What is the distinction between debtor and creditor? Definition of Debtor A debtor is a person or enterprise that owes money to another party. The party to whom the money is owed might be a supplier, bank, or other...
What is the distinction between debtor and creditor? Definition of Debtor A debtor is a person or enterprise that owes money to another party. The party to whom the money is owed might be a supplier, bank, or other...
What is NIFO? NIFO is the acronym for next-in, first-out. NIFO is a cost flow assumption, just as FIFO and LIFO are cost flow assumptions. However, NIFO is not acceptable for financial reporting since it calls for a...
What is the meaning of debtor? Definition of Debtor A debtor is a person, company, or other entity that owes money. In other words, the debtor has a debt or legal obligation to pay the amount owed. Example of Debtor If...
What is EOQ? Definition of EOQ EOQ is the acronym for economic order quantity. The economic order quantity is the optimum quantity of an item to be purchased at one time in order to minimize the combined annual costs of...
What is a lump sum payment? A lump sum payment is often associated with a single amount paid to acquire a group of items. For instance, a corporation might pay $50,000 for the inventory and equipment of a small...
What are the elements of financial statements? Definition of Elements of Financial Statements The elements of financial statements are the classes of items contained in the financial statements. Examples of Elements of...
What is accrued rent? Definition of Accrued Rent Accrued rent is the amount of rent that has not yet been paid by the tenant or received by the landlord for a past period of time. [If the tenant always pays the monthly...
What is leverage? Definition of Leverage In accounting and finance, leverage is the use of a significant amount of debt to purchase an asset, operate a company, acquire another company, etc. Since the cost of debt is...
What is the difference between the current ratio and the quick ratio? Definition of Current Ratio The current ratio is the proportion, quotient, or relationship between the amount of a company’s current assets and the...
What is columnar? Prior to electronic worksheets, accountants had several pads of paper with a varying number of columns (and rows) preprinted on them. The pads of paper were labeled as columnar pads. The preprinted...
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 long-term debt? Definition of Long-term Debt In accounting, long-term debt generally refers to a company’s loans and other liabilities that will not become due within one year of the balance sheet date. (The...
What is the difference between an invoice and a statement? Definition of an Invoice An invoice received from a supplier shows the items purchased, the cost per unit, the total cost or extension of each item, the total of...
How does inflation affect the cost of goods sold? Inflation and the Cost of Goods Sold Generally speaking, a company selling goods during periods of inflation will see an increase in its cost of goods sold. When and by...
What is meant by events after the balance sheet date? Definition of Events After Balance Sheet Date Events after the balance sheet date are significant financial events that occur after the date of the balance sheet but...
What is included in cash and cash equivalents? Examples of Cash In accounting, a company’s cash includes the following: currency and coins checks received from customers but not yet deposited checking accounts petty...
What are the reasons for high inventory days? Definition of Inventory Days I assume that inventory days is referring to the days’ sales in inventory. If so, then inventory days is also related to the inventory turnover...
Are repairs to office equipment an expense? Repairing and maintaining office equipment is an immediate expense. This is true even if the repair cost is a very large amount. If a large expenditure is made to improve...
How do you record the interest that is unpaid on a note payable? Definition of Interest Unpaid on Note Payable Interest that has occurred, but has not been paid as of a balance sheet date, is referred to as accrued...
What is liquidity? Definition of Liquidity Liquidity is a company’s ability to convert its assets to cash in order to pay its liabilities when they are due. Current Assets Generally, the assets that are expected to...
How are fully depreciated assets reported on the balance sheet? Definition of Fully Depreciated Asset A fully depreciated asset is a depreciable asset for which no additional depreciation expense will be recorded. In...
What is the difference between liquidity and liquidation? Definition of Liquidity Liquidity usually refers to a company’s ability to pay its bills when they become due. Liquidity is often evaluated by comparing a...
Where is a manufacturer's inventory reported in the balance sheet? A manufacturer’s inventory will be reported in the current assets section of the balance sheet and in the notes to the financial statements. In the...
What is the difference between expense and loss? Definition of Expense An expense is a cost that a company incurs or uses up when it earns revenues. Examples of Expenses A few examples of the many expenses that a company...
What is income smoothing? Definition of Income Smoothing Income smoothing involves reducing the fluctuations in a corporation’s earnings. The reductions in fluctuations can result from some legitimate business methods...
Where is a contingent liability recorded? Recording a Contingent Liability A potential or contingent liability that is both probable and the amount can be estimated is recorded as 1) an expense or loss on the income...
What is comprehensive income? Definition of Comprehensive Income Comprehensive income for a corporation is the combination of the following amounts which occurred during a specified period of time such as a year,...
What is a bond sinking fund? Definition of Bond Sinking Fund A bond sinking fund is a corporation’s noncurrent asset that is restricted for the purpose of redeeming or buying back its bonds payable. Bonds that require...
What is a cash cow? A cash cow is often a profitable product or service that dominates a market and generates far more cash than is needed to maintain its market position. Companies may use the money from the cash cow to...
Why would a company use LIFO instead of FIFO? Definitions of FIFO and LIFO FIFO and LIFO are two of the cost flow assumptions used by U.S. companies with inventory items. FIFO moves the first/oldest costs from inventory...
Why does an inventory error affect two periods? Definition of Inventory Error An inventory error could be the result of any of the following: Omitting some items when physically counting inventory Double counting some...
How do I learn more about the CPA Exam? You can learn more about the Uniform CPA Exam at our free Accounting Career Center. Within our Accounting Career Center are direct links to the state boards of accountancy, CPA...
Why is a product that sells for $50 reported in inventory at its cost of $40? Generally, items in inventory are valued at their cost—not their selling prices—because of the cost principle. Another reason for not...
How do you calculate staff turnover? To calculate staff turnover, I would use the W-2 wage statements for the most recent year. My first step would be to sort the W-2’s into meaningful groups such as full-time...
What is an annuity in present value calculations? In present value calculations, an annuity is a series of equal cash amounts occurring at equal time intervals. The identical cash amounts are sometimes referred to as...
What is the difference between an implicit cost and an explicit cost? Definition of Implicit Cost An implicit cost is present but it is not initially shown or reported as a separate cost. Definition of Explicit Cost An...
What is present value? Definition of Present Value In accounting, present value refers to the amount after discounting future cash amounts to the present. The present is depicted on a timeline as the point 0, which is...
Why would someone buy a bond at a premium? Definition of Bond Premium Bond premium or premium on bonds occurs when the bond’s actual interest payments are greater than the interest payments expected by the market. The...
What is an implicit interest rate? Definition of Implicit Interest Rate An implicit interest rate is one that is not stated explicitly. Example of Implicit Interest Rate Assume that I lend you $4,623 and you agree to...
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...
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