Overview

This course focuses on the recognition, measurement and subsequent accounting for various types of liabilities. The content includes: - Current liabilities and contingencies, such as accounts payable, accrued expenses, warranties, and pending litigation - Accounting for long-term debt, including the issuance, payment of interest, amortization, and extinguishment of debt instruments. - Lease accounting from the perspective of both the lessee and the lessor - Pension accounting, including the calculation of benefit obligations, plan assets, and net periodic benefit cost We will discuss the relevant accounting standards and principles used to measure and disclose these items in the financial statements. This course is the third course in the Financial Reporting Specialization offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Syllabus

About the Course

In this module, you will become familiar with the course, your instructor and your classmates, and our learning environment. This orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required to navigate and be successful in this course.

Module 1: Current Liabilities and Contingencies

In this module, you will be introduced to the concepts of current liabilities and contingencies. You will learn how to classify liabilities as current or long-term, including consideration of refinancing arrangements. The module also describes the criteria for recognizing and/or disclosing contingencies.

Module 2: Long-Term Debt Part 1

In this module, you will be introduced to the concept of long-term debt. You will learn about the different types of bonds and how each type results in different accounting, including bonds sold at a premium or discount. The module also explains the recognition of interest and bond extinguishment.

Module 3: Long-Term Debt Part 2

In this module, long-term debt will be discussed in more detail. Students will learn how to account for other aspects of bond accounting, including bond issue costs, fair value accounting, convertible debt, troubled debt restructuring, issuances between interest dates, and differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS.

Module 4: Lease Accounting Part 1

In this module, you will be introduced to the most recent lease accounting standards issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Starting with the definition of a lease, this module will discuss features of the model related to both lessors and lessees. It will also illustrate the classification of leases, initial recognition, and subsequent measurement.

Module 5: Lease Accounting Part 2

In this module, we continue the discussion of the lease accounting model. You will learn how to account for leased asset purchase options, leased asset residual values, sale leaseback accounting, and the differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS when accounting for leases.

Module 6: Pension Accounting Part 1

In this module, you will be introduced to accounting for pension benefits. We will explore the basic features of accounting for defined benefit plans, including benefit obligations, plan assets, and the components of net periodic benefit cost.

Module 7: Pension Accounting Part 2

In this module, you will continue your study of accounting for employee retirement benefits. We will learn how to account for plan amendments and the recognition of pension gains and losses. We will also discuss a comprehensive recognition of pension activities. The module will conclude with a discussion of the major differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS with respect to pension accounting.