Whirlpool 2013 Annual Report Download - page 47

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Stockholders and Board of Directors
Whirlpool Corporation
We have audited Whirlpool Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2013, based
on criteria established in
Internal Control—Integrated Framework (1992 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 effective-
ness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal
Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on 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 obtain-
ing an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists,
testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and
performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. 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 regard-
ing the reliability 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 dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that trans-
actions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures 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, Whirlpool Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2013, 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, 2013 and 2012, and the related
consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each
of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2013, and our report dated February 18, 2014 expressed an
unqualified opinion thereon.
Chicago, Illinois
February 18, 2014
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