What is the difference between entries in a general journal versus a general ledger? Definition of General Journal The general journal is described as the book of original entry. Today the general journal is used to...
What is the difference between entries in a general journal versus a general ledger? Definition of General Journal The general journal is described as the book of original entry. Today the general journal is used to...
What is a financial statement? Definition of Financial Statement Generally, the term financial statement could be referring to: General-purpose, external financial reports that are distributed by a company to people...
What happens when the high-low method ends up with a negative amount? The high-low method of determining the fixed and variable portions of a mixed cost relies on only two sets of data: 1) the costs at the highest level...
Is the deposit for a booth at a future trade show an asset? The deposit for a booth at a future trade show is an asset until the trade show occurs. Once the trade show occurs the deposit amount should be moved from the...
In accounting, what is meant by relevant costs? Definition of Relevant Costs Relevant costs are future costs that will differ between two or more alternative actions. Expressed another way, relevant costs are the costs...
What is an irrevocable letter of credit? Definition of Irrevocable Letter of Credit An irrevocable letter of credit is a financial instrument used by banks to guarantee a buyer’s obligations to a seller. It is...
What is columnar? Prior to electronic worksheets, accountants had several pads of paper with a varying number of columns (and rows) preprinted on them. The pads of paper were labeled as columnar pads. The preprinted...
What is the difference between a differential cost and an incremental cost? Definition of Differential Cost and Incremental Cost I use the terms differential cost and incremental cost to mean the same thing: the...
How do I calculate the after-tax cost of debt? Definition of After-Tax Cost of Debt The after-tax cost of debt is the interest paid on the debt minus the income tax savings as the result of deducting the interest expense...
See units of production method of depreciation.
The number of shares of stock that a corporation may issue. The amount is specified in the corporation’s articles of incorporation.
Our Explanation of Standard Costing uses an easy-to-relate to example for illustrating a manufacturer's standard costs and variances. Also provided is a chart which indicates each variance, what it tells you, and where...
Our Explanation of Debits and Credits describes the reasons why various accounts are debited and/or credited. For the examples we provide the logic, use T-accounts for a clearer understanding, and the appropriate general...
A form of accelerated depreciation which means that in the early years of an asset’s life there is more depreciation expense than under the straight-line method. However, in the later years of the asset’s...
Used to calculate the earnings per share of common stock: Earnings available for common stock divided by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding. The weighted-average number of shares is needed...
Why can a retailer record its purchase of merchandise as a debit to purchases within the cost of goods sold, instead of the asset inventory? Before we explain why companies will record the purchases of merchandise in the...
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...
Where is the discount on the purchase of office furniture recorded? Definition of Discount on Purchase of Office Furniture The discount on the purchase of office furniture that will be used by a company (as opposed to...
What is the advantage of issuing bonds instead of stock? Definition of Bonds Bonds payable are a form of long-term debt, which include a formal agreement to pay interest semiannually and the principal amount at maturity....
Are transportation-in costs part of the cost of goods sold? Definition of Transportation-in Costs Transportation-in costs, which are also known as freight-in costs, are part of the cost of goods purchased. The reason is...
How do the responsibilities of a bookkeeper differ from those of an accountant? I see a bookkeeper’s responsibilities as getting the business transactions into the company’s general ledger. This involves a tremendous...
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 corporation’s cost of capital is its weighted average after-tax cost of its debt, preferred stock, common stock, retained earnings, and other components of stockholders’ equity. The cost of capital is...
In regression analysis this is a statistic designated as r and ranging from -1 to +1. It indicates the percentage of correlation between the dependent variable and the independent variable(s). When this statistic is...
See compound interest.
The reduction or removal of an asset amount. For example, an account receivable will be removed or written off if the customer is not able to pay the amount owed to the company.
A listing of the accounts available in the accounting system in which to record entries. The chart of accounts consists of balance sheet accounts (assets, liabilities, stockholders’ equity) and income statement...
A gross amount minus the income tax associated with the gross amount. For example, a company may dispose of one of its business segments and show a gain (proceeds exceed carrying amount) of $10,000,000. However, if the...
These agencies establish the educational requirements and the eligibility of candidates desiring to sit for the Uniform CPA Exam. There is a board of accountancy in each of the 50 U.S. states plus five other...
See cost of goods sold.
See separation of duties.
To repurchase bonds that the company had previously issued.
In regression analysis this is a statistic (designated as r-squared) indicating the percentage of the change occurring in the dependent variable that is explained by the change in the independent variable(s). The percent...
Usually means to scrap a long-term plant asset and receive no proceeds from its disposal.
This is granted by banks only to very creditworthy customers. It states that the bank will guarantee amounts that its customer incurred when purchasing goods. A letter of credit might be necessary for a U.S. company...
Chart of Accounts For multiple-choice and true/false questions, simply press or click on what you think is the correct answer. For fill-in-the-blank questions, press or click on the blank space provided. If you have...
A document filed when a corporation is formed. Among other things, it lists the number of shares of stock that the corporation is authorized to issue.
See income statement. To learn more, see Explanation of Income Statement.
A listing of the materials included in a product. A bill of material could be thought of as a bakery’s recipe for producing one of its products.
A long-term asset account reported on the balance sheet under the heading of property, plant, and equipment. Included in this account would be copiers, computers, printers, fax machines, etc.
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