Miscellaneous ‘‘Cookie Jar Reserves’’
A third illusion played by some companies is using unrealistic assumptions to estimate liabilities for
such items as sales returns, loan losses or warranty costs. In doing so, they stash accruals in cookie
jars during the good times and reach into them when needed in the bad times.
I’m reminded of one U.S. company who took a large one-time loss to earnings to reimburse franchisees
for equipment. That equipment, however, which included literally the kitchen sink, had yet
to be bought. And, at the same time, they announced that future earnings would grow an impressive
15 percent per year.