NOTE 3. INVESTMENTS

The Company invests its excess cash balances in short-term and long-term debt securities. Investments at September 30, 2014 consisted of corporate bonds with maturities remaining of less than two years at the time of purchase. The Company may also invest excess cash balances in certificates of deposit, money market accounts, US Treasuries, US government agency obligations, corporate debt securities, and/or commercial paper. The Company accounts for its investments in accordance with FASB ASC 320, Investments – Debt and Equity Securities. At September 30, 2014, all investments were classified as held-to-maturity securities.

The following tables summarize the Company’s short and long-term investments as of September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively:

	As of September 30, 2014
	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair Value
Commercial notes (due within one year)	$	21,653,032	$	—	$	(189,830	)	$	21,463,202
Commercial notes (due after one year through two years)	$	23,088,346		—	$	(217,693	)	$	22,870,653
Total	$	44,741,378	$	—	$	(407,523	)	$	44,333,855

	As of September 30, 2013
	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair Value
Commercial notes (due within one year)	$	9,030,261	$	7,500	$	(39,281	)	$	8,998,480
Commercial notes (due after one year through two years)	$	1,702,153		—	$	(2,362	)	$	1,699,791
Total	$	10,732,414	$	7,500	$	(41,643	)	$	10,698,271

Unrealized gains and losses are calculated as the difference between the fair value of a particular debt instrument as compared to its amortized cost. The Company’s debt instruments at September 30, 2014 consist of investment grade corporate bonds. There are many factors which can affect the fair value of a corporate bond, including general interest rates, prevailing inflation expectations, investors’ general appetite for risk, perceptions on the financial health of the bond issuers, and other factors. In general, the bonds we purchase have remaining maturities of less than two years, and small changes in economic factors have a lesser impact on the fair value of our bonds, as compared to, for example, bonds with longer maturities remaining. Given the current low interest rate environment, most bonds purchased by the Company have a coupon rate higher than the prevailing interest rate, and thus the bonds are purchased at a premium to par value. As these bonds near maturity, the fair value of each bond will naturally converge toward par value. The amortized cost of the bonds we hold will also converge toward par value, but more so based on the timing of coupon payments. Accordingly, it is not uncommon to report unrealized losses on bonds purchased at a premium to par, and since the Company expects to hold these bonds to maturity, these losses are not expected to be realized.