What is the times interest earned ratio? Definition of Times Interest Earned Ratio The times interest earned ratio is an indicator of a corporation’s ability to meet the interest payments on its debt. The times...
What is the times interest earned ratio? Definition of Times Interest Earned Ratio The times interest earned ratio is an indicator of a corporation’s ability to meet the interest payments on its debt. The times...
What is the purpose of subsidiary ledgers? Definition of Subsidiary Ledger A subsidiary ledger contains the details to support a general ledger control account. For instance, the subsidiary ledger for accounts receivable...
What is the break-even formula? Break-even Point in Units of Product The formula for determining the break-even point in units of product sold is: total fixed expenses divided by the contribution margin per unit. For...
What is the gross profit method of inventory? Definition of Gross Profit Method The gross profit method is a technique for estimating the amount of ending inventory. The gross profit method might be used to estimate each...
What is the gross profit method? Gross Profit Method Definition The gross profit method is a technique used to estimate the amount of ending inventory. The technique could be used for monthly financial statements when a...
What is the employer matching of FICA? Definition of FICA FICA is the acronym for Federal Insurance Contributions Act, which requires employers to withhold the following from each employee’s paycheck: Social Security...
What is the meaning of base year? In accounting, base year may refer to the year in which a U.S. business had adopted the LIFO cost flow assumption for valuing its inventory and its cost of goods sold. Under the...
What is the break-even point? Definition of Break-even Point In accounting, the break-even point refers to the revenues necessary to cover a company’s total amount of fixed and variable expenses during a specified...
What is the inventory turnover ratio? Definition of Inventory Turnover Ratio The inventory turnover ratio is an important financial ratio that indicates a company’s past ability to sell its goods. Converting inventory...
What is the segregation of duties? Definition of Segregation of Duties The segregation of duties involves dividing a task so that more than one person is involve in the company’s transactions. By segregating duties, it...
What is the time value of money? Definition of Time Value of Money The time value of money recognizes that receiving cash today is more valuable than receiving cash in the future. The reason is that the cash received...
What is the double-entry system? Definition of Double-Entry System The double-entry system of accounting or bookkeeping means that for every business transaction, amounts must be recorded in a minimum of two accounts....
What does it mean to rotate stock? Definition of Rotating Inventory Stock To rotate stock means to arrange the oldest units in inventory so they are sold before the newer units. The goal is to avoid losses due to getting...
What is the meaning of debit? Definition of Debit The term debit is similar to the term used in Italy more than 500 years ago when the double entry accounting system was documented. What you need to know today is that...
What is the provision for bad debts? Definition of Provision for Bad Debts The provision for bad debts could refer to the balance sheet account also known as the Allowance for Bad Debts, Allowance for Doubtful Accounts,...
Where should I enter unpaid wages? Definition of Unpaid Wages Unpaid wages are usually the amounts that hourly-paid employees have earned, but have not yet been paid to the employees. Entering Unpaid Wages Under the...
What is the effective interest rate? Definition of Effective Interest Rate The effective interest rate is the true rate of interest earned. It can also mean the market interest rate, the yield to maturity, the discount...
What is the high-low method? Definition of High-Low Method The high-low method is a simple technique for determining the variable cost rate and the amount of fixed costs that are part of what’s referred to as a mixed...
What is the earnings per share (EPS) ratio? Definition of Earnings per Share The earnings per share ratio, or simply earnings per share, or EPS, is a corporation’s 1) net income (or earnings) after tax that is...
How do you record the sale of land? Definition of Sale of Land Assume that a retailer sells land that it had been holding for a future store. The retailer must remove the cost of the land from its general ledger asset...
This is a valuation account for the asset Inventory. A credit balance should be reported in this account for the amount that the net realizable value of inventory is less than the cost reported in the Inventory account....
What is the production volume variance? Definition of Production Volume Variance The production volume variance is associated with a standard costing system used by some manufacturers. This variance arises when there is...
What is the statement of stockholders' equity? Definition of the Statement of Stockholders’ Equity The statement of stockholders’ equity (also known as the statement of shareholders’ equity, statement of equity,...
What is the margin of safety? Definition of Margin of Safety In break-even analysis, the term margin of safety indicates the amount of sales that are above the break-even point. In other words, the margin of safety...
What is discount on bonds payable? Definition of Discount on Bonds Payable Discount on bonds payable (or bond discount) occurs when a corporation issues bonds and receives less than the bonds’ face or maturity amount....
What does the term organic growth mean? Organic growth often refers to the growth in a company’s sales that did not occur because of an acquisition of another company. Expressed another way, organic growth is...
What is the full disclosure principle? Definition of Full Disclosure Principle The full disclosure principle requires a company to provide the necessary information so that people who are accustomed to reading financial...
What is the gross margin ratio? Definition of Gross Margin Ratio The gross margin ratio is a percentage resulting from dividing the amount of a company’s gross profit by the amount of its net sales. (The gross margin...
What is meant by owner's draws? Definition of Owner’s Draws Owner’s draws are withdrawals of a sole proprietorship’s cash or other assets made by the owner for the owner’s personal use. The account in which the...
What is the FISH inventory method? FISH is the acronym for first-in, still-here. FISH is an attempt to bring humor to the fact that some items have been sitting in inventory for years. Unlike FIFO and LIFO, which are...
What is the definition of net sales? Definition of Net Sales Net sales is a company’s gross sales of products minus any sales discounts and sales returns and allowances. When a company makes a sale, the general ledger...
What is the meaning of pro rata? Pro rata is a Latin term that means in proportion. Pro rata is related to prorate, a term used in cost accounting. To illustrate the term pro rata, let’s assume that a company’s...
What is the debt to equity ratio? Definition of Debt to Equity Ratio The debt to equity ratio or debt-equity ratio is the result of dividing a corporation’s total liabilities by the total amount of stockholders’...
What is premium on bonds payable? Definition of Premium on Bonds Payable Premium on bonds payable (or bond premium) occurs when bonds payable are issued for an amount greater than their face or maturity amount. This is...
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