The economy has continued to improve over the past few years and that has meant more transactions involving businesses being bought and sold. With that comes the need to properly account for those transactions. The rules under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) can sometimes be complex and application of those rules can often be a challenge. CEOs, CFOs and business owners are well advised to have adequate familiarity with the requirements under the applicable standards because proper application of such standards is critical to achieve correct reporting for acquired businesses.