Officers of a corporation are appointed by the board of directors to execute the policies that have been established by the board of directors. The officers include the chief executive officer (CEO), the chief operations...
Officers of a corporation are appointed by the board of directors to execute the policies that have been established by the board of directors. The officers include the chief executive officer (CEO), the chief operations...
A projection or estimate of the future quantities and selling prices of products and/or services.
See accrued payroll.
See endowment fund.
The chief accounting officer of a company. This person would head up the accounting department.
What is the difference between public sector and private sector? Definition of Public Sector Public sector refers to: government-owned organizations, and government-provided services (Note: public sector entity is...
Includes the main financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows, statement of retained earnings, statement of stockholders’ equity) plus other financial information such as annual...
What is obsolete inventory? Definition of Obsolete Inventory Obsolete inventory refers to products that a company had purchased or produced which cannot be sold. The obsolete items may be the result of one or more of the...
The present fair market value.
A bond issued with a series (or staggering) of maturity dates.
A bearer bond is a bond that is not registered in its owner’s name. The person holding the bond is presumed to be the owner of the bond. The interest on a bearer bond is received by clipping one of the dated...
What is gross margin? Definition of Gross Margin Gross margin is the amount remaining after a retailer or manufacturer subtracts its cost of goods sold from its net sales. In other words, gross margin is the retailer’s...
Journals other than the general journal. Special or specialized journals include the cash receipts journal, the cash disbursements journal, the purchases journal, and the sales journal.
What does a balance sheet tell us? Definition of Balance Sheet A balance sheet reports the dollar amounts of a company’s assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity (or stockholders’ equity) as of midnight of the...
A qualitative characteristic in accounting. It is achieved when information is verifiable, objective (not subjective) and you can depend on it.
What is the difference between a contingent liability and an estimated liability? Definition of a Contingent Liability A contingent liability is a potential liability (and a potential loss or potential expense). For a...
What is GAAP? Definition of GAAP GAAP is the acronym for generally accepted accounting principles. GAAP consists of the following: Basic underlying accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts such as the cost...
Also referred to as manufacturing overhead, factory overhead, indirect manufacturing costs, or manufacturing support costs. To learn more, see Explanation of Manufacturing Overhead.
Magnetic ink character recognition.
See cash surrender value.
A class of corporation stock that provides for preferential treatment over the holders of common stock in the case of liquidation and dividends. For example, the preferred stockholders will be paid dividends before the...
The allocation of manufacturing overhead (indirect manufacturing costs) to products on the basis of a volume metric such as direct labor hours or production machine hours. As manufacturing becomes more sophisticated the...
See rolling budget.
A dollar adjusted for inflation. If an asset such as land was purchased for $10,000 many years ago when the consumer price index (CPI) was 100 and today the CPI is 400, today’s constant-dollar amount would be...
The planned or expected costs. Often used in manufacturing for accounting for inventories and production. When actual costs differ from the standard costs, variances are reported.
See income statement. To learn more, see Explanation of Income Statement.
A corporation’s reported net income and earnings per share for a three-month period.
The person that owes money. If a bank lent you money, the bank is the creditor and you are the debtor.
A dividend paid in assets other than cash.
The amount before deductions. For example, gross pay is the amount before withholding deductions. Gross sales is the amount before sales returns and allowances and sales discounts.
The borrower who provides to a lender an asset as collateral for a loan.
In standard costing, the quantity variance could be the direct materials’ usage variance or the direct labor’s efficiency variance. The quantity variance is the difference between the quantity of inputs that...
The expenses directly incurred by a nonprofit organization in providing one of its programs.
See incremental cost.
A phrase used in standard costing. The production that is acceptable (not rejected products) and which is assigned manufacturing costs of direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead.
The cost transferred from one department to the next department in a process costing system.
See old-age, survivor, and disability insurance (OASDI).
A term used when referring to property, plant, and equipment. Fixed assets other than land are depreciated.
The third section of the statement of cash flows. To learn more, see Explanation of Cash Flow Statement.
The result of two or more amounts being combined. For example, net sales is equal to gross sales minus sales returns, sales allowances, and sales discounts. The net realizable value of accounts receivable is the...
Featured Review
"After running my electrical contracting business for three decades, I attribute a significant portion of my financial acumen to the invaluable training provided by AccountingCoach. This premier site has been my go-to resource for accounting education, offering an extensive and comprehensible curriculum. What sets the PRO membership apart is its depth and breadth, providing advanced insights that are directly applicable to my business. The excellent explanations and materials on the site demystify complex accounting concepts, making them accessible and relevant to my industry. This program has not only fortified my understanding of financial intricacies but has also empowered me to make informed decisions, contributing substantially to the success and longevity of my business. AccountingCoach has been an indispensable companion throughout my entrepreneurial journey, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a robust foundation in accounting." - J.L.
Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials
Read all 2,645 reviewsWe now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping: