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What Are Assets and Liabilities? Where Is True North? (Accounting That my Sister Would Understand)

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  • Walter P. Schuetze

Abstract

This is an article about what I think financial accounting and reporting ought to look like—about my vision that the singular focus of financial accounting and reporting should be on cash, that is, cash itself, contractual claims to cash, things (assets) that can be converted into cash, and obligations to pay cash, and that assets and liabilities should be stated at fair value in corporate balance sheets. I call this formulationTrue North. I previously have written about how we should keep financial accounting and reporting simple (‘Keep It Simple’, Accounting Horizons, June 1991, pp. 113–17). I also have written about how assets should be defined for accounting purposes (‘What Is an Asset?’, Accounting Horizons, Septem‐ber 1993, pp. 66–70). This article builds on those two earlier ones. It deals with definitions of assets and liabilities that should be recognized (that is, displayed, shown, or reported) in corporate balance sheets and how the recognized assets and liabilities should be measured when reported in those balance sheets.

Suggested Citation

  • Walter P. Schuetze, 2001. "What Are Assets and Liabilities? Where Is True North? (Accounting That my Sister Would Understand)," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 37(1), pages 1-25, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:abacus:v:37:y:2001:i:1:p:1-25
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-6281.00072
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    Cited by:

    1. Gwilliam, David & Jackson, Richard H.G., 2008. "Fair value in financial reporting: Problems and pitfalls in practice," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 240-259.
    2. Nancy Segura, 2008. "Contribution à la connaissance de la production de l'information financière : Le cas des provisions pour litiges," Post-Print halshs-00525982, HAL.
    3. El-Tawy, Nevine & Tollington, Tony, 2013. "Some thoughts on the recognition of assets, notably in respect of intangible assets," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 67-80.
    4. Frank Clarke & Graeme Dean & Erne Houghton, 2002. "Revitalising Group Accounting: Improving Accountability," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 12(28), pages 58-72, November.
    5. Stewart Jones & Sheikh F. Rahman & Peter W. Wolnizer, 2004. "Accounting Reform in Australia: Contrasting Cases of Agenda Building," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 40(3), pages 379-404, October.
    6. Steinar Sars Kvifte, 2008. "Revisiting the Concepts: Time to Challenge the Asset-Liability View," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 18(1), pages 81-92, March.
    7. Feleaga Liliana & Feleaga Niculae & Vasile Cristina Mioara, 2008. "Conceptual Difficulties And The Feasibility Of Policies," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 3(1), pages 1205-1210, May.
    8. Allan D. Barton, 2002. "Public-Sector Accounting:A Common Reporting Framework? A Rejoinder," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 12(28), pages 41-49, November.

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