However, the downturn — including the collapse of several industries, such as the housing markets and the auto sector — itself has put the long-term forecasting ability of auditors and companies into question. After all, says Nussbaum, "the vast majority of people including economists did not see this coming, and certainly auditors didn't see it happening."

Look for More Faulty Forecasts
Nussbaum expects there will be some more faulty forecasts in the year to come. "The high level of volatility resulting from the downturn in the economy makes it almost impossible for the auditor or even the company to predict successfully what will happen 12 months from now."

The new FASB rule tells management to look ahead at least 12 months when assessing their company's viability. But the current auditing standards tell the firms to keep their assessments to under a year from when they review a company's financial statements. The discrepancy didn't sit well with critics of FASB's proposal, including the audit firms. "To expect management to make judgments about conditions and events that may exist or occur 18 or 24 months from now, or even later, may be unrealistic and impracticable," Deloitte wrote.

The standard-setters will revisit whether the auditing standards need to change because of the time-horizon difference. "If the FASB establishes a time frame that is different than what auditors currently are required to consider, it is important that we take another look at the auditor's responsibility," says Ray. He added that, while it might not be necessary for an auditor to evaluate the same time period management is required to assess, the PCAOB likely will consider how well investors will understand any such difference.

For now, FASB plans to stick to the 12-months-plus guideline, which doesn't please finance executives who will have to expand their outlook. "For any exercise where you look past one year, it's an assumption based on whether you have a glass half-full or half-empty perspective," says Don Elsey, CFO of Emergent BioSolutions, a biopharmaceutical company based in Maryland.

Additional reporting by Stephen Taub.

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