General Article Archives

A Framework for Addressing Data Concerns for Cooperatives

A Framework for Addressing Data Concerns for Cooperatives

Published July 16, 2026

INTRODUCTION Cooperatives accumulate tremendous volume of data in the performance of accounting processes. In today’s world, collecting data leads to inherent risks. Such risks include crimes from access to personal identifiable information (PII), commercial sabotage, ransomware, and a variety of other risks. In fact, there is a need to be concerned about losing physical control of that data with cloud services which increases the need ...

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FASB ISSUES Accounting Standards Update 2026-01 EQUITY (Topic 505) – Initial Measurement of Paid-in-Kind Dividends on Equity-Classified as Preferred Stock - April 2026 Summary

FASB ISSUES Accounting Standards Update 2026-01 EQUITY (Topic 505) – Initial Measurement of Paid-in-Kind Dividends on Equity-Classified as Preferred Stock - April 2026 Summary

Published July 2, 2026

Summary Why Is the FASB Issuing This Accounting Standards Update? The Board is issuing this Update to provide authoritative guidance on how an issuer should initially measure paid-in-kind (PIK) dividends on equity-classified preferred stock. The amendments do not affect an entity’s determination of when to recognize PIK dividends. Stakeholders expressed concerns that current generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) do not address ...

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Final Regulations Under Section 4501 – Changes of Potential Interest to Cooperatives

Final Regulations Under Section 4501 – Changes of Potential Interest to Cooperatives

Published June 25, 2026

Congress added Section 4501 to the Code as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, P.L. 117-58 (August 16, 2022).  This section imposes a 1% excise tax on certain repurchases of corporate stock. Section 4501(b) limits applicability to corporations which are “covered corporations,” defined as “any domestic corporation the stock of which is traded on an established securities market (within the meaning of section ...

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FASB ISSUES Accounting Standards Update 2025-10 GOVERNMENT GRANTS (Topic 832) Accounting for Government Grants Received by Business Entities – December 2025

FASB ISSUES Accounting Standards Update 2025-10 GOVERNMENT GRANTS (Topic 832) Accounting for Government Grants Received by Business Entities – December 2025

Published June 18, 2026

Summary  Why Is the FASB Issuing This Accounting Standards Update?  The FASB is issuing this Update to improve generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) by establishing authoritative guidance on the accounting for government grants received by business entities. GAAP does not provide specific authoritative guidance about the recognition, measurement, and presentation of a grant received by a business entity from a government.

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Beyond the Numbers: Depreciation Studies as Strategic Tools for Electric Cooperatives

Beyond the Numbers: Depreciation Studies as Strategic Tools for Electric Cooperatives

Published June 11, 2026

Introduction: Depreciation as a Strategic Utility Function Within the electric utility industry, depreciation is often viewed narrowly as an accounting requirement—a routine financial calculation necessary to allocate the cost of utility plant over time. Yet for electric cooperatives operating in today’s rapidly evolving energy environment, depreciation studies have become far more than technical accounting exercises. They are ...

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