What is the difference between financial accounting and management accounting? Definition of Financial Accounting Financial accounting has its focus on the financial statements which are distributed to stockholders,...
What is the difference between financial accounting and management accounting? Definition of Financial Accounting Financial accounting has its focus on the financial statements which are distributed to stockholders,...
What is the periodic inventory system? Definition of Periodic Inventory System The periodic inventory system does not update the general ledger account Inventory when a company purchases goods to be resold. Rather than...
What is a limitation of the inventory turnover ratio? Definition of Inventory Turnover Ratio The inventory turnover ratio is often calculated by dividing a company’s cost of goods sold for a recent year by the average...
What is the accounting journal entry for depreciation? Definition of Journal Entry for Depreciation The journal entry for depreciation is: Debit to the income statement account Depreciation Expense Credit to the balance...
What is the difference between an unadjusted trial balance and an adjusted trial balance? Difference between Unadjusted Trial Balance and Adjusted Trial Balance The differences between an unadjusted trial balance and an...
Why isn't land depreciated? Definition of Land The land that is used in a business (as opposed to land that is an investment, or land that will be sold by a real estate developer) is a tangible asset that is assumed to...
Which financial ratios are considered to be efficiency ratios? I consider the efficiency ratios to be the ratios also known as asset turnover ratios, activity ratios, or asset management ratios. These efficiency ratios...
What is the difference between book depreciation and tax depreciation? Definition of Book Depreciation Book depreciation is the amount recorded in the company’s general ledger accounts and reported on the company’s...
What is a contra account? Definition of Contra Account A contra account is a general ledger account with a balance that is opposite of the normal balance for that account classification. The use of a contra account...
What is the entry to remove equipment that is sold before it is fully depreciated? Entries To Record a Sale of Equipment When equipment that is used in a business is disposed of (sold) for cash before it is fully...
What is a controller's cushion? A controller’s cushion or controller’s reserve involves temporarily recording too much expense for an item that the controller calculates. For example, the controller might budget...
Is a money market account a current asset or a fixed asset? A money market account is a current asset unless it is restricted for a long-term purpose. The amount of an unrestricted money market account will likely be...
What is the free cash flow ratio? Definition of Free Cash Flow Free cash flow for a year is an amount (as opposed to a ratio or percentage) usually defined as: net cash provided by operating activities for the year minus...
What are sales taxes? In the United States, most of its 50 States assess a sales tax, which is a tax on sales to the end user. For example, in the state of Wisconsin a retailer must collect a 5% sales tax and perhaps...
How do you amortize goodwill? Definition of Amortize Goodwill Prior to 2001, to amortize goodwill meant to consistently and in uniform increments move the reported amount of the intangible asset goodwill from the balance...
Does collecting a customer's accounts receivable affect net income? Definition of Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable is a current asset that results when a company reports revenues from sales of products or the...
What is the monetary unit assumption? Definition of Monetary Unit Assumption The monetary unit assumption as it applies to a U.S. corporation is that the U.S.dollar (USD) is stable in the long run. That is, the USD does...
What is the difference between an accrual and a deferral? Definition of an Accrual An accrual pertains to: expenses that should be reported now, but have not yet been recorded or paid, and revenues that should be...
What is the difference between fixed assets and noncurrent assets? Fixed Assets are Part of Noncurrent Assets Fixed assets are one of several categories of noncurrent assets. Fixed assets are usually reported on the...
What is a vendor? Definition of Vendor In the context of accounts payable, a vendor is a person or business that supplies goods or services to the company. Another term for vendor is supplier. The term vendor can also be...
Can you help me to understand credit memo and debit memo in the bank reconciliation? Definition of Bank Credit Memo A bank credit memo is an item on a company’s bank account statement that increases a company’s...
What is the difference between expenses and payments? Definition of Expenses and Payments Under the accrual method of accounting, expenses are costs that have been used up or have been incurred in the process of earning...
Does the accrual method apply to the purchase of equipment? The accrual method does apply to the purchase of equipment (as well as applying to revenues and expenses). To illustrate, let’s assume that on December 29 a...
What is the journal entry to record a one-year subscription for a magazine? Ways to Record One-Year Subscriptions Let’s assume that the cost of the one-year subscription for a monthly trade publication is $120. Let’s...
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 an unpresented cheque or check and does it require an adjustment to the balance sheet? Definition of Unpresented Cheque or Check An unpresented cheque is a check that a company has written, but the check has not...
What is a provision for discounts allowable? The provision for discounts allowable is likely to be a balance sheet account that serves to reduce the asset account Accounts Receivable. The provision account’s counter...
What is the return on assets ratio? Definition of Return on Assets Ratio The return on assets ratio, or return on total assets ratio, relates a company’s net income during a specific year, to the company’s average...
What is apportionment? An apportionment is an allocation based on some proportions. I associate the term apportionment with a corporation’s taxable income that was earned in many states within the U.S. In that...
At what point are revenues considered to be earned? Revenues, which are derived from an entity’s main activities such as the sale of merchandise or the performance of service, are considered to be earned when the...
Are commissions considered to be revenues or expenses? Definition of Commissions Revenues or Expenses The company or person earning and receiving commissions (such as a percentage of sales) will have commissions revenue....
What is a contra expense account? Definition of Contra Expense Account A contra expense account is a general ledger expense account that will intentionally have a credit balance (instead of the debit balance that 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...
Where does the purchase of equipment show up on a profit and loss statement? Reporting the Purchase of Equipment Assuming that the purchase of equipment is a long-term or noncurrent asset that will be used in a business,...
What is the difference between cost and expense? Definition of Cost A cost might be an expense or it might be an asset. Definition of Expense An expense is a cost that has expired or was necessary in order to earn...
Is it a requirement for a small business to have a CPA? Generally, a small business is not required to have a CPA or certified public accountant. A CPA would be needed if the small business must have its financial...
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...
If I want a gross margin of 25%, what percent should I mark up my product? Definition of Gross Margin Gross margin as a percentage is the gross profit divided by the selling price. For example, if a product sells for...
What is SG&A? Definition of SG&A SG&A is the acronym for selling, general and administrative. SG&A are the operating expenses incurred to 1) promote, sell, and deliver a company’s products and services, and 2) manage...
What does current portion of long term debt mean? Definition of Current Portion of Long-Term Debt The current portion of long-term debt is the amount of principal that will be due within one year of the date of the...
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