FASB

Ok first, say it aloud, people…Fazzzz Beeeee. Sounds way cooler than:

Financial
Accounting
Standards
Board

What is it? Well, it’s a private regulatory body that has given birth to myriad opinions on how things should be accounted for...with its favorite child being GAAP.

Remember GAAP?

Generally
Accepted
Accounting
Principles

So GAAP was the most famous creation of FASB, but hundreds of other little creations followed...in that the august group of seven members who run FASB realized 50 years ago that the world would look different half a century later.

Accounting standards would have to be flexible, almost in the same vague way the U.S. Constitution is written...so that when a customer buys an upgrade from the people who make Angry Birds in an app sold by Apple, but downloaded by Comcast, paid for with a Visa card, everyone would know with certainty who got paid what...and when.

The key idea behind FASB is that it is an adaptive group that changes with a quickly changing environment. If you want to think about it in a mathy way, they seek to be the derivative, not the curve itself...

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What is FASB?9 Views

00:00

Finance a la shmoop what is FASB? ok first say it with me people FASB sounds

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way cooler than Financial Accounting Standards Board alright well what is it

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well it's a private regulatory body that has given birth to myriad opinions on [FASB definition appears on 100 dollar bill]

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how things should be accounted for with its favorite child being GAAP.....

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yeah, remember GAAP generally accepted accounting principles and it's the

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religion of accounting so GAAP was the most famous creation of FASB, but

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hundreds of other little creations followed in that the august group of

00:39

seven members who run FASB realized 50 years ago that the world would look a

00:44

whole lot different half a century later when you were countin beans like who'd have

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thunk about digital beans accounting standards would have to be flexible [People stretching in a field]

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almost in the same vague way the US Constitution is written so that when a

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customer buys an upgrade from the people who make angry birds in an app sold by

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Apple but downloaded by Comcast paid for with a Visa card while everyone would

01:10

know with certainty who got paid what when the key idea behind FASB is that

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it's an adaptive group that changes with a quickly changing bean-counting

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environment trying to make sure everything is you know fair and square

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for all if you want to think about it in a mathy way well they seek to be the

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derivative not the curve itself alright so you're living right here on the curve [Arrow points to derivative on a curve]

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changing all the time dxdy and all that crap, FASB....

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