Intermediate F Accounting – II By M.

S RVU

Chapter 3
Investment Accounting

1. Accounting For Investments in Common Stock /Equity

Companies acquire ownership interests in other companies for a variety of reasons. For example,
some companies invest in other companies simply to earn a favorable return by taking advantage
of the future earnings potential of their investees.
Other reasons for acquiring interests in other entities include:
(1) gaining voting control,
(2) entering new product markets by purchasing companies already established in those areas,
(3) ensuring a supply of raw materials or other production inputs,
(4) ensuring a customer for production output,
(5) gaining economies associated with greater size,
(6) diversifying operations,
(7) obtaining new technology,
(8) lessening competition, and
(9) limiting risk
The method used to account for investments in common stock depends, in part, on the level of
influence or control that the investor is able to exercise over the investee.
• The investment must be reported on the investor’s balance sheet using:
 Cost method (adjusted to market value, if appropriate),
 Equity method, or the fair value option.
Summary of Accounting for Equity Investment Securities (based on the normal level of
stock ownership)

ownership interest influence level Accounting method

• 0% - 20%* Insignificant influence Cost method
• 20% - 50% Significant influence** Equity method**
• 50% - 100% Control Equity method
(or cost method*** + consolidation)
• The normal 20% threshold for determining “significant influence” may vary depending
on circumstances.

• ** Investments not intended to be held long term are marked-to-market as trading or

available-for-sale securities. The investor may choose the fair value

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Intermediate F Accounting – II By M.S RVU

The cost method is used for reporting investments in equity securities when both
consolidation and equity-method reporting are inappropriate. If cost-method equity
securities have readily determinable fair values, they must be adjusted to market value at
year-end. Under the cost method, the investor recognizes income from the investment
when the income is distributed by the investee as dividends.

The equity method is used for external reporting when the investor exercises significant
influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee and consolidation is not
appropriate. This method is used most often when one company holds 20% or more of another
company’s common stock. Under the equity method, the investor recognizes income from the
investment as the investee earns the income.

Accounting Procedures under the Cost Method

The cost method is consistent with the treatment normally accorded noncurrent assets. At the
time of purchase, the investor records its investment in common stock at the total cost incurred
in making the purchase.

Subsequently, the carrying amount of the investment remains unchanged under the cost
method; the investment continues to be carried at its original cost until the time of sale. Income
from the investment is recognized by the investor as dividends are declared by the investee.

To illustrate the cost method, assume that ABC Company purchases 20 percent of XYZ
Company’s common stock for $100,000 at the beginning of the year but does not gain significant
influence over XYZ. During the year, XYZ has net income of $60,000 and declares dividends of
$20,000.

Assuming the dividend is paid later, ABC Company records the following entries relating to its
investment in XYZ:

• Investment in XYZ Company Stock 100,000

Cash 100,000
Record purchase of XYZ Company stock.
• Dividends Receivable 4,000
Dividend Income 4,000
Record dividend declared by XYZ Company ($20,000 × 0.20).
• Note that ABC records only its share of XYZ’s distributed earnings and makes no entry
for the undistributed portion. The carrying amount of the investment is still the original
cost of $100,000.

THE EQUITY METHOD

The equity method of accounting for inter-corporate investments in common stock is intended
to reflect the investor’s changing equity or interest in the investee. This method is a rather
curious one in that the balance in the investment account generally does not reflect either cost or

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market value, and it does not necessarily represent a pro rata share of the investee’s book value.
Instead, the investment is recorded at the initial purchase price and adjusted each period for
the investor’s share of the investee’s profits or losses and the dividends declared by the
investee.

Under the equity method, the investor records its investment at the original cost. This
amount is adjusted periodically for changes in the investee’s stockholders’ equity occasioned
by the investee’s profits, losses, and dividend declarations. The effect of the investee’s
income, losses, and dividends on the investor’s investment account and other accounts can be
summarized as follows:

Under the equity method, the investor’s income statement includes the investor’s
proportionate share of the investee’s income or loss each period. The carrying amount of the
investment is adjusted by the same amount to reflect the change in the net assets of the investee
resulting from the investee’s income.

• To illustrate, assume that ABC Company acquires significant influence over XYZ
Company by purchasing 20 percent of XYZ’s common stock for $100,000 at the
beginning of the year.

Investment in XYZ Company Stock …….100,000

Cash ………………………………………………. 100,000

• Record purchase of XYZ Company stock.

 XYZ reports income of $60,000 for the year. ABC records its 20 percent share of XYZ’s
income ($12,000) in an account called “Income from XYZ Company” as follows:

Investment in XYZ Company Stock ………….12,000

Income from XYZ Company …………………………….12,000

• Record income from XYZ Company ($60,000 × 0.20).

• This entry may be referred to as the equity accrual and normally is made as an
adjusting entry at the end of the period.

• If the investee reports a loss for the period, the investor recognizes its share of the loss
and reduces the carrying amount of the investment by that amount.

Dividends from an investment are not recognized as income under the equity method
because the investor’s share of the investee’s income is recognized as the investee earns it.

• Instead, the investee’s dividends are viewed as distributions of previously recognized

income that already has been capitalized in the carrying amount of the investment.

Eg. if ABC Company owns 20 percent of XYZ Company’s common stock and XYZ declares a
$20,000 dividend, the following entry is recorded on ABC’s books to record its share of the
dividend:

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Intermediate F Accounting – II By M.S RVU

Dividends Receivable ………. 4,000

Investment in XYZ Company Stock ………….. 4,000

• Record dividend from XYZ Company ($20,000 × 0.20).

The Fair Value Accounting Option

According to IFRS 13-Fair Value Measurement , IAS 28-Investments in Associates and Joint
Ventures , IAS 32-Financial Instruments – Presentation, rather than using the cost or equity
method to report non-subsidiary investments in common stock, investors may report those
investments at fair value.

Under the fair value option, the investor remeasure the investment to its fair value at the end of
each period. The change in value is then recognized in income for the period.

Illustration- Assume that Ajax Corporation purchases 40 percent of Barclay Company’s

common stock on January 1, 20X1, for $200,000. Ajax prepares financial statements at the end
of each calendar quarter.

• On March 1, 20X1, Ajax receives a cash dividend of $1,500 from Barclay.

• On Dec 31, 20X1, Ajax determines the fair value of its investment in Barclay to be
$207,000. During the first quarter of 20X1,

• Ajax records the following entries on its books in relation to its investment in Barclay: to
prepare Interim F/st for 1st quarter

Investment in Barclay Stock.……. 200,000

Cash ……………………………………200,000
• Record purchase of Barclay Company stock
Cash ………………………..1,500
Dividend Income ………………………1,500
• Record dividend income from Barclay Company.
Investment in Barclay Stock …………. 7,000
Unrealized Gain on Barclay Stock ………..7,000
• Record increase in fair value investment in Barclay stock.

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Intermediate F Accounting – II By M.S RVU

2. Accounting for investment in Debt securities - Bond)

Investment in - Bonds Issued at Par
This bond issue is the simplest to account for. If bonds are issued at their face value on their
interest payable date with no transaction fees, the cash proceeds received from the investors will
be the initial measurement amount recorded for the bond issue. The interest expense is recorded
in the same amount as the cash interest paid, at the face or stated rate, and there is no accrued
interest. This means that the effective interest rate (market rate) and the stated rate (face rate) are
the same. At maturity, the amount paid to the bondholders is the face value (or par value)
amount, which is also the fair value on that date.

To illustrate, on May 1, 2021, Engels Ltd. Invested in 10-year, 8%, $500,000 par value bonds
with interest payable each year on May 1 and November 1. The market rate at the time of
issuance is 8% and the company year-end is December 31.

To record the investment on May 1:

General Journal
May 1, 2021
Investment in –xx- company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000

To record the interest received on November 1:

General Journal - Nov 1, 2021
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
Interest Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
(500,000 × 8% × 6 ÷ 12)

To record the accrued interest on December 31 year-end:

General Journal Dec 31, 2021

Interest Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,667

Interest Revenue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,667
(500,000 × 8% × 2 ÷ 12)

To record the interest payment on May 1, 2022:

General Journal May 1, 2022

Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
Interest Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,667
Interest Reveneu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,333
For Interest Revenue: (500,000×8%×4÷12)
Note how the interest payable for the accrued interest recorded at year-end is reversed at the first
interest payment the following year, on May 1, 2022.

At maturity, the May 1, 2031, entry would be:

General Journal - May 1, 2031

Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000
Investment in Bond –xx Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000

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Intermediate F Accounting – II By M.S RVU

Investment in-Bonds Issued at a Discount

To illustrate, on May 1, 2021, Engels Ltd. Invested in a 10-year, 8%, $500,000 face value bond
with interest payable each year on May 1 and November 1. The market rate at the time of
issuance is 9% and the company year-end is December 31. In this case the stated rate of 8% is
less than the market rate of 9%. This means that the bond issuance is trading at a discount and
the fair value, or its present value of the future cash flows, will be less than the face value upon
issuance.

The present value is calculated as:

20,000 PMT (where semi-annual interest using the stated or face rate is $500,000 × 8% × 6 ÷ 12)
4.5 I/Y (where 9% market or effective interest is paid twice per year) 20 N (where interest is paid
twice per year for 10 years) 500,000 FV (where a single payment of the face value is due in a
future year 2031);

Expressed in the following variables string, and using a financial calculator, the present value is
calculated:
Present value (PV) = (20,000 PMT, 4.5 I/Y, 20 N, 500,000 FV) = $467,480

On - May 1, 2021
Investment in bond – xx company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467,480
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467,480.

To record the interest revenue on November 1:

General Journal
Nov 1, 2021
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
Investment in bond –xx company. . . . . . 1,037
Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,037
For Interest income : (467,480 × 4.5%)

Recording the accrued interest at the December 31 year-end can be tricky, so preparing the
relevant portion of an effective interest schedule will be useful:
General Journal
Dec 31, 2021
Interest Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,667
Investment in bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .361
Interest Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,028
For Interest Revnue: (21,083 × 2 ÷ 6),
For investment in bond: (1,083 × 2 ÷ 6)

To record the interest income on May 1, 2022:

General Journal May 1, 2022
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
Investment in bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722
Interest Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 6,667
Interest Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,055
For Interest Reveneue: (21,083 − 7,028)
For investment in bond: (1,083 − 361)

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To record the interest payment on November 1, 2022:

General Journal Nov 1, 2022
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
Investment in bond – xx company. . . . . . . 1,132
Interest revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.132

At maturity, the May 1, 2031, entry would be:

General Journal
May 1, 2031
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000
Investment in bond- xx Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000

Investment in Bonds -Issued at a Premium

If the stated rate is more than the market rate, the bond trades at a premium. This is because
investors are seeking the best interest rate for their investment. If the stated rate is higher, the
bond issuance is more desirable, and the investors would be willing to pay more for this
investment than for another with a lower stated rate. The accounting for bonds purchased at a
premium follows the same method as was illustrated for bonds at a discount. The illustration will
be changed slightly to introduce the use of the market spot rate.

To illustrate, on May 1, 2021, Impala Ltd. Invested a 10-year, 8%, $500,000 face value bond at
a spot rate of 102 (2% above par). Interest is payable each year on May 1 and November 1. The
company year-end is December 31 and follows IFRS. The spot rate is 102, so the amount to be
paid is $510,000 (500,000 × 102) and, therefore, represents the fair value or present value of the
bond issuance on the purchase date.

The entry for the bond issuance is:

General Journal
May 1, 2021
Investment in bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510,000
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510,000
However, what effective interest rate would be required to result in a present value of $510,000,
a future value of $500,000 payable in 10 years, and a stated or face rate of 8% interest payable
semi-annually?
Effective interest rate (I/Y) = (+/- 510,000 PV, 20,000 PMT, 20 N, 500,000 FV)
= 3.8547% semi-annual interest rate or 7.71% per annum

To prove that the 3.85% is the correct semi-annual effective interest rate, the present value is
calculated as follows:

20,000 PMT (where semi-annual interest using the stated or face rate is $500,000 × 8% × 6 ÷ 12)
3.8547 I/Y (where market or effective interest is paid twice per year) 20 N (where interest is paid
twice a year for 10 years)
500,000 FV (where a single payment of the face value is due in a future year 2031);

Expressed in the following variables string and using a financial calculator, the present value is
calculated as follows:
Present value (PV) = (20,000 PMT, 3.8547 I/Y, 20 N, 500,000 FV) = $510,000 (rounded)

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Interest Payment @ 3.8547% Amortization Balance

May 1/21 510,000
Nov 1/21 20,000 19,659 341 509,659
May 1/22 20,000 19,646 354 509,305
Nov 1/22 20,000 19,632 368 508,937 . .

Using the information from the schedule, the entries are completed below.

To record the interest revenue on November 1:

General Journal -Nov 1, 2021
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
Investment in bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,659

Recording the accrued interest at the December 31 year-end can be tricky, so preparing the
relevant portion of an effective interest schedule will be useful:

General Journal -Dec 31, 2021

Interest Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,667
Investment in bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 118
Interest Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 6,549
For Interest revenue : (19,646 × 2 ÷ 6)
For investment in bond: (354 × 2 ÷ 6)

To record the interest payment on May 1, 2022:

General Journal - May 1, 2022
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
Interest Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,667
Investment in bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Interest Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,097
For Interest expense: (19,646 − 6,549)
For Bond payable: (354 − 118)

To record the interest payment on November 1, 2022:

General Journal
Nov 1, 2022
Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
Interest Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,632
Investment in bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

At maturity, the May 1, 2031, entry would be:

General Journal
May 1, 2031

Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000
Investment in bond –xx company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000

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