage value remained unchanged.
2. Equipment B was purchased January 3, 2013. It originally cost \)180,000 and, for depreciation purposes, the straight-line method was chosen. The asset was originally expected to be useful for 15 years and have a zero residual value. In 2017, the decision was made to shorten the total life of this asset to 9 years and to estimate the residual value at \(3,000.
3. Equipment C was purchased January 5, 2013. The asset’s original cost was \)160,000, and this amount was entirely expensed in 2013. This particular asset has a 10-year useful life and no residual value. The straight-line method was chosen for depreciation purposes.
Additional data:
1. Income in 2017 before depreciation expense amounted to \(400,000.
2. Depreciation expense on assets other than A, B, and C totaled \)55,000 in 2017.
3. Income in 2016 was reported at \(370,000.
4. Ignore all income tax effects.
5. 100,000 shares of common stock were outstanding in 2016 and 2017.
Instructions
(a) Prepare all necessary entries in 2017 to record these determinations.
(b) Prepare comparative retained earnings statements for Madrasa Inc. for 2016 and 2017. The company had retained earnings of \)200,000 at December 31, 2015.
Joy Cunningham Co. purchased a machine on January 1, 2015, for $550,000. At that time, it was estimated that the machine would have a 10-year life and no salvage value. On December 31, 2018, the firm’s accountant found that the entry for depreciation expense had been omitted in 2016. In addition, management has informed the accountant that the company plans to switch to straight-line depreciation, starting with the year 2018. At present, the company uses the sum-of-the-years’-digits method for depreciating equipment. Instructions Prepare the general journal entries that should be made at December 31, 2018, to record these events. (Ignore tax effects.)
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