Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

v3.3.1.900
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]
3.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
 
Principles of Consolidation
 
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include all of the accounts of Algodon Wines & Luxury Development Group, Inc. and the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.
 
Use of Estimates
 
To prepare financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, the Company must make estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts in the financial statements, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The significant estimates and assumptions of the Company include the valuation of equity instruments, the useful lives of property and equipment and reserves associated with the realizability of certain assets.
 
Foreign Currency Translation
 
The Company’s functional and reporting currency is the United States Dollar. The functional currencies of the Company’s operating subsidiaries are their local currencies (United States Dollar, Argentine Peso and British Pound). There has been a steady devaluation of the Argentine Peso relative to the United States Dollar in recent years. Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the balance sheet date (12.9441 and 8.5411 at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively), and revenue and expense accounts are translated at a weighted average exchange rate for the year then ended (9.2495 and 8.1095 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively).
 
Resulting translation adjustments are made directly to accumulated other comprehensive income. Losses arising from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of $360,170 and $223,904 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, are recognized in operating results in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company engages in foreign currency denominated transactions with customers and suppliers, as well as between subsidiaries with different functional currencies.
 
A highly inflationary economy is defined as an economy with a cumulative inflation rate of approximately 100 percent or more over a three-year period. If a country’s economy is classified as highly inflationary, the functional currency of the foreign entity operating in that country must be remeasured to the functional currency of the reporting entity. The official cumulative inflation rate for Argentina over the last three years approximated 64%, although the International Monetary Fund has concerns regarding the accuracy of the official data.
 
Accounts Receivable
 
Accounts receivable primarily represent receivables from hotel guests who occupy rooms and wine sales to commercial customers. The Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts when it determines that it is more likely than not a specific account will not be collected. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $5,882 and $10,530 as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Bad debt expense for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 was $93,755 and $41,299, respectively. Write-offs of accounts receivable for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 were $10,347 and $21,424, respectively.
 
Inventory
 
Inventories are comprised primarily of vineyard in process, wine in process, finished wine, plus food and beverage items and are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost being determined on the first-in, first-out method. Costs associated with winemaking, and other costs associated with the creation of products for resale, are recorded as inventory. Vineyard in process represents the monthly capitalization of farming expenses (including farming labor costs, usage of farming supplies and depreciation of the vineyard and farming equipment) associated with the growing of grape, olive and other fruits during the farming year which culminates with the February/March harvest. Wine in process represents the capitalization of costs during the winemaking process (including the transfer of grape costs from vineyard in process, winemaking labor costs and depreciation of winemaking fixed assets, including tanks, barrels, equipment, tools and the winemaking building). Finished wines represents wine available for sale and includes the transfer of costs from wine in process once the wine is bottled and labeled. Other inventory consists of olives, other fruits, golf equipment and restaurant food.
 
In accordance with general practice within the wine industry, wine inventories are included in current assets, although a portion of such inventories may be aged for periods longer than one year. As required, the Company reduces the carrying value of inventories that are obsolete or in excess of estimated usage to estimated net realizable value. The Company’s estimates of net realizable value are based on analyses and assumptions including, but not limited to, historical usage, future demand and market requirements. Reductions to the carrying value of inventories are recorded in cost of sales. If future demand and/or pricing for the Company’s products are less than previously estimated, then the carrying value of the inventories may be required to be reduced, resulting in additional expense and reduced profitability. During 2015, the Company recorded a write-down in the value of work-in-process inventory of $193,146 as a result of two hailstorms that occurred during the year. Inventory write-downs during 2014 were negligible.
 
Property and Equipment
 
Investments in property and equipment are recorded at cost. These assets are depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives as follows:
 
Buildings
10 - 30 years
Furniture and fixtures
3 - 10 years
Vineyards
7 - 20 years
Machinery and equipment
3 - 20 years
Leasehold improvements
3 - 5 years
Computer hardware and software
3 - 5 years
 
The Company capitalizes internal vineyard improvement costs when developing new vineyards or replacing or improving existing vineyards. These costs consist primarily of the costs of the vines and expenditures related to labor and materials to prepare the land and construct vine trellises. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to operating expense as incurred. The cost of properties sold or otherwise disposed of and the related accumulated depreciation are eliminated from the accounts at the time of disposal and resulting gains and losses are included as a component of operating income. Real estate development consists of costs incurred to ready the land for sale, including primarily costs of infrastructure as well as master plan development and associated professional fees. Such costs will be allocated to individual lots proportionately based on square meters and those allocated costs will be derecognized upon the sale of individual lots. Given that they are not currently in service, capitalized real estate development costs are currently not being depreciated. Land is an inexhaustible asset and is not depreciated.
 
Stock-based Compensation
 
The Company measures the cost of services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the fair value of the award. For employees and directors, the fair value of the award is measured on the grant date and for non-employees, the fair value of the award is generally re-measured on financial reporting dates and vesting dates until the service period is complete. The fair value amount of the shares expected to ultimately vest is then recognized over the period for which services are required to be provided in exchange for the award, usually the vesting period. The estimation of stock-based awards that will ultimately vest requires judgment, and to the extent actual results or updated estimates differ from original estimates, such amounts are recorded as a cumulative adjustment in the period that the estimates are revised. The Company considers many factors when estimating expected forfeitures, including types of awards, employee class, and historical experience.
 
Concentrations
 
The Company maintains cash with major financial institutions. Cash held in US bank institutions is currently insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $250,000 at each institution. No similar insurance or guarantee exists for cash held in Argentina bank accounts. There were aggregate uninsured cash balances of $45,055 and $135,098 at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
 
Foreign Operations
 
The following summarizes key financial metrics associated with the Company’s foreign operations (these financial metrics are immaterial for the Company’s operations in the United Kingdom):
 
 
 
For The Years Ended
 
 
 
December 31,
 
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
Assets- Argentina
 
$
6,254,631
 
$
9,307,515
 
Assets- U.S.
 
 
1,402,864
 
 
1,521,309
 
Assets- Total
 
$
7,657,495
 
$
10,828,824
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Liabilities- Argentina
 
$
2,222,456
 
$
2,809,734
 
Liabilities- U.S.
 
 
2,307,871
 
 
2,238,467
 
Liabilities- Total
 
$
4,530,327
 
$
5,048,201
 
 
 
 
For The Years Ended
 
 
 
December 31,
 
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
Revenues- Argentina
 
$
1,842,356
 
$
2,050,966
 
Revenues- U.S.
 
 
165,789
 
 
63,946
 
Revenues- Total
 
$
2,008,145
 
$
2,114,912
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net Loss- Argentina
 
$
2,434,321
 
$
2,574,787
 
Net Loss- U.S.
 
 
5,844,643
 
 
6,488,640
 
Net Loss- Total
 
$
8,278,964
 
$
9,063,427
 
 
Comprehensive Income (Loss)
 
Comprehensive income is defined as the change in equity of a business during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owners sources. It includes all changes in equity during a period except those resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. The guidance requires other comprehensive income (loss) to include foreign currency translation adjustments.
 
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
 
When circumstances, such as adverse market conditions, indicate that the carrying value of a long-lived asset may be impaired, the Company performs an analysis to review the recoverability of the asset’s carrying value, which includes estimating the undiscounted cash flows (excluding interest charges) from the expected future operations of the asset. These estimates consider factors such as expected future operating income, operating trends and prospects, as well as the effects of demand, competition and other factors. If the analysis indicates that the carrying value is not recoverable from future cash flows, an impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value. Any impairment losses are recorded as operating expenses, which reduce net income. There were no impairments of long-lived assets for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.
 
Segment Information
 
The FASB has established standards for reporting information on operating segments of an enterprise in interim and annual financial statements. The Company operates in one segment which is the business of real estate development in Argentina. The Company’s chief operating decision-maker reviews the Company’s operating results on an aggregate basis and manages the Company’s operations as a single operating segment. Certain activities of the Company such as the U.S. Broker Dealer Operations, are considered a service or support division to the Company, by providing capital raising efforts, substantially to support the AWLD real estate development activities, and are not considered a business for segment purposes.
 
Revenue Recognition
 
The Company earns revenues from its real estate, hospitality, food & beverage, broker-dealer and other related services. Revenues from rooms, food and beverage, and other operating departments are recognized as earned at the time of sale or rendering of service. Cash received in advance of the sale or rendering of services is recorded as deferred revenue on the consolidated balance sheets. Deferred revenues associated with real estate lot sale deposits are recognized as revenues (along with any outstanding balance) when the lot sale closes and the deed is provided to the purchaser. Other deferred revenues primarily consist of deposits accepted by the Company in connection with agreements to sell barrels of wine. These wine barrel deposits are recognized as revenues (along with any outstanding balance) when the barrel of wine is shipped to the purchaser. Sales taxes and value added (“VAT”) taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis within revenues in the consolidated statements of operations.
 
The Company operates within a single operating segment, because all of its operations are in support of the Company’s branding strategy and its associated real estate development initiatives. However, the Company does track revenues associated with its different products and services, as follows:
 
 
 
For The Years Ended
 
 
 
December 31,
 
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
Hotel rooms and events
 
$
851,389
 
$
904,323
 
Restaurants
 
 
519,255
 
 
595,284
 
Winemaking
 
 
372,035
 
 
438,082
 
Agricultural
 
 
13,336
 
 
80,529
 
Broker-dealer
 
 
135,476
 
 
(18,606)
 
Golf, tennis and other
 
 
116,654
 
 
115,300
 
Total revenues
 
$
2,008,145
 
$
2,114,912
 
 
For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company recorded unrealized losses on affiliate warrants of $184,530 and $23,542, respectively, which is included in broker-dealer revenues above.
 
Income Taxes
 
The Company accounts for income taxes under the liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. The Company additionally establishes a valuation allowance to reflect the likelihood of realization of deferred tax assets.
 
Net Loss per Common Share
 
Basic loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, plus the impact of common shares, if dilutive, resulting from the exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants and the conversion of convertible instruments.
 
The following securities are excluded from the calculation of weighted average dilutive common shares because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive:
 
 
 
December 31,
 
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Options
 
 
8,939,436
 
 
7,806,836
 
Warrants
 
 
1,382,186
 
 
1,069,674
 
Convertible instruments
 
 
-
 
 
297,805
 
Total potentially dilutive shares
 
 
10,321,622
 
 
9,174,315
 
 
Prepaid Compensation
 
Loans are given to certain registered representatives of CAP as an incentive for their affiliation with the Company. The registered representatives sign an agreement with CAP which specifies that portions of the loan will be forgiven on specific dates over a specified term, typically up to a five-year period. The loan is then amortized on a straight-line basis, which is included in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statements of operations. In the event a registered representative’s affiliation with the Company terminates prior to the fulfillment of their contract, the registered representative is required to repay the unforgiven balance and the related accrued interest (rates up to 3% currently). The Company considers establishing an allowance for uncollectible amounts to reflect the amount of loss that can be reasonably estimated by management. Determination of the estimated amount of uncollectible loans includes consideration of the amount of credit extended, the affiliation status and the length of time each receivable has been outstanding, as it relates to each individual registered representative. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had $234,490 and $9,000 of unforgiven principal balances with active registered representatives and $1,750 and $2,000 of accumulated amortization, respectively, which is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the consolidated balance sheets.
 
Advances and Loans to Registered Representatives
 
Advances and loans to registered representatives of the Company’s subsidiary CAP represent short-term loans to registered representatives of the Company. The Company has the right to recover such advances from other monies owed to the registered representatives in the ordinary course of business. The determination of the uncollectible accounts is based on the amount of credit extended, the length of time each receivable has been outstanding and future compensation prospects, as it relates to each individual registered representative. The allowance for uncollectible amounts reflects the amount of loss that can be reasonably estimated by management and is included as part of general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statements of operations. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company has reserved approximately $118,000 and $118,000 for any potential non-collection, respectively.
 
Advertising
 
Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 was $92,050 and $153,696, respectively.
 
Reclassifications  
 
  Certain prior year balances have been reclassified in order to conform to current year presentation. These reclassifications have no effect on previously reported results of operations or loss per share.
 
New Accounting Pronouncements
 
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” (“ASU 2014-09”). ASU 2014-09 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605 - Revenue Recognition and most industry-specific guidance throughout the ASC. The standard requires that an entity recognizes revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 should be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of initial application. To allow entities additional time to implement systems, gather data and resolve implementation questions, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, in August 2015, to defer the effective date of ASU No. 2014-09 for one year, which is fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09 on its consolidated financial statements or disclosures.
 
In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12, "Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide that a Performance Target could be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period," ("ASU 2014-12"). The amendments in ASU 2014-12 require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity should apply existing guidance in ASC Topic No. 718, "Compensation - Stock Compensation" as it relates to awards with performance conditions that affect vesting to account for such awards. The amendments in ASU 2014-12 are effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. Entities may apply the amendments in ASU 2014-12 either: (a) prospectively to all awards granted or modified after the effective date; or (b) retrospectively to all awards with performance targets that are outstanding as of the beginning of the earliest annual period presented in the consolidated financial statements and to all new or modified awards thereafter. The adoption of ASU 2014-12 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statement or its disclosures.
 
In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, "Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory," which applies to inventory that is measured using first-in, first-out ("FIFO") or average cost. Under the updated guidance, an entity should measure inventory that is within scope at the lower of cost and net realizable value, which is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. Subsequent measurement is unchanged for inventory that is measured using last-in, last-out ("LIFO"). This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and should be applied prospectively with early adoption permitted at the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
 
In November 2015, FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, “Income Tax (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes” (“ASU 2015-17”). This ASU requires that all deferred tax assets and liabilities, along with any related valuation allowance, be classified as noncurrent on the balance sheet. The adoption of ASU 2015-17 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statement or its disclosures.
 
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” (“ASU 2016-02”), which increases the transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 will require lessees to recognize a right-of-use (ROU) asset for its right to use the underlying asset and a lease liability for the corresponding lease obligation for leases with terms of more than twelve months. Both the ROU asset and lease liability will initially be measured at the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term. Subsequent measurement, including the presentation of expenses and cash flows, will depend on the classification of the lease as either a finance or an operating lease. Accounting by lessors will remain largely unchanged from current U.S. GAAP. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those years, with early adoption permitted, and is to be applied as of the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the provisions of ASU 2016-02 will have on the Company’s financial statements and related disclosures.
 
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Principal versus Agent Considerations.” This Update provides clarifying guidance regarding the application of ASU No. 2014-09 -  Revenue From Contracts with Customers  when another party, along with the reporting entity, is involved in providing a good or a service to a customer. In these circumstances, an entity is required to determine whether the nature of its promise is to provide that good or service to the customer (that is, the entity is a principal) or to arrange for the good or service to be provided to the customer by the other party (that is, the entity is an agent). The amendments in the Update clarify the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. The Update is effective, along with ASU 2014-09, for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The adoption of ASU 2016-8 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statement or its disclosures.
 
Other accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by the FASB or other standard-setting bodies that do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption.