Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Fair Value Measurements

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Fair Value Measurements
 12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]  
Fair Value Measurements
Fair Value Measurements
 
The Company complies with the provisions of ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements” for its financial and non-financial assets and liabilities. ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure for each major asset and liability category measured at fair value on either a recurring or nonrecurring basis. The majority of the carrying amounts of the Company’s assets and liabilities including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses as of September 30, 2015 and 2014, approximate their fair value because of the immediate or short term maturity of these financial instruments. In the event that stated interest rates are below market, the Company discounts mortgage and notes receivable to reflect their estimated fair value. The carrying amounts reported for long-term debt approximates fair value as the Company’s borrowings with commercial lenders are at interest rates that vary with market conditions and fixed rates that approximate market rates for similar obligations. The majority of our non-financial instruments, which include inventories and property and equipment, are not required to be carried at fair value on a recurring basis.
ASC 820 clarifies that fair value is an exit price representing the amount that would be received upon the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, ASC 820 establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
 
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Level 1- Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;
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Level 2- Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly; and
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Level 3- Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, such as internally-developed valuation models which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions.
There were no gains or losses included in earnings attributable to changes in unrealized gains or losses relating to our assets as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
We use third-party service providers to assist in the evaluation of investments. For investment valuations, current market interest rates, quality estimates by rating agencies and valuation estimates by active market participants were used to determine values. Deferred retirement benefits were valued based on actuarial data, contracted payment schedules and an estimated discount rate of 4.2% and 4.7% as of September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.