Note 4 - Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Disclosures [Text Block]

4. Fair Value Measurements

We measure certain assets and liabilities, such as fixed income investments, at fair value based upon exit price, representing the amount that would be received on the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability, as the case may be, in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value may be based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. To increase the comparability of fair value measurements, the following hierarchical levels of inputs to valuation methodologies are used:

• Level 1 – Valuation is based upon quoted prices for identical instruments traded in active markets. Level 1 instruments include securities traded on active exchange markets, such as the New York Stock Exchange.

• Level 2 – Valuation is based upon quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market.

• Level 3 – Valuation is generated from model-based techniques that use significant assumptions not observable in the market.  These unobservable assumptions reflect our own estimates of assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

 Cash equivalents in money market accounts measured and recorded at fair value on a recurring basis was $34,264,268 at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, and were classified as Level 1 instruments.