a. What are the major equity and/or debt securities investments? What amounts are reported in the balance sheet? How significant are those amounts to the company's overall balance sheet? Compare and summarize the reported amount to the prior year. Can you account for the change?
b. What amount of income is reported on the equity investments and how significant are those amounts to the company's overall profitability? Compare and summarize the reported amount to the prior year. Can you account for the change?
c. How many subsidiaries (greater than 50% ownership) does the company have? Are all of the consolidated? If not, which ones are not? What is the firm's consolidation policy?
d. Are there inter-company transactions between the company and its affiliated companies (equity investments)? Did any of their affiliates sell shares of common stock to the public? If so, how did your company recognize the gains or losses?
e. Is there any information contained in the disclosure notes about the equity investments that you can't discern in the financial statements? If so, what is it?
f. Is there any goodwill on the balance sheet? If so, how much? Can you determine where it came from? Did the company test the goodwill for impairment during the year? Was any of it written off?
g. Does the company report any cost method investments carried as trading securities, available-for-sale securities, or held-to-maturity securities? If so, what are the amounts for the last two years and what is their significance to both the balance sheet and income statement?
h. Did the company realize any gains or losses from security sales during the year? If so, in what amount? How does that compare to any unrealized gains or losses that might be reflected in comprehensive income?