What is the purpose of the cash flow statement? Definition of Cash Flow Statement The cash flow statement or statement of cash flows or SCF identifies a company’s major cash inflows and outflows that occurred the same...
What is the purpose of the cash flow statement? Definition of Cash Flow Statement The cash flow statement or statement of cash flows or SCF identifies a company’s major cash inflows and outflows that occurred the same...
What are nonmanufacturing overhead costs? Definition of Nonmanufacturing Overhead Costs Nonmanufacturing overhead costs are the business expenses that are outside of a company’s manufacturing operations. In other...
Where is interest on a note payable reported on the cash flow statement? Definition of Interest on a Note Payable The interest on a note payable is reported on the income statement as Interest Expense. Usually this means...
What are gross wages? Definition of Gross Wages Gross wages are the amounts earned by employees before the payroll withholding taxes and other deductions are subtracted. Sometimes gross wages is used to describe the...
What are gains? Definition of Gains In financial accounting, gains often pertain to some of a company’s transactions which occur outside of the company’s main business activities. Transactions which are outside of a...
What is the accounts receivable turnover ratio? Definition of Accounts Receivable Turnover Ratio The accounts receivable turnover ratio (or receivables turnover ratio) is an important financial ratio that indicates a...
What is the difference between revenues and receipts? Definition of Revenues A company’s revenues are amounts it has earned as the result of business activities such as selling merchandise or performing services. Under...
Would you please help me understand opportunity cost? You might think of opportunity cost as the profit you had to forego. Let’s illustrate this with a little story. Suppose that you are the sole owner of a company...
What is IFRS? IFRS is the acronym for International Financial Reporting Standards. IFRS is used throughout the world except in the United States where U.S. GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) is followed....
What is a noncash expense? Definition of a Noncash Expense A noncash expense is an expense that is reported on the income statement of the current accounting period, but the related cash payment took place in another...
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 difference between Notes Payable and Accounts Payable? Definition of Notes Payable The account Notes Payable is a liability account in which a borrower’s written promise to pay a lender is recorded. (The...
Why is Accumulated Depreciation an asset account? Definition of Accumulated Depreciation The account Accumulated Depreciation reports the total amount of depreciation expense that has been recorded from the time the...
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’...
Why does an increase in accounts payable appear as an addition on the statement of cash flows? Adjustments from Accrual to Cash on Statement of Cash Flows When the statement of cash flows (SCF, cash flow statement) is...
What is the definition of capital market? Often, capital market refers to the structured market for trading stocks and bonds. Examples are the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the New...
What type of account is the Dividends account? Definition of Dividends Account When a corporation declares a cash dividend, the amount declared will reduce the amount of the corporation’s retained earnings. Instead of...
What is a dividend? Definition of Dividend Generally, the term dividend refers to a cash dividend, which is distribution of a portion of a corporation’s earnings to its stockholders in the form of cash. The cash...
What is the proper use of the words lend and borrow? If a company is granted a loan from its bank, the company is borrowing money from its bank, and the bank is lending money to one of its customers. In other words, the...
What is historical cost? Definition of Historical Cost Historical cost is a term used instead of the term cost. Cost and historical cost usually mean the original cost at the time of a transaction. The term historical...
What is a blank check? Definition of Blank Check A blank check often refers to a check that has been signed by an authorized check signer without completing the other information (date, payee, amount). A blank check...
What is stockholders' equity? Definition of Stockholders’ Equity Stockholders’ equity (also known as shareholders’ equity) is reported on a corporation’s balance sheet and its amount is the difference between the...
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 does the term arrears mean in accounting? Definition of Arrears In accounting, the term arrears will be used in the following situations: If a corporation does not declare and pay the dividend on its cumulative...
Why isn't the direct write off method of uncollectible accounts receivable the preferred method? Definition of Direct Write Off Method Under the direct write off method of accounting for credit losses pertaining to...
What is the difference between paid-in capital and retained earnings? Definition of Paid-in Capital Paid-in capital is one of the major categories of stockholders’ equity. Generally, paid-in capital reports the amount...
What does it mean to recognize an expense? Definition of Recognize an Expense To recognize an expense means to report the proper amount of an expense on the income statement for the appropriate accounting period. When...
Why is interest expense a nonoperating expense? Definition of Interest Expense as a Nonoperating Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money. For most companies the borrowing of money is not part of their...
What is the difference between a debit and a debit balance? Definition of Debit A debit is an entry on the left side of a T-account. A debit entry is used to record assets, expenses, losses, and owner’s draws in their...
What is a defined benefit pension plan? A defined benefit pension plan is a retirement plan in which the employer commits to paying a specified monthly payment to each eligible employee when he or she retires at a stated...
Why is Interest Expense Included in the Operating Activities Section of the Cash Flow Statement? Definition of Interest Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money. Under the accrual method of accounting,...
What are net assets? Definition of Net Assets Net assets is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. Examples of Net Assets In a sole proprietorship the amount of net assets is reported as owner’s equity. In a...
What is the difference between Rent Receivable and Rent Payable? Definition of Rent Receivable Rent Receivable is an asset account in the general ledger of a landlord which reports the amount of rent that has been earned...
If a customer pays for the same invoice twice, should the customer be informed? I say yes. If you become aware of the double payment when posting the customer’s second remittance, I would double check your records...
What are adjusting entries? Definition of Adjusting Entries Adjusting entries are usually made on the last day of an accounting period (year, quarter, month) so that a company’s financial statements comply with the...
What is the difference between the terms capitalize and depreciate? Definition of Capitalize In accounting, the term capitalize refers to adding an amount to the balance sheet as an asset (as opposed to immediately...
Is it possible for owner's equity to be a negative amount? Definition of Negative Owner’s Equity Negative owner’s equity means the amount of a sole proprietorship’s liabilities exceeds the amount of its assets....
How do you calculate accrued vacation pay? Definition of Accrued Vacation Pay Accrued vacation pay is the amount of vacation pay that a company’s employees have earned, but the company has not yet paid. Example of...
What is an outstanding deposit? Definition of Outstanding Deposit An outstanding deposit refers to a company’s receipts (cash, checks from customers, etc.) which have been recorded in the company’s general ledger...
What is a contra asset account? Definition of Contra Asset Account A contra asset account is an asset account where the account balance is a credit balance. It is described as “contra” because having a credit balance...
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