Whirlpool 2004 Annual Report Download - page 35

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Report of Independent Registered
Public Accounting Firm
The Stockholders and Board of Directors
Whirlpool Corporation
Benton Harbor, Michigan
We have audited management's assessment, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control Over
Financial Reporting, that Whirlpool Corporation maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2004, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO criteria). Whirlpool Corporation's management is
responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of
internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on management's assessment and an
opinion on the effectiveness of the company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United
States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective
internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understand-
ing of internal control over financial reporting, evaluating management's assessment, testing and evaluating the design and
operating effectiveness of internal control, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circum-
stances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the relia-
bility of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures
that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dis-
positions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expen-
ditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company;
and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition
of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also,
projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate
because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, management's assessment that Whirlpool Corporation maintained effective internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2004, is fairly stated, in all material respects, based on the COSO criteria. Also, in our opinion,
Whirlpool Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December
31, 2004, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States),
the consolidated balance sheets of Whirlpool Corporation as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the related consolidated
statements of operations, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31,
2004 (not presented separately herein), and our report dated March 4, 2005 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Chicago, Illinois
March 4, 2005