Our Explanation of the Balance Sheet provides you with a basic understanding of a corporation's balance sheet (or statement of financial position). You will gain insights regarding the assets, liabilities, and...
Our Explanation of the Balance Sheet provides you with a basic understanding of a corporation's balance sheet (or statement of financial position). You will gain insights regarding the assets, liabilities, and...
-of-activity method. Assume that between October 1 and December 31 of the current year ProServCo produced 2,000 documents. In the following year it produced 7,000 documents. What amount of depreciation expense should be...
proprietorship by Mary Smith plus the net income since the company began minus the draws made by Mary Smith since the company began. The current year net income might be in the temporary revenue and expense accounts and...
Why is it necessary to allocate a lump sum payment to individual items? It is necessary to allocate a lump sum payment to individual items in order to record a fair portion of the lump sum in each of the proper general...
What is a rubber check? A rubber check is a check that is not paid (or honored) by the bank on which it is drawn. The reason the check is not paid is the maker’s account had insufficient funds or not sufficient funds...
Are LIFO inventory amounts ever written-up to their market value? LIFO inventory amounts will not be written-up, even when the current market value of the inventory is far greater than the amount reported on the balance...
When do you adjust the amount of prepaid expenses? Definition of Adjusting Prepaid Expenses The balance in the current asset account Prepaid Expenses should be adjusted prior to a company issuing its financial...
What is reported as property, plant and equipment? Definition of Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment is the long-term asset or noncurrent asset section of the balance sheet that reports the...
What is the difference between public companies and public sector? Definition of Public Companies Public companies are those businesses owned by individuals (and not by a government). Definition of Publicly-Held...
What does it mean to check the extensions and to foot an invoice? To check the extensions on a purchase invoice means to verify that the number of units of each item multiplied by its unit cost agrees with the total...
What is going concern? Definition of Going Concern The going concern assumption is a basic underlying assumption of accounting. For a company to be a going concern, it must be able to continue operating long enough to...
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 opportunity cost? Definition of Opportunity Cost Opportunity cost is the profit that was lost or missed because of some action or failure to take some action. Some refer to opportunity cost as opportunity lost....
What is a basis point? A basis point is a hundredth (1/100) of a percentage point. Expressed another way, one percentage point is equal to 100 basis points. This means that if an interest rate drops by 1/2 of a...
Where should a business report cash which is restricted to purchase a long-term asset? The cash which a business has restricted to purchase a long-term asset should be reported on the balance sheet under the asset...
What is a creditor? Definition of Creditor A creditor could be a bank, supplier or person that has provided money, goods, or services to a company and expects to be paid at a later date. In other words, the company owes...
What is the cost to store inventory? Definition of Cost to Store Inventory The cost to store, hold or carry inventory is the total of the following: Cost of the space used for storing inventory, such as rent, heat,...
What is the consistency principle? Definition of Consistency In accounting, consistency requires that a company’s financial statements follow the same accounting principles, methods, practices and procedures from one...
What is the difference between accounts payable and accounts receivable? Definition of Accounts Payable Accounts payable is a current liability account in which a company records the amounts it owes to suppliers or...
Are undeposited checks reported as cash? Undeposited checks that are not postdated (not dated with a future date) are reported as cash. Accountants define cash as more than just currency and coins. For example,...
What is a contingent asset? Definition of Contingent Asset A contingent asset is a potential asset that is associated with a potential gain. The asset and gain are contingent because they are dependent upon some future...
Can you help me understand the golden rules of accounting? The golden rules of accounting are not presented in any of the U.S. accounting books that I have reviewed. I assume the reason for omitting the golden rules of...
Which accounts normally have debit balances? Definition of Debit Balance In accounting, a debit balance refers to a general ledger account balance that is on the left side of the account. This is often illustrated by...
What is the debt to total assets ratio? Definition of Debt to Total Assets Ratio The debt to total assets ratio is an indicator of a company’s financial leverage. It tells you the percentage of a company’s total...
What is an imprest system of petty cash? Definition of Petty Cash Petty cash refers to a small amount of currency and coins that a company uses to pay small amounts without writing a check. The amount of petty cash (also...
Where does a bond sinking fund appear on the balance sheet? Definition of Bond Sinking Fund A bond sinking fund is an investment made by a corporation that is restricted for the purpose of retiring its bonds payable,...
What is a line of credit? In business a line of credit or credit line is an arrangement/commitment by a bank or other creditor with a customer. The agreement specifies an amount that the customer can borrow or use in the...
Why is there a large difference between share value and stockholders' equity? There can be many reasons why the market value of a corporation’s stock is much greater than the amount of stockholders’ equity reported...
What are accrued liabilities? Definition of Accrued Liabilities Accrued liabilities are usually expenses that have been incurred by a company as of the end of an accounting period, but the amounts have not yet been paid...
Why are accruals needed every month? Reasons for Monthly Accruals Accrual adjusting entries are needed monthly only if a company issues monthly financial statements. Two reasons for the monthly accrual adjusting entries...
What is the working capital ratio? Definition of Working Capital Ratio The working capital ratio is defined as the amount of a company’s current assets divided by the amount of its current liabilities. Hence, the...
What are invoice payment terms? Definition of Invoice Payment Terms Invoice payment terms appear as part of the information shown on the invoice (or bill) prepared by a seller of goods or a provider of services....
Should a cash discount be recorded as a reduction to an expense? Yes, a cash discount should be a reduction to an expense. After all, accountants define cost as the cash amount (or cash equivalent amount) at the time of...
Why will some asset accounts have a credit balance? Definition of Asset Account Balances In accounting, asset accounts normally have debit balances. That is, the general ledger accounts for assets typically have their...
What is a deferred cost? Definition of Deferred Cost A deferred cost is a cost that is already recorded in a company’s accounts, but at least some of the cost should not be expensed until a future accounting period....
What is a debenture? A debenture is an unsecured bond. In other words, a debenture is a bond without a lien on specific assets owned by the issuing corporation. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the Question as Read...
What are debits and credits? Definition of Debits and Credits Debits and credits are terms used in accounting and bookkeeping systems for the past five centuries. They are part of the double entry system which results in...
What is a toxic asset? I would define a toxic asset as an investment whose value has dropped significantly and there is no market in which to sell the asset. To illustrate, let’s assume that at the peak of the real...
What is the book value per share of stock? Definition of Book Value per Share of Stock The book value of a corporation is the amount of its stockholders’ equity. Assuming the corporation does not have preferred stock...
What is the accounting entry when an order is received? There is no accounting entry recorded in a company’s general ledger accounts when an order is received. The reason is that a sale or sales revenues has not yet...
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