NEWS RELEASE 03/21/12

FAF Publishes Learning Guide for the FASB Accounting Standards Codification® Research System

Norwalk, CT, March 21, 2012—The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) today published the Learning Guide for the Codification Research System, a new resource for subscribers who want to use the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) online Accounting Standards Codification's features more effectively and efficiently. The Learning Guide is part of an ongoing improvement process for the FASB Accounting Standards Codification® research system platform.

The FASB Accounting Standards Codification® is the source of authoritative U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) for public and private companies, not-for-profits, and other non-governmental organizations. The Codification® organizes U.S. GAAP into roughly 90 accounting Topics and displays all Topics using a consistent structure. It also includes relevant Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidance that follows the same topical structure in separate sections in the Codification.

The Learning Guide for the Codification Research System is complimentary for all subscribers (Professional, Academic, and Basic View) and is available at http://asc.fasb.org.

Useful to both novice and experienced Codification users, the Learning Guide employs a "learning by doing" approach. Each lesson includes real-life scenarios and work-related tasks, instructional content, tips and key points, lesson summaries, and questions, exercises, and problems to reinforce the users' learning.

The lessons are:
  1. Getting Started with the Codification
  2. Navigating the Codification
  3. Working with Section-Level Content
  4. Understanding the Scope of Guidance
  5. Citing Codification Content
  6. Working with Research Results
  7. Working with Pending Content
  8. Working with Archived Content
  9. Working with Glossaries
  10. Working with Nonauthoritative Content
  11. Searching: Fundamental Techniques
  12. Searching: Advanced Techniques
  13. Keeping Track of Changes to the Codification
  14. Cross-Referencing Codification Content and Its Sources
  15. Assembling Content for Greater Efficiency
  16. Working with XBRL Elements
  17. Providing Feedback on the Codification.
The Academic and Basic View online versions of the Codification® are available free of charge. The Professional View online version, which includes searching, cross-referencing, archiving, and advanced navigation capabilities, among other features, is available for $850.00 for an annual subscription at http://asc.fasb.org. The annual print edition of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification® can be ordered online at the FASB Store at the cost of $215.00.


About the Financial Accounting Foundation

The FAF is responsible for the oversight, administration, and finances of both the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and its counterpart for state and local government, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The Foundation is also responsible for selecting the members of both Boards and their respective Advisory Councils.

About the Financial Accounting Standards Board

Since 1973, the Financial Accounting Standards Board has been the designated organization in the private sector for establishing standards of financial accounting and reporting. Those standards govern the preparation of financial reports and are officially recognized as authoritative by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Such standards are essential to the efficient functioning of the economy because investors, creditors, auditors, and others rely on credible, transparent, and comparable financial information. For more information about the FASB, visit our website at www.fasb.org.