share of a corporation’s common stock. Often the purpose is to allow small investors to purchase 100 shares of the corporation’s stock at a more reasonable total cost. Reverse stock splits such as 1-for-10 (which...
share of a corporation’s common stock. Often the purpose is to allow small investors to purchase 100 shares of the corporation’s stock at a more reasonable total cost. Reverse stock splits such as 1-for-10 (which...
What is a current liability? Definition of Current Liability A current liability is: An obligation that will be due within one year of the date of the company’s balance sheet, and Will require the use of a current...
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 working capital? Definition of Working Capital Working capital is the amount of a company’s current assets minus the amount of its current liabilities. Example of Working Capital Let’s assume that a...
How does the aging of accounts receivable determine bad debts expense? Definition of Aging of Accounts Receivable The aging of accounts receivable sorts the amounts that a company is owed (from customers who had...
What are the limitations of the payback period? Definition of Payback Period The payback period is a common (but not the best) tool for screening a company’s potential investments. It uses the potential investment’s...
Accounting Principles The basic underlying accounting principles consist of the following: Economic entity assumption Going concern assumption Time period assumption Monetary unit assumption Cost principle or...
or moment, there is an inconsistency between the numerator and the denominator. For example, the numerator in the inventory turnover ratio is the cost of goods sold for the 365-day year, while the denominator reflects...
With regard to depreciation, what does the term mid-month convention mean? Definition of Mid-Month Convention In depreciation, the mid-month convention means that an asset placed into service anytime during a given...
What is the statement of activities? Definition of Statement of Activities The statement of activities is one of the main financial statements issued by a nonprofit organization. It is prepared instead of the income...
Why does commitment and contingencies appear on the balance sheet without an amount? Definition of Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and contingencies is a balance sheet line with no amount reported. The line...
What are dividends? In accounting, dividends often refers to the cash dividends that a corporation pays to its stockholders (or shareholders). Dividends are often paid quarterly, but could be paid at other times. For a...
What is cash flow net of tax? I view cash flow net of tax as the amount of cash spent minus the income tax savings when the amount is deductible on the corporation’s income tax return. To illustrate this, let’s...
will be disbursed for a specific purpose. For instance, a wealthy grandparent may tell a grandchild that the full cost of getting a college education will be fully paid by the grandparent. Example of Blank Check For an...
. An unrelated customer asks the company to inform them of the price for constructing a specific residence. The company prepares a detailed calculation of the final price that the customer will pay. The price will...
What is a static budget? Definition of Static Budget A static budget is a budget in which the amounts will not change even with significant changes in volume. In contrast to a static budget, a company’s sales...
What is the dividend payout ratio? The dividend payout ratio, or simply the payout ratio, is the percentage of a corporation’s earnings that is paid out in the form of cash dividends. The calculation of the dividend...
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....
on the balance sheet are the company’s resources such as cash, accounts receivable, inventory, investments, land, buildings, equipment, some intangible assets . Generally assets are reported at their cost or a lower...
What is the acid test ratio? Definition of Acid Test Ratio The acid test ratio, which is also known as the quick ratio, compares the total of a company’s cash, temporary marketable securities, and accounts receivable...
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,...
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...
What is the interest coverage ratio? Definition of Interest Coverage Ratio The interest coverage ratio is a financial ratio used as an indicator of a company’s ability to pay the interest on its debt. (The required...
What is the stated interest rate of a bond payable? Definition of Stated Interest Rate of a Bond The stated interest rate of a bond payable is the annual interest rate that is printed on the face of the bond and stated...
. The specified rate could be the investor’s cost of capital or it could be another hurdle rate that must be earned. Advantages of using the net present value to evaluate investments include the following: All of an...
Is there a difference between an expense and an expenditure? Definition of Expense An expense is reported on the income statement in the period in which the cost matches the related sales, has expired, was used up, or...
Where can I find the amount of income taxes paid by a corporation? Definition of Income Taxes Paid by a Corporation The amount of income tax paid by a corporation is different from the amount of income tax (income tax...
What is the difference between a general ledger and a general journal? Definition of General Ledger The general ledger contains the accounts used to sort and store a company’s transactions. The general ledger is...
accumulated depreciation is subtracted from the asset’s cost to indicate the asset’s book value. The book value indicates the maximum amount of future depreciation remaining. Since depreciation is defined as the...
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 working capital turnover ratio? Definition of Working Capital Turnover Ratio The working capital turnover ratio is also referred to as net sales to working capital. It indicates a company’s effectiveness in...
Are fixed assets the same as plant assets? Definition of Fixed Assets and Plant Assets My experience indicates that people use the term fixed assets to mean the same as plant assets. As a result, I define both fixed...
How do you record a return deposit item on a bank statement? Definition of Return Deposit Item A return deposit item is usually a customer’s check that was part of a company’s bank deposit. When the company’s bank...
What is the purpose of depreciation? Purpose of Depreciation The purpose of depreciation is to achieve the matching principle of accounting. That is, a company is attempting to match the historical cost of a productive...
current liability amount on its balance sheet. It also means that the accounts and amounts recorded as debits will better reflect the historical cost principle. If a company uses the net method, but fails to remit the...
What is a voided check? A voided check is a check written or partially written but then canceled or deleted by the maker of the check. The notation of “void” is used because checks are prenumbered for control...
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...
Under accrual accounting, how are worker comp premiums handled? Worker comp insurance premiums should be charged to the areas where the related wages and salaries are charged. Let’s assume that the net cost of worker...
What is NPV? Definition of NPV NPV is the acronym for net present value, which can be calculated as follows: The present value of the future cash inflows Minus the cash investment Example of NPV Assume that a company...
cost over 5 years. In December, ABCO will have very little depreciation expense, which means a small reduction in its December’s net income. However, ABCO’s Cash account will be reduced by $40,000 in December....
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