Because they are to be consumed in a relatively short period of time, receivables are typically reported at amounts that “approximate” their expected present value, GAAP dictates that an item should not be valued at an amount in excess of its current value. It is considered appropriate to value receivables at their expects net realizable value – the recorded amount less an amount deemed to be uncollectible.
Inventories and prepaid expenses present some additional valuation issues. With the emphasis on net income reporting, the inventory valuation process has become secondary to the matching of expired inventory costs to sale. The use of any of the acceptable inventory flow assumption techniques (e.g., LIFO, FIFO, weighted average discussed in Chapter 8 ) prescribes the amount that remains on the balance sheet, and each of these flow assumptions likely will result in different inventory valuations in fluctuating market conditions. In addition, the accounting convention of conservatism has resulted in the requirement that a lower of cost or market valuation be used for inventories. In any case, the financial statement user should interpret the inventory figure as being less than its estimated selling price.