COMPILATION is the presentation of financial statement information by the entity without the accountant’s assurance as to conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). In performing this accounting service, the accountant must conform to the AICPA Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS).
COMPLETED CONTRACT METHOD OF ACCOUNTING is a method of revenue recognition for long-term contracts (i.e., contract which span more than one accounting period) whereby the total contract revenue and related cost of performance are recognized in the period in which the contract is completed. This method stands in contrast to the percentage-of-completion method of accounting and is most often used when significant uncertainty exists with respect to the total cost of performing the contract and, accordingly, the ultimate amount of profit to be recognized thereon.
COMPLIANCE AUDIT is the review of financial records to determine whether the entity is complying with specific procedures or rules.
COMP0SITE DEPRECIATION is the grouping of similar assets or dissimilar assets within the same class together for the purpose of computing a single depreciation rate to be applied to all assets within the group.
COMPOSITE FINANCIAL STATEMENT is an average or index of financial statements of multiple accounting periods or companies, e.g., industry averages.
COMPOUND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE (CAGR) is the year over year growth rate applied to an investment or other part of a company's activities over a multiple-year period. The formula for calculating CAGR is (Current Value/Base Value) ^ (1/# of years) - 1.
COMPOUND INTEREST is interest calculated from the total of original principal plus accrued interest.
COMPOUND INTEREST PRINCIPLE is where the interest is computed on principal plus interest earned in previous periods.
COMPOUND JOURNAL ENTRY is a journal entry that involves more than one debit or more than one credit or both.
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME is change in equity (net assets) of an entity during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. It includes all changes in equity during a period, except those resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners.
COMPTROLLER is the misspelling of the word CONTROLLER caused by confusion in the root of the word in French and Latin. Comptroller is sometimes used within titles in the government, e.g. Comptroller of the Currency.
COMPULSORY LIQUIDATION is the winding-up of a company by a court. A petition must be presented both at the court and the registered office of the company. Those by whom it may be presented include: the company, the directors, a creditor, an official receiver, and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The grounds on which a company may be wound up by the court include: a special resolution of the company that it be wound up by the court; that the company is unable to pay its debts; that the number of members is reduced below two; or that the court is of the opinion that it would be just and equitable for the company to be wound up. The court may appoint a provisional liquidator after the winding-up petition has been presented; it may also appoint a special manager to manage the company's property. On the grant of the order for winding-up, the official receiver becomes the liquidator and continues in office until some other person is appointed, either by the creditors or the members.
CONDITIONAL SALES CONTRACT is a credit contract used for the purchase of equipment where the purchaser doesn't receive title of the equipment until the amount specified in the contract has been paid in full.
CONSERVATISM PRINCIPLE provides that accounting for a business should be fair and reasonable. Accountants are required in their work to make evaluations and estimates, to deliver opinions, and to select procedures. They should do so in a way that neither overstates nor understates the affairs of the business or the results of operation.
CONSIGNMENT is when goods are offered for sale on behalf of another without the seller actually purchasing or taking title to the goods. Only when there is a subsequent sale does the owner receive any payment.
CONSISTENCY is using the same accounting procedures by an accounting entity from period to period. That means using similar measurement concepts and procedures for related items within the company’s financial statements for one period.
CONSISTENCY PRINCIPLE requires accountants to apply the same methods and procedures from period to period. When they change a method from one period to another they must explain the change clearly on the financial statements.
CONSOLIDATED CAPITAL is the value of all money and other assets, on a consolidated basis, used directly in business operations.
CONSOLIDATED ENTITY is a user-defined combination of several consolidation units, grouped together for consolidation and reporting purposes.
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS is the end financial statement that accounts for all assets, liabilities and operating accounts of a parent and all subsidiaries.
CONSOLIDATED NEXUS is a consolidation of a connected series or group (usually contracts).
CONSOLIDATION is similar to refinancing, but there is no loan fee. It simplifies loan repayment by combining several types of federal education loans into one new loan. (In the case of Direct Loan consolidation, the interest rate may be lower than one or more of the underlying loans.)
CONSORTIUM is an association of companies for some definite purpose.
CONSTANT DOLLAR is when the dollar amount is adjusted for inflation.
CONSTRAINT is a limiting factor to business activity.
CONSULAR DECLARATION is a formal statement to the consul of a foreign country declaring the merchandise to be shipped.
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI) is the measure of change in consumer prices as determined by a monthly survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among the CPI components are the costs of food, housing, transportation, and electricity (i.e., the average cost of a "basket" of goods and services). Also known as the cost-of-living index.
CONSUMMATE is to bring to completion or fruition; conclude, e.g., consummate a business transaction.
CONTINGENT LIABILITY is a liability that is dependent upon uncertain events that may occur in the future, e.g., in corporate reports are pending lawsuits, judgments under appeal, disputed claims, and the like, representing potential financial liability.
CONTINUITY ASSUMPTION see GOING CONCERN CONCEPT.
CONTINUOUS BUDGET is a budget that rolls ahead each time period (e.g., month) without regard to the fiscal year, i.e., a twelve-month or other periodic forecast is always available; also called a ROLL FORWARD BUDGET.
CONTINUOUS INVENTORY see PERPETUAL INVENTORY.
CONTRA ACCOUNT 1. is the reduction to the gross cost of an asset to arrive at the net cost; also known as a valuation allowance; e.g., accumulated depreciation is a contra account to the original cost of a fixed asset to arrive at the book value; or, 2. reduction of a liability to arrive at its carrying value; e.g., bond discount, which is a reduction of bonds payable.
CONTRACT ALLOWANCE is the limit set within an agreement as to what is the maximum allowed of any given item covered under contract, e.g., home construction with a builder may have allowances or "limits" set in your contract that tell you how much the price of your house "allows" for things such as floor coverings, countertops, and cabinets.
CONTRACTEE is the person or entity who will receive the goods or services under the provisions of the contract.
CONTRACT LAW is that body of law which regulates the enforcement of contracts. Contract law has its origins thousands of years ago as the early civilizations began to trade with each other, a legal system was created to support and to facilitate that trade. The English and French developed similar contract law systems, both referring extensively to old Roman contract law principles such as consensus ad idem or caveat emptor. There are some minor differences on points of detail such as the English law requirement that every contract contain consideration. More and more states are changing their laws to eliminate consideration as a prerequisite to a valid contract thus contributing to the uniformity of law. Contract law is the basis of all commercial dealings from buying a bus ticket to trading on the stock market.
CONTRACTOR is the person or entity who will provide the goods or services under the provisions of the contract.
CONTRACT RATE OF INTEREST is the interest rate specified in a contract.
CONTRACT REVENUES are the revenues recognized under % of completion method.
CONTRACTUAL ALLOWANCE, in healthcare, is the difference between what hospitals bill and what they receive in payment from third party payers, most commonly government programs; also known as contractual adjustment.
CONTRIBUTED CAPITAL see PAID-IN-CAPITAL.
CONTRIBUTION MARGIN (CM) is the difference between sales and the variable costs of the product or service, also called marginal income. It is the amount of money available to cover fixed costs and generate profits.
CONTRIBUTION MARGIN RATIO is the computation showing CONTRIBUTION MARGIN as a percentage of sales.
CONTROL is the process of directing operations to achieve a goal.
CONTROL ACCOUNT is an account the shows totals of amounts entered in a subsidiary ledger as an accounts payable control account, it would show the total that is detailed in the accounts payable subsidiary ledger.
CONTROLLABLE COST see CONTROLLABLE EXPENSE.
CONTROLLABLE EXPENSE expenses that can be controlled or restrained by management. Some of the costs of doing business can be postponed or spread out over a longer period of time (e.g., personnel costs, travel & entertainment, marketing expense).
CONTROLLER is usually an experienced accountant who directs internal accounting processes and procedures, including cost accounting.
CONVENTION is an agreement, principle or statement expressed or implied that is used to solve given types of problems. Conventions allow a standardized approach to problem solving and behavior in certain situations. For example, placing debits on the right and credits on the left of an account is termed an accounting convention.
CONVERTIBLE is a corporate security (usually bonds, notes or preferred stock) that can be exchanged for another form of security (usually common stock).
CONVERTIBLE BOND is a bond that can be converted to other securities under certain conditions.
CONVERTIBLE CURRENCY is any national currency that can be easily exchanged for that of another country.
CONVERTIBLE DEBT is a debt instrument which can be exercised into the security of the debtor in accordance with the conditions set forth in the debt instrument.
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK is preferred stock which can be converted into common stock at the option of the holder of the preferred stock.
COO is an acronym for Chief Operating Officer. The COO is responsible for the day-to-day management of a company. The COO usually reports to the CEO.
COOKIE JAR RESERVES is an overly aggressive accrual of operating expenses and the creation of liability accounts done in an effort to reduce future year operating expenses.
COOKING THE BOOKS is when a company fraudulently misrepresents the financial condition of a company by providing false or misleading information.
COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING is a joint advertising strategy under which costs are shared; e.g. by a manufacturer and another firm that distributes its products.
COPYRIGHT is a form of legal protection used to safeguard original literary works, performing arts, sound recordings, visual arts, original software code and renewals.
CORE PROCESS - A process is a set of related and interdependent activities that transform an input to a system to an output with added value to a customer. It is the transformation of people, money, materials or information that is the value-added work of the organization. The CORE PROCESSES are those by which the organization creates its most value-added and essential transformations for the customers.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE is the system by which business corporations are directed and controlled. The corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation, such as, the board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders, and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs. By doing this, it also provides the structure through which the company objectives are set, and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance.
CORPORATION is a type of business organization chartered by a state and given many of the legal rights as a separate entity.
CORPORATION TAX is the tax payable by corporations.
CORRECTING ENTRY, a type of ADJUSTING ENTRY, is required at the end of an accounting period if a mistake was made in the accounting records during the period. See REVERSING ENTRY.
CORRESPONDENT BANK is a bank having communications and business links with the seller's bank.
COST is the amount of money that must be paid to take ownership of something; expense or purchase price.
COST ACCOUNTING is a managerial accounting activity designed to help managers identify, measure, and control operating costs.
COST ALLOCATION is the assignment to each of several particular cost-centers of an equitable proportion of the costs of activities that serve all of them, i.e. shared cost pools.
COST AVOIDANCE is an action taken in the present designed to decrease costs in the future.
COST BASIS, in securities, is the purchase price after commissions or other expenses. It is used to calculate capital gains or losses when the security is eventually sold.
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS is the method of measuring the benefits anticipated from a decision by determining the cost of the decision, then deciding whether the benefit outweighs the cost of that decision.
COST DRIVER is any activity or series of activities that takes place within an organization and causes costs to be incurred. Cost drivers are used in a system of activity-based costing to charge costs to products or services. Cost drivers are applied to cost pools, which relate to common activities. Cost drivers are not restricted to departments or sections, as more than one activity may be identified within a department.
COST IN EXCESS OF BILLINGS, in percentage of completion method, is when the billings on uncompleted contracts are less than the income earned to date. These underbillings result in increased assets. Conversely, where billings are greater than the income earned on uncompleted contracts, a liability, billings in excess of costs, results.
COST MANAGEMENT INDEX (CMI) is a method for determining cost management benchmarks for public companies using published financial data. It is used to establish realistic cost reduction goals by conducting a definitive comparison of single company performance against others in that industry combined with a thorough internal expenditure analysis. This provides realistic parameters for cost cutting objectives as well as insight into which categories of products and services to target. The CMI equals cost of goods sold plus sales, general and administrative expenses, divided by your operating revenue (CMI = (COGS+SG&A)/Revenue). It is expressed as a percentage.
COST OBJECT is any activity or item for which a separate measurement of cost is desired.
COST OF CAPITAL/FUNDS is the rate of return that a business could earn if it so chose other investments with the equivalent risks. Also can be stated as opportunity cost of the funds used due to the investment decision.
COST OF DEBT is interest rate times 1 minus the marginal tax rate (because interest is a tax deduction). An increase in the tax rate decreases the cost of debt.
COST OF GOODS SOLD (COGS) is a figure representing the cost of buying raw material and producing finished goods. Included are precise factors, i.e. material and factory labor; as well as others that are variable, such as factory overhead.
COST-OF-LIVING LEASE is a lease where yearly increases are tied to the cost of living index.
COST REDUCTION is actions taken in the present designed to decrease costs in the present. See COST AVOIDANCE.
COST OF REVENUE see COST OF GOODS SOLD.
COST OF SALES see COST OF GOODS SOLD.
COST PER THOUSAND (CPM) is advertising terminology used in buying media. CPM refers to the cost it takes to reach a thousand people within your target market.
COST PRINCIPLE is the principle where a company is obliged to record its fixed assets at their actual purchase price or production cost.
COST SPLIT is the breakdown of the costs associated with producing a product, providing a service, ... The makeup is dependent upon what costs are being analyzed, e.g. in manufacturing a company would track the cost split between materials, direct labor, and production overhead.
COST SYNERGY is the savings in operating costs expected after two companies, who compliment each other's strengths, join.
COST UNIT is a functional cost unit which establishes standard cost per workload element of activity, based on calculated activity ratios converted to cost ratios.
COUPON BONDS are unregistered bonds for which owners receive periodic interest payments by clipping a coupon from the bond and sending it to the issuer as evidence of ownership.
COVERAGE OF FIXED CHARGES is computed by taking your net income, before taxes and fixed charges (debt repayment, long-term leases, preferred stock dividends etc.), and dividing by the amount of fixed charges. The resulting number shows your ability to meet your fixed obligations of all types — the higher the number, the better.
CP is an acronym with many possible meanings, e.g., Capacity Planning, Central Procurement, Change of Plan (insurance), Claims Procedure (insurance), Commercial Paper, Community Property, Consumer Products, Contingency Plan, Contract Price, Change Proposal, etc.
C.P.A. means Certified Public Accountant.
CPFF is Cost Plus Fixed Fee.
CPI see CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.
CPT is Cost Per Thousand.
CR, in accounting, is an acronym for Credit Record.
CRAT is an acronym for Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust.
CREATIVE ACCOUNTING is slang for the concept of maintaining accounts giving possibly illegal or dubious benefits to the entity for which the accounts are maintained.
CREDIT, in accounting, is an accounting entry system that either decreases assets or increases liabilities.
CREDIT CARD is a card authorizing purchases on credit at a predetermined interest rate and payment conditions.
CREDIT CARD RECEIPTS is sales revenue where payment has been made through the use of recognized/authorized credit cards versus cash or check receipts/payments.
CREDIT CONTROL is policies and procedures aimed at controlling the granting of credit.
CREDIT LINE is the maximum credit that a customer is allowed.
CREDIT MEMO is a document used to issue a vendor credit.
CREDIT NOTES are issued to indicate a positive action within an account. Credit notes are issued for reasons such as overpayment, duplicate payment, damaged goods, returned merchandise, etc.
CREDITOR DAYS is the number of days it takes the company to pay trade creditors. This ratio provides an indication of the amount of credit given to the business by its suppliers. The formula is trade creditors divided by sales multiplied by 365 days.
CREDITORS are the entities to which a debt is owed by another entity.
CREDITORS TURNOVER = Average creditors / (Credit Sales / 365).
CREDIT SALES are merchandise or services sold on the promise to pay later.
CROWN CORPORATION is a corporation that has been established by a nation’s government.
CRUT is an acronym for Charitable Remainder Unitrust.
CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK is preferred stock which gives holder a right to dividends if they have not been paid in a given year.
CURRENCY TRANSLATION see FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION.
CURRENT ACCOUNT in a national economy it is a category in the balance of payments account that includes all transactions that either contribute to national income or involve the spending of national income.
CURRENT ASSETS are those assets of a company that are reasonably expected to be realized in cash, or sold, or consumed during the normal operating cycle of the business (usually one year). Such assets include cash, accounts receivable and money due usually within one year, short-term investments, US government bonds, inventories, and prepaid expenses.
CURRENT CASH DEBT RATIO measures ability to pay current liabilities in given year with cash derived from operating activities. Calculated using net cash from operating activities divided by average current liabilities.
CURRENT COST is the cost which would be incurred for replacement of an asset.
CURRENT COST ACCOUNTING is a system of accounting which adjusts for changing pricing.
CURRENT DEBT TO TOTAL DEBT shows Current Liabilities as a percent of Total Debt. Smaller firms carry proportionally higher level of current debt to total debt than larger firms.
CURRENT LIABILITIES are liabilities to be paid within one year of the balance sheet date.
CURRENT MATURITIES-L/T/D is that portion of long term obligations which is due within the next fiscal year.
CURRENT RATIO, a comparison of current assets to current liabilities, is a commonly used measure of short-run solvency, i.e., the immediate ability of a firm to pay its current debts as they come due. Current Ratio is particularly important to a company thinking of borrowing money or getting credit from their suppliers. Potential creditors use this ratio to measure a company's liquidity or ability to pay off short-term debts. Though acceptable ratios may vary from industry to industry below 1.00 is not atypical for high quality companies with easy access to capital markets to finance unexpected cash requirements. Smaller companies, however, should have higher current ratios to meet unexpected cash requirements. The rule of thumb Current Ratio for small companies is 2:1, indicating the need for a level of safety in the ability to cover unforeseen cash needs from current assets. Current Ratio is best compared to the industry.
CUSTODIAN BANK is the bank that acts a custodian to a mutual fund. Does not manage anything, just holds the cash and securities and does the clerical.
CUSTOMS are the authorities charged with collecting duty and controlling the entry of merchandise into a country.
CUSTOMS BROKER is an individual or firm licensed to process entry and clear goods into the country for another.
CUT-OFF RATE is the predetermined maximum rate and/or minimum rate at which the subject is still acceptable, but where a rate above the proscribed higher or below the proscribed lower rate is no longer acceptable.
CUT-OFF YIELD, in securities, is the yield at which or below which the bids are accepted.
CYCLE COUNT is a partial count of a single inventory location as opposed to a Complete Count, i.e., a complete count of a single inventory location. An organization should not wait to do a complete count; usually once a year. The best way to ensure that a minimum of 97% accuracy is maintained in inventory on an ongoing basis is to continually count your products. That is, count part of your inventory every day, and count each item several times per year. This process is called "cycle counting."
DAC, in accounting, is an acronym for Deferred Acquisition Costs.
DATE DRAFT is a payment option draft that matures in a specified number of days after the date issued.
DATE OF RECORD is the date which determines which shareholders receive dividends.
DAYS CASH ON HAND is calculated: Cash/([operating expense - depreciation expense]/365).
DAYS' INVENTORY shows the average length of time items are in inventory, i.e., how many days a business could continue selling using only its existing inventory. The goal, in most cases, is to demonstrate efficiency through having a high turnover rate and therefore a low days’ inventory. However, realize that this ratio can be unfavorable if either too high or too low. A company must balance the cost of carrying inventory with its unit and acquisition costs. The cost of carrying inventory can be 25% to 35%. These costs include warehousing, material handling, taxes, insurance, depreciation, interest and obsolescence.
DAYS SALES OUTSTANDING (DSO) is the average collection period on accounts receivable for sales revenue.
DBA (doing business as) is a legal entity (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation) conducting business under any chosen name for which a business license has been issued.
DCAA is the Defense Contract Audit Agency.
DEBENTURE is a corporate IOU that is not backed by the company's assets (unsecured) and is therefore somewhat riskier than a bond.
DEBIT is a record of an indebtedness; specifically : an entry on the left-hand side of an account constituting an addition to an expense or asset account or a deduction from a revenue, net worth, or liability account.
DEBIT CARD is a banking card enhanced with automated teller machine (ATM) and point-of-sale (POS) features so that it can be used at merchant locations. A debit card is linked to an individual's checking account, allowing funds to be withdrawn at the ATM and point-of-sale without writing a check. Each financial institution creates an identity for its debit card to customize the product and differentiate it in the market. Debit cards can also be called deposit access cards.
DEBIT MEMORANDUM can be either a) a form or document given by the bank to a depositor to notify that the depositor's balance is being decreased due to some event other than the payment of depositor originated check, e.g. bank service charges; or b) a form of document used by a seller to notify a buyer that the seller is debiting (increasing) the amount of the buyer's accounts payable due to errors or other factors requiring adjustments.
DEBIT NOTES are issued to indicate a short payment.
DEBT COVENANT is one of many terms used to describe rules governing the loans that a company has outstanding. Other related phrases would be "loan terms" "credit agreement," "loan agreement."
DEBT FINANCING is raising money through selling bonds, notes, or mortgages or borrowing directly from financial institutions. You must repay borrowed money in full, usually in installments, with interest. A lender incurs risk and charges a corresponding rate of interest based on that risk. The lender usually assesses a variety of factors such as the strength of your business plan, management capabilities, financing, and your past personal credit history, to evaluate your company’s chances of success.
DEBTOR is the party against who one has a claim.
DEBTOR DAYS is a ratio used to work out how many days on average it takes a company to get paid for what it sells. It is calculated by dividing the figure for trade debtors shown in its accounts by its sales, and then multiplying by 365.
DEBT SERVICE COVERAGE is the ratio of cash flow available to pay for debt to the total amount of debt payments to be made (interest and principal payments).
DEBT RATIO measures the percent of total funds provided by creditors. Debt includes both current liabilities and long-term debt. Creditors prefer low debt ratios because the lower the ratio, the greater the cushion against creditor's losses in liquidation. Owners may seek high debt ratios, either to magnify earnings or because selling new stock would mean giving up control. Owners want control while "using someone else's money." Debt Ratio is best compared to industry data to determine if a company is possibly over or under leveraged. The right level of debt for a business depends on many factors. Some advantages of higher debt levels are:
- The deductibility of interest from business expenses can provide tax advantages.
· Returns on equity can be higher.
· Debt can provide a suitable source of capital to
start or expand a business.
Some disadvantages can be:
· Sufficient cash flow is required to service a higher
debt load. The need for this cash flow can place pressure on a business if
income streams are erratic.
· Susceptibility to interest rate increases.
· Directing cash flow to service debt may starve
expenditure in other areas such as development which can be detrimental to overall
survival of the business.
DEBT SERVICE RATIO is the measurement of debt payments to gross income.DEBT TO EQUITY measures the risk of the firm's capital structure in terms of amounts of capital contributed by creditors and that contributed by owners. It expresses the protection provided by owners for the creditors. In addition, low Debt/Equity ratio implies ability to borrow. While using debt implies risk (required interest payments must be paid), it also introduces the potential for increased benefits to the firm's owners. When debt is used successfully (operating earnings exceeding interest charges) the returns to shareholders are magnified through financial leverage. Depending on the industry, different ratios are acceptable. The company should be compared to the industry, but, generally, a 3:1 ratio is a general benchmark. Should a company have debt-to-equity ratio that exceeds this number; it will be a major impediment to obtaining additional financing. If the ratio is suspect and you find the company's working capital, and current / quick ratios drastically low, this is a sign of serious financial weakness.
DEBT TO TOTAL ASSETS RATIO measures the percentage of assets financed by all terms of debt, includes both current and long term debt.
DECISION THEORY is a body of knowledge and related analytical techniques of different degrees of formality designed to help a decision maker choose among a set of alternatives in light of their possible consequences.
DECLINING-BALANCE DEPRECIATION METHOD is an accelerated depreciation method in which an asset's book value is multiplied by a constant depreciation rate (such as double the straight-line percentage, in the case of double-declining-balance.). This depreciation method is allowed by the
DEDUCTIVE ACCOUNTING THEORY (mathematical method) assumes that optimal accounting standards and reporting rules can be derived by deduction much in the way that Pythagoras derived the rule for measuring the hypotenuse of a triangle based upon square root of the summed squares of the other two sides (assuming one angle is a perfect 90-degree angle).
DEFAULT, in finance, default is what occurs when a party is unwilling or unable to pay their debt obligations. This can occur with all debt obligations including bonds, debentures, mortgages, loans, and notes. Default can also occur with sovereign bonds, that is, governments can default on their payments to creditors. In corporate finance, a default is typically a prelude to bankruptcy. With most mortgages and loans the total amount owing becomes immediately payable on the first instance of a default of payment.
DEFEASANCE CLAUSE is the clause in a mortgage that permits the mortgagor to redeem his or her property upon the payment of the obligations to the mortgagee.
DEFERRAL see DEFERRED.
DEFERRED, in accounting, is any account where the asset or liability is not realized until a future date, e.g. annuities, charges, taxes, income, etc. The deferred item may be carried, dependent on type of deferral, as either an asset or liability.
DEFERRED ANNUITY is an annuity in which the income payments/withdrawals begin at some future date
DEFERRED ASSET is an amount owed to an entity that is not expected to be received by that entity within one year from the date of the balance sheet.
DEFERRED CREDITOR see DEFERRED INCOME.
DEFERRED DEVELOPMENT COSTS is the non-recognition of costs of development until such until some condition(s) is satisfied.
DEFERRED INCOME is that income for which the cash has been collected by the company, but have yet to be "earned". For example, a customer pays their annual software license upfront on the 1st Jan. As the company financial year-end is 31st May, the company would only be able to record five months of the income as turnover in the profit and loss account. The rest would be accrued in the balance sheet as a "deferred" creditor.
DEFERRED PAYMENT CREDIT is a type of a letter of credit where payment is made at a specified interval after collection papers are submitted.
DEFERRED REVENUE see DEFERRED INCOME.
DEFERRED TAX ASSETS have an effect of decreasing future income tax payments, which indicates that they are prepaid income taxes and meet definition of assets. Whereas deferred tax liabilities have an effect of increasing future year's income tax payments, which indicates that they are accrued income taxes and meet definition of liabilities.
DEFERRED TAXES refers to all deferred taxes.
DEFERRED TAX LIABILITIES have an effect of increasing future year's income tax payments, which indicates that they are accrued income taxes and meet definition of liabilities. Whereas deferred tax assets have an effect of decreasing future income tax payments, which indicates that they are prepaid income taxes and meet definition of assets.
DEFICIT is a debit balance in the Retained Earnings account resulting from accumulated losses.
DEFICIT BUDGET is where the estimates of expenses are greater than estimates of revenue.
DEFICIT SPENDING is an excess of government expenditures over government revenue, resulting in a shortfall that must be financed through borrowing.
DELINQUENCY RATIO is the ratio of past-due loans to total number of loans serviced.
DELTA, in securities trading, is the relationship between an option price and the underlying futures contract or stock price. In general usage, it is the difference between two empirical data points, e.g. the delta between 4 and 6 is 2.
DEMAND DEPOSIT is a bank deposit f rom which withdrawals may be made without notice.
DEMINIMUS, root is 'De minimis non curat lex' (Latin), a common law principle whereby judges will not sit in judgement of extremely minor transgressions of the law. It has been restated as "the law does not concern itself with trifles". It is commonly used to include a test of anyone judging conformance to accounting principles, regulations or rules.
DEMOGRAPHICS are the attributes such as income, age, and occupation that best describe your target market.
DEMUTUALIZATION refers to the demutualizing of an insurance company. The proceeds from such an event are normally distributed to the policyholders in the form of either cash, shares, or a combination thereof in the surviving entity.
DEPENDENT, generally, is a person who relies on another person for support (especially financial support); in U.S. tax law, it means a dependent as defined in tax code Section 152 which excludes those individuals who do not qualify for a dependent deduction on the employee’s tax return including domestic partners and parents.
DEPLETION is the process of cost allocation that assigns the original cost of a natural resource to the periods benefited. For example: a mining company purchases mineral rights to a deposit for $5 million for a period of ten years. The cost of the natural resource, $5 million, will be depleted over the ten years of the benefit; i.e., it is the physical exhaustion of a natural resource (e.g., timber, oil and coal).
DEPOSIT can mean a variety of things: a. a payment given as a guarantee that an obligation will be met; b. the act of putting money into a bank account; c. a partial payment made at the time of purchase with the balance to be paid later; or, d. money given as security for an article acquired for temporary use.
DEPOSITS IN TRANSIT is deposits made to a bank account that have not been credited to the bank statement.
DEPOSITORY ACCOUNT are those accounts where assets; e.g. cash or securities; are placed on deposit in favor of the depositor.
DEPRECIATED HISTORICAL COST (DHC) is he method of valuation of certain assets at the actual cost of their acquisition and subsequent enhancement less a reduction for depreciation to date.
DEPRECIATION is the amount of expense charged against earnings by a company to write off the cost of a plant or machine over its useful live, giving consideration to wear and tear, obsolescence, and salvage value. If the expense is assumed to be incurred in equal amounts in each business period over the life of the asset, the depreciation method used is straight line (SL). If the expense is assumed to be incurred in decreasing amounts in each business period over the life of the asset, the method used is said to be accelerated. Two commonly used variations of the accelerated method of depreciating an asset are the sum-of-years digits (SYD) and the double-declining balance (DDB) methods. Frequently, accelerated depreciation is chosen for a business' tax expense but straight line is chosen for its financial reporting purposes.
DEPRECIATION ALLOCATION is the allocation of the cost of capital expenditures so that revenue is matched
with expenses for items that will last more than one year (land is not depreciable). The methodolgy is to allocate plant and equipment cost to expense through the use of accelerated, straight line and units of production amortization methods; as well as the disposal of assets; and, repairs and betterments to assets.
DEPRECIATION CONVENTION is utilized to determine how much depreciation to charge the first year when an item is bought part way through the year. Three different conventions are used: 1. Half year convention - All property placed in service is considered to be placed in service half way through the year. During the first year, half of the "normal" depreciation is taken. At the end of the depreciation period, the other half of the "normal" depreciation is taken; 2. Mid-quarter convention - If the amount of depreciation claimed on new items during the last 3 months of a year exceeds 40% of the total depreciation claimed during the year, then the mid-quarter convention is used. The amount of depreciation of each item is figured for one year then multiplied by 87.5% if was placed in service during Jan. - March, 62.5% if it was placed in service during April - June, 37.5% for items placed in service during July-Sept, and 12.5% for items placed in service during Oct. - Dec.; or, 3. Mid-month convention - All property is considered to be placed in service during the midpoint of the month. This requires some calculations.
DEPRECIATION METHOD see DEPRECIATION.
DEPRECIATION RECAPTURE is a provision contained in the Internal Revenue Code that makes excess depreciation taken on real property subject to income tax upon the sale or disposition of the property.
DEPRECIATION RESERVE in the process of allocating the cost of a fixed asset over its effective service life in a systematic and rational manner (depreciation schedule), the value of each depreciable asset is reduced by its depreciation amount. To match this, the depreciation amounts are added to a "depreciation reserve" in the long-term liabilities.
DEPRECIATION REVERSAL is the reversal of a depreciaton amount in the depreciation reserve account.
DEPRECIATION SCHEDULE is the statement, over time, as to the schedule (timing and amounts) of depreciation of any long-term asset. A depreciation schedule is used for any type of depreciation applicable, i.e., either straight line or accelerated depreciation. See DEPRECIATION.
DERIVATIVE is a transaction or contract whose value depends on or, as the name implies, derives from the value of underlying assets such as stock, bonds, mortgages, market indices, or foreign currencies. One party with exposure to unwanted risk can pass some or all of the risk to a second party. The first party can assume a different risk from a second party, pay the second party to assume the risk, or, as is often the case, create a combination. Derivatives are normally used to control exposure or risk. See DERIVATIVE CONTRACT.
DERIVATIVE CONTRACT is, generally, a financial contract the value of which is derived from the values of one or more underlying assets, reference rates, or indices of asset values, or credit-related events. Derivative contracts include interest rate, foreign exchange rate, equity, precious metals, commodity, and credit contracts, and any other instruments that pose similar risks. See DERIVATIVE.
DERIVATIVE LIABILITIES are financial instruments under contracts that have one or more underlying and one or more notional amounts. See DERIVATIVE.
DEVALUATION, in economics, is the lowering in value of one currency in relation to other currencies.
DEVELOPMENT normally refers to a) improving a product or producing new types of products; or b) in real estate, process of placing improvements on or to a parcel of land.
DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE are earnings per share, including common stock, preferred stock, unexercised stock options, and some convertible debt. Diluted earnings per share are usually a more accurate reflection of the company's real earning power.
DILUTED SHARE see DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE.
DILUTION is the decrease, weakening, or loss in a financial statement related item. For example, share value may be diluted through the issuance of additional common shares.
DIO is Days Inventory Outstanding.
DIRECT ATTRIBUTION is the most precise method of costing an output. It seeks to capture accurately the volume and cost of resources used by particular activities. This can be expensive unless the information is already available because it requires detailed measurement of actual costs. Such direct measurement is seldom justifiable solely to improve the accuracy of a cost system, but many institutions use this method to obtain efficiency gains and cost savings.
DIRECT COST is that portion of cost that is directly expended in providing a product or service for sale and is included in the calculation of COST OF GOODS SOLD, e.g. labor and inventory (it can be traced to a given cost object in an economically feasible manner). Opposite of indirect cost.
DIRECT EXPENSE is that portion of expense that is directly expended in providing a product or service for sale and is included in the calculation of COST OF GOODS SOLD, e.g. labor and inventory.
DIRECT LABOR UTILIZATION RATE is total payroll charged directly to job numbers in the period divided by the total payroll (direct and indirect) expended in the period. Since payroll is by far the single largest cost to operate a firm, generally speaking, the higher the direct labor rate, the more efficiently economically managed is the firm.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT is written by the Directors of a company and forms part of the company's financial statements. This report must support and elaborate on the information contained in the Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Source and Application of Funds Statement.
DIRECTORS VALUATION is a valuation that is not an independent valuation.
DIRECT WRITE-OFF METHOD is a method of recognition of uncollectible accounts only when known to be such.
DISABILITY INSURANCE, in the
DISBURSEMENT is the paying out of money to satisfy a debt or an expense.
DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT PROGRAM, in the
DISCLOSURE NOTE see DISCLOSURE PRINCIPLE.
DISCLOSURE PRINCIPLE states that any and all information that affects the full understanding of a company's financial statements must be include with the financial statements. Some items may not affect the ledger accounts directly. These would be included in the form of accompanying notes. Examples of such items are outstanding lawsuits, tax disputes, and company takeovers.
DISCOUNT is a decrease in value (often due to interest to be earned) or decrease in price.
DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW is a valuation method best used to evaluate a business established for the purpose of fulfilling a specific project, in certain startup and other companies where cash flow is more important than net income, and when a certain time frame is set where an investor wishes to see his investment returned over a specific period of time. In discounted cash flow, the present value of liabilities is subtracted from the combined present value of cash flow and tangible assets, which determines the value of the business.
DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW METHOD is a budgeting method for project evaluation and selection.
DISCOUNTED EARNINGS determines the value of a business based upon the present value of projected future earnings, discounted by the required rate of return (capitalization rate). Usually, the question is how well earnings are projected.
DISCOUNTING is the selling of accounts receivable to a financial entity.
DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS is the sale, disposal, or planned sale in the near future of a business segment (product line or class of customer).
DISCOUNT RATE is the interest rate that the Federal Reserve of the U.S. Government charges a U.S. bank to borrow funds when a bank is temporarily short of funds. Collateral is necessary to borrow, and such borrowing is quite limited because the Fed views it as a privilege to be used to meet short-term liquidity needs, and not a device to increase earnings.
DISCREPANCY, in import / export, is a situation relating to official documents that are presented that do not conform to what is required within the Letter of Credit.
DISCRETIONARY means it is not mandatory, it is up to the individual or company.
DISCRETIONARY ACCRUAL is a non-mandatory expense/asset that is recorded within the accounting system that has yet to be realized. An example of this would be management bonus.
DISCRETIONARY COST can be increased or decreased at the discretion of the decision maker (e.g., advertising and business travel).
DISCRETIONARY INCOME means the amount of a company's income available for spending after the essentials have been met. See DISPOSABLE INCOME.
DISHONORED NOTE is a note on which a debtor has defaulted.
DISPOSABLE INCOME is the amount of an individual's income left after taxes which is available for spending and / or savings. See DISCRETIONARY INCOME.
DISSOLUTION is the legal termination of a business entity.
DISTRIBUTION COST is any cost incurred to fill an order for a product or service. It includes all money spent on warehousing, delivering and/or shipping products and services to customers.
DISTRIBUTIONS are payments from fund or corporate cash flow. May include dividends from earnings, capital gains from sale of portfolio holdings and return of capital. Fund distributions can be made by check or by investing in additional shares. Funds are required to distribute capital gains (if any) to shareholders at least once per year. Some corporations offer Dividend Reinvestment Plans (D.R.P.).
DIVIDEND is that portion of a corporation's earnings which is paid to the stockholders.
DIVIDEND CAPITALIZATION: Since most closely held companies do not pay dividends, when using dividend capitalization valuators must first determine dividend paying capacity of a business. Dividend paying capacity based on average net income and on average cash flow are used. To determine dividend paying capacity, near term capital needs, expansion plans, debt repayment, operation cushion, contractual requirements, past dividend paying history of a business and dividends of a comparable company should be investigated. After analyzing these factors, percent of average net income and of average cash flow that can be used for the payment of dividends can be estimated. What also must be determined is the dividend yield, which can best be determined by analyzing comparable companies. As with the price earnings ratio method, this usually produces a subjective result.
DIVIDEND COVER see DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIO.
DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIO is a measure of the percentage of earnings paid out in dividends; computed by dividing cash dividends by the net income available to each class of stock.
DIVIDENDS PER SHARE (DPS) ratio is very similar to the EPS: EPS shows what shareholders earned by way of profit for a period whereas DPS shows how much the shareholders were actually paid by way of dividends. The formula: Dividends per share = Dividends paid to equity shareholders / Average number of issued equity shares.
DIVIDEND YIELD is the annual rate of return, expressed as a percentage, on an investment.
DIVIDEND YIELD RATIO allows investors to compare the latest dividend they received with the current market value of the share as an indictor of the return they are earning on their shares. The formula for the dividend yield is: Dividend yield = Latest annual dividends / Current market share price.
DIVISION is a self sufficient unit within a company. A division contains all the functions necessary to operate indepently from the parent company.
DOCK RECEIPT is a document issued by the ocean carrier of a shipment acknowledging receipt of the goods to be shipped.
DOCTRINE is a. something that is taught; b. a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of beliefs; c. a principle of law established through past decisions; d. a statement of fundamental government policy especially in international relations.
DOCUMENTARY CREDIT is an arrangement by banks for settling international business transactions. A letter of credit is a form of documentary credit.
DOLLAR CONTROL SYSTEMS are systems used in inventory management that reveals the cost and gross profit margin on individual inventory items.
DOLLAR VALUE LIFO, in the
DOLLAR-WEIGHTED RATE OF RETURN is also called the internal rate of return; the interest rate that makes the present value of the cash flows from all the sub-periods in an evaluation period plus the terminal market value of the portfolio equal to the initial market value of the portfolio.
DOOMSDAY RATIO is related to the quick (acid test) ratio in that it is a conservative approach to debt coverage. The doomsday ratio only considers the cash on hand when evaluating if an entity can cover their current liabilities. The approach is that if the business were to go bankrupt today, would the business have enough cash on hand to cover current debts. The ratio is considered a good indicator of the cash cushion of safety. It may spot cash shortages, thereby assisting in avoiding a credit crisis. It is calculated: Cash divided by Current Liabilities.
DONATED CAPITAL is a gift of assets to a company, usually by state or local governments, to induce a business to relocate to their jurisdiction.
DOUBLE ACCOUNTING is the un-intentional, or sometimes fraudulently intentional, double counting of assets or liabilities, or any other datasets, which, in the end, give an inaccurate view of what the data really means. In accounting, this is usually caused by a multiplicity of entries of the same data which, in the end, causes confusion or financial reporting inaccuracies.
DOUBLE DECLINING BALANCE DEPRECIATION see DECLINING BALANCE DEPRECIATION.
DOUBLE-ENTRY ACCOUNTING is a system of recording transactions in a way that maintains the equality of the accounting equation. The accounting technique records each transaction as both a credit and a debit. Double-entry bookkeeping (DEB) or accounting was developed during the fifteenth century and was first recorded in 1494 as a system by the Italian mathematician Luca Pacioli.
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE is an index that tracks the daily share value of 30 large
DOWNSTREAM / UPSTREAM SALES see UPSTREAM / DOWNSTREAM SALES.
DPO is Days Payables Outstanding.
DPS see DIVIDENDS PER SHARE.
Dr is an ancient Italian abbreviation for the Italian word ‘debare’; meaning ‘debit’ (not to be confused with the acronym DR with both letters in uppercase).
DR, in accounting, is an acronym for Debit Record.
DRAFT, in import / export, is a contract between buyer and seller that the buyer will pay a certain amount of money, within a specified period of time, for the goods purchased.
DRAFT, DEMAND OR SIGHT, in import / export, is a draft payable upon presentation to the drawee. It may be used when the exporter wishes to retain control of the shipment for credit or title retention reasons. The buyer must pay the bank before receiving the documents to take custody of the goods. A COD shipment is similar.
DRAW see PROPRIETORS DRAW.
DRAWDOWN is the magnitude of a decline in account value, either in percentage or currency terms.
DRAWEE is the buyer of a draft instrument.
DRAWING ACCOUNT see PROPRIETORS DRAW.
DROP SHIP is where the seller/retailer of a product ships the product directly from the manufacturer to the customer without requiring inventory carrying by the seller/retailer.
DSO, in accounting, is an acronym that usually means 'Days Sales Outstanding.'
DUE DILIGENCE usually refers to an internal audit of a target firm by an acquiring firm.
DUMPING is the selling of merchandise in a foreign country at, or, below cost in order to seize market share.
DUN is when you importune (beg or are insistent upon) a debtor for payment: a dunning letter.
DUN & BRADSTREET (D&B) is a
DURATION DRIVERS represent the amount of time required to perform an activity.
DUTY is a tax imposed by a customs authority on imported goods. Often used interchangeably with the term "tariff."
EA is Enrolled Agent (IRS designation).
E&O INSURANCE is an errors and omissions, or E&O, liability policy (often called malpractice insurance) covers liability for negligent acts, errors and omissions committed by professionals, including physicians, accountants, lawyers, etc.
E&OE is a British acronym that stands for "Errors and Omissions Excepted". E&OE is a legal disclaimer that notifies the reader that, without prejudice, that the content and/or validity of the subject data may change without notice.
E&P is Earnings and Profits.
EARNED INCOME is that income realized by the provisioning of goods and services.
EARNING ASSET is an asset which provides income (e,g, rental property).
EARNING POWER is earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) divided by total assets.
EARNING QUALITY is best determined through the inverse relationship between the amount of time elapsed between revenue recognition and cash collection.
EARNINGS is a term that refers to the financial capacity of a corporation to make distributions to shareholders other than return of capital, e.g., dividends. See also RETAINED EARNINGS.
EARNINGS MANAGEMENT occurs when managers use judgment in financial reporting and in structuring transactions to alter financial reports to either mislead some stakeholders about the underlying economic performance of the company, or to influence contractual outcomes that depend on reported accounting numbers.
EARNINGS PER SHARE (EPS) is earnings before extraordinary gains and losses, less preferred-share dividends, divided by all common shares outstanding at the most recent fiscal year end. Net income, or earnings, refers to the company's after-tax profits before extraordinary gains or extraordinary losses for the most recent annual period.
EARNINGS RETENTION is the proportion of net income that is not paid in dividends. A firm earning $80 million after taxes and paying dividends of $20 million has a retention rate of $60 million/$80 million, or 75%. A high retention rate makes it more likely a firm's income and dividends will grow in future years.
EBITDA means Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization, but after all product / service, sales and overhead (SG&A) costs are accounted for. Sometimes referred to as Operational Cash Flow.
EBITDARM is an acronym for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortization, Rent and Management fees.
E.C. (EUROPEAN COMMUNITY or EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET) is a trading block of countries in
ECONOMETRICS literally means 'economic measurement'. It is the branch of economics that applies statistical methods to the empirical study of economic theories and relationships. It is a combination of mathematical economics, statistics, economic statistics and economic theory.
ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE means that the benefit of tracing the cost (greater accuracy) outweighs the cost of doing so.
ECONOMIC BOOK VALUE allows for a book value analysis that adjusts the assets to their market value. This valuation allows valuation of goodwill, real estate, inventories and other assets at their market value.
ECONOMIC ENTITY accounting concept that provides context or “point of view” for the economic events (i.e., transactions) captured by the financial statements. In short, it answers the questions, “Whose asset is it?”; “Whose liability is it?”
ECONOMIC EVENT is the transfer of control of an economic resource from one party to another party.
ECONOMIC EXPOSURE, in foreign exchange, is the extent to which the value of the firm, as measured by the present value of all expected future cash flows, will change when exchange rates change.
ECONOMIC ORDER QUANTITY is the order quantity that minimizes total inventory costs. A total inventory cost is the sum of ordering, carrying and stock-out costs.
ECONOMIC PROFITS is the difference between the total revenue and the total opportunity costs.
ECONOMIC SUBSTANCE refers to the application of income tax laws, i.e., the substance of the transaction, rather than its form, determines the tax consequences, with few exceptions. The "form" of a transaction is only the label the interested parties attach to their arrangement. For instance, an arrangement might be called a compensation agreement, loan, lease or sale. Documents may support the form, but the courts are not concerned with these labels or papers that purport to govern the transaction -- they focus on its substance. The "substance over form" analysis is used to dissect self-serving transactions between parties, including loans and payments to family members; transactions between related corporations and their shareholders, partnerships and their partners; and between trusts and their beneficiaries. For instance, sale of a home by a parent to a child may be recharacterized by the court as a gift, if the child never pays for it. Related-party transactions provide fertile territory for self-dealing, with the tax benefit as the real motivating purpose, disguised by the form of the transaction. In contrast, arm's-length transactions with independent third parties are far less vulnerable.
ECONOMIC VALUE (EV) is the value of an asset deriving from its ability to generate income.
ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED (EVA) measures the difference between the return on a companies capital and the cost of that capital. A positive EVA indicates that value has been created for shareholders; a negative EVA signifies value destruction.
ECONOMIES OF SCALE is based upon the theory that the more you produce of a good, the less that it costs for each additional unit, i.e., efficiency. Specifically, it is the reduction of the costs of production of goods due to increasing the size of the producing entity and the share of the total market for the good/product.
EF&L is Errors, Fines and Losses.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF INTEREST is the market rate at time of a debt issue.
EFFECTIVE INTEREST RATE is the cost of credit on a yearly basis expressed as a percentage. Includes up-front costs paid to obtain the loan, and is, therefore, usually a higher amount than the interest rate stipulated in the note.
EFFECTIVE TAX RATE is the net rate a taxpayer pays on income that includes all forms of taxes. It is calculated by dividing the total tax paid by taxable income.
EFFICIENCY is the ratio of the output to the input of any system.
EFFICIENT MARKET THEORY is the hypothesis that market prices reflect the knowledge and expectations of all investors. Within this theory, investors who adhere to it believe it to be highly improbable that market movement can be predicted, i.e., using darts to chose stocks are just as effective as stock or market analysis.
EFT see Electronic Funds Transfer.
ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER is a payment executed through computers.
EMC (EXPORT MANAGEMENT COMPANY) is a private company that serves as the export agent for manufacturers, being paid by commission or retainer. Merchandise is not normally purchased by the EMC.
ENCUMBERED is when an asset is owned by one party subject to the legal claims of another party. One example is a homeowner that owns a home that is subject to (encumbered by) the claims of the mortgage holder.
ENCUMBRANCE is a) a right or interest in land owned by someone other than the owner of the land itself; examples include easements, leases, mortgages, and restrictive covenants; or, b) in government accounting, an encumbrance is an anticipated expenditure, or funds restricted for anticipated expenditures, such as for outstanding purchase orders.
ENDING INVENTORY is inventory at the end of the accounting period.
ENDOWMENT is a permanent fund where gifts to the fund are held in perpetuity and where earnings are used in accordance with the donor’s specified wishes.
ENGINEERED COSTS are those costs having a clear linkage to output, e.g., direct materials costs.
ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP) is an information system or process that integrates all operational data and related applications for an entire enterprise. ERP systems permit organizations to manage resources across the enterprise.
ENTERPRISE VALUE (EV) is a measure of a company's value.
ENTERPRISE ZONE is a depressed neighborhood, usually in an urban area, where businesses are given tax incentives and are not subject to some government regulations. These advantages are designed to attract new business in the zone.
ENTITY, in business, is a separate or self-contained existence that provides goods or services.
ENTITY ASSUMPTION is the assumption that financial statements are prepared for an entity that is separate and distinct from its owners.
ENTITY CONCEPT is the concept that financial accounting and reporting relates only to the activities of a specific business entity and not to the activities of the owners of that entity.
ENTREPRENEUR is the person who assumes the financial risk of the initiation, operation and management of a given business or undertaking. He/She is primarily a financial and/or professional risk taker almost to the extreme.
EOM is End of Month.
EOY is End Of Year.
EOZ is Environmental Opportunity Zones.
EPS see EARNINGS PER SHARE.
EPU see EQUIVALENT UNIT OF PRODUCTION.
EQUIPMENT LOAN is a loan used for the purchase of capital equipment.
EQUITY is, normally, ownership or percentage of ownership in a company or items of value.
EQUITY ACCOUNTING is the practice of showing in a company's accounts the share of undistributed profits of another company in which it holds equity ownership (usually below 50%). The share of profit shown is usually equal to its share of the equity in the other company. The profit may not actually be paid over, but the equity holding company has a right to this share of the undistributed profit.
EQUITY CAPITAL is a form of financing where equity in a business is sold to private investors.
EQUITY FINANCING is a method of an entity obtaining funds by issuing either common or preferred stock, or both. Receipts can be through cash, services, or property. It is in the entities best interest to issue shares when the market price for the stock is at its highest.
EQUITY FUNDING see EQUITY CAPITAL.
EQUITY METHOD is a method of accounting for investments in associated companies.
EQUITY MULTIPLIER (EM) shows the amount of assets owned by the firm for each equivalent monetary unit owner claims held by stockholders, i.e., the equity multiplier measures how many dollars of assets an institution supports with each dollar of capital. If a firm is totally financed by equity, the equity multiplier will equal 1.00, while the larger the number the more highly leveraged is the firm. EM compares assets with equity: large values indicate a large amount of debt financing relative to equity. EM, thus, measures financial leverage and represents both profit and risk measurement. EM affects a firm’s profit because it has a multiplier impact on Return on Assets (ROA) to determine the firm’s Return on Equity (ROE). EM is also a risk measure because it reflects how many assets can go into default before a company becomes insolvent. The EM ratio is best compared to industry averages.
EQUITY SHARE CAPITAL is capital raised by an entity through the sale of common shares.
EQUITY OFFERING see EQUITY CAPITAL.
EQUITY-TO-ASSET RATIO expresses the proportion of total assets financed by the owner’s equity capital. It is the reciprocal of the debt-to-asset ratio.
EQUIVALENT UNIT OF PRODUCTION (EPU) is based on the idea that if 100 units are all 40% complete, then 40 whole units could have been completed.
ERISA, in the
ERP can mean either Enterprise Resource Planning or Early Retirement Program. See
ERROR OF COMISSION is an error that occurs as a result of an action taken. In accounting, the error occurs when one or both of the double entries are made in the correct class of account but the wrong account within that class.
ERROR OF OMISSION is an error which occurs as a result of an action not taken. In accounting, the error occurs when both the entries required for a transaction are completely omitted from the books.
ERROR OF ORIGINAL ENTRY, in accounting, occurs when the double entry is made but using an incorrect figure.
ERROR OF PRINCIPLE, in accounting, occurs when one or both of the entries are made in the wrong class or category of account.
ESCHEAT is the reversion of property to the state (government) in the absence of legal heirs or claimants.
ESCROW ACCOUNT see TRUST ACCOUNT.
ESTATE is the entire group of assets owned by an individual at the time of his or her death. The estate includes all funds, personal effects, interests in business enterprises, titles to property-real estate and chattels, and evidences of ownership such as stocks, bonds and mortgages owned, notes receivable, etc. All claims against an estate must be duly filed with the Executor or Administrator of the estate, and approved by the court of law under which the will is being probated or the line of heritage is being determined before the indebtedness may be satisfied.
ESTATE TAXES are the Federal taxes levied on the transfer of property from the deceased to his or her heirs, legatees or devisees.
ETC (EXPORT TRADING COMPANY) is a private company that usually purchases items from domestic manufacturers, then sells them to foreign markets. The difference between an EMC and an ETC is sometimes insignificant, i.e., an EMC may occasionally take title of goods, while an ETC may sometimes work strictly on commission without purchasing the goods. The difference is what the company normally does.
EV (economic value) is the value of an asset deriving from its ability to generate income.
EVA see ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED.
EVENT RISK is the risk that the ability of an issuer to make interest and principal payments will change because of rare, discontinuous, and very large, unanticipated changes in the market environment such as (1) a natural or industrial accident or some regulatory change or (2) a takeover or corporate restructuring.
EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS are material items which derive from events or transactions that fall within the ordinary activities of the reporting entity and which individually or, if of a similar type, in aggregate, need to be disclosed by virtue of their size or incidence if the financial statements are to give a true and fair view.
EXCESS OF REVENUE OVER EXPENSES in the not-for-profit sector. There is a common misconception that not-for-profit organizations are not allowed to have a financial cushion as they are “not-for-profit”. In this context it is useful to remember that not-for-profit organizations are also “not-for-loss” organizations. An organization cannot sustain losses over the long term without ceasing to operate or going bankrupt. Excess of revenue over expenses is the planned financial position that there will always be a sufficient amount of funds on hand to continue to run the not-for-profit entity for some period without additional funding; usually 3-4 months.
EXCHANGE RATE is the rate at which one currency can be traded for another.
EXCHANGE RATE RISK, in foreign exchange, is the variability of a firm’s value due to uncertain changes in the rate of exchange.
EXCISE TAX is a tax imposed by federal, state, and local governments on an act, occupation, privilege, manufacture, sale, or consumption that is not deductible (e.g., tobacco, gasoline and spirits). This term is in increasing usage to describe almost every tax other than income tax and property tax.
EXECUTOR is a legal entity, frequently an individual, known before death to a testator, who is named in the testator's will to carry out the desires of the deceased after his death as designated in the will. Executors must be approved by the court of law probating the will. An executor pays all indebtedness as claimed by creditors of the estate, with the approval of the court of law, and then carries out or executes the will according to the terms set forth by the testator.
EX-FACTORY is where a seller's responsibility ends when the buyer at point of origin, i.e., factory, accepts merchandise. This can also be written as Ex-Warehouse, Ex-works, etc.
EXISTING USE VALUE (EUV) is the price at which a property can be sold on the open market assuming that it can only be used for the existing use for the foreseeable future.
EXPECTED ANNUAL CAPACITY is the planned activity levels or output for a given year taking into account efficiency and idle capacity.
EXPECTED VALUE OF PERFECT INFORMATION (EVPI) is the difference between the expected value with (additional) perfect information and the expected value with current information. The expected value of perfect information is the maximum amount a decision maker should pay for additional information that gives a perfect signal as to the state of nature.
EXPENDABLE TRUST FUND is a governmental fiduciary fund held in a trustee capacity by a governmental agency that accounts for assets and activities restricted to a specific purpose in accordance to formal intent. The principal of the fund can be expended towards only the activity specified, e.g., Unemployment Compensation Fund, Employee Benefits Fund, etc.
EXPENDITURE is a cost incurred in the normal course of business to generate revenues. See expenses.
EXPENSE is the amount of assets or services used during a period.
EXPENSES are the daily costs incurred in running and maintaining a business. See expenditure.
EXPIRED EXPENSE is an expense having come to an end or become void after passage of a period of time.
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH is a method used when gathering primary information for a market survey where targeted consumers / customers are asked very general questions geared toward eliciting a lengthy answer.
EXPORT BROKER is an entity that brings together foreign buyers with domestic manufacturers for a fee, generally providing little other services. An EMC, who is also a middleman, often provides extensive services to complete the transaction as well.
EXPORT DECLARATION is the official paperwork required of exporters so trade transactions and goods can be tracked.
EXPORT LICENSE is the governmentally issued legal permit to export merchandise. In the
EXPOSURE, in foreign exchange, refers to the degree to which a company is affected by exchange rate changes.
EXPROPRIATION is the taking of property or rights by governmental authority such as eminent domain, possibly including an emergency situation, such as taking a person's truck or bulldozer to build a levee during a flood. In such a case just compensation eventually must be paid to the owner, who can make a claim against the taker.
EXTERNAL AUDIT is an audit conducted by an individual of firm that is independent of the company being audited. These independent auditors audit the books of a company generally once per year (see INTERIM AUDIT) after the completion of the company's fiscal year. Their role is to give an opinion of the financials statement's reflection of the status and operations of the company being audited. Based on what they witness during the audit they will also produce, for management and board utilization, a management letter. Although a financial statement audit is the most common type of external audit, external auditors may also conduct special purpose audits which might include; performing specific tests and procedures and reporting on the results, a less intensive review, and compilations.
EXTERNAL AUDITOR is an auditor, usually working for an audit firm, that is completely independent of the company it is auditing. External auditors should always be certified by a professional association of accountants, and should be selected by, and report to, the corporation’s board of directors.
EXTRAORDINARY ITEMS are material items that are unusual in nature and occur infrequently. Both characteristics must exist for an item to be classified as an extraordinary item on the income statement.
FACTORING is the practice of buying debt at a discount, e.g., if somebody owes you $10,000 payable within a year, a factoring lender may pay you $9,000 for the debt. You receive $9,000 cash quickly, but at the cost of the $1,000 discount.
FACTORY OVERHEAD is the costs of operating a factory which cannot be assigned directly to a specific department or product.
FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT is a
FAIR MARKET VALUE is the price at which a willing seller will sell and a willing buyer will buy, in an arms- length transaction, when neither is under compulsion to sell or buy and both have reasonable knowledge of relevant facts.
FAIR VALUE, under GAAP, is the amount at which an asset could be bought or sold in a current transaction between willing parties, other than in liquidation. On the other side of the balance sheet, the fair value of a liability is the amount at which that liability could be incurred or settled in a current transaction between willing parties, other than in liquidation.
F.A.S. (FREE ALONG SIDE), e.g. “F.A.S. New York”, means that, for instance, if goods are shipped from the State of Nevada in the U.S. to Madrid, Spain, no charges for shipment are made to the importer until the goods are "free alongside the vessel" in New York. After this point, charges may be applied to the importer.
FASB see Financial Accounting Standards Board.
FBWT, in finance, is Fund Balance With Treasury.
FCIA (FOREIGN CREDIT INSURANCE ACT) is an EximBank program that offers credit insurance against losses due to political conflict or buyer default.
FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT TAX ACT (FUTA) is a U.S, federal law providing guidelines for the unemployment compensation system. A Federal tax is paid by all liable employers to fund the administration of Federal and State unemployment insurance programs and the extended benefits program. FUTA provides for payments of unemployment compensation to workers who have lost their jobs. Most employers pay both a federal and a state unemployment tax.
FEE ABSOLUTE see FEE SIMPLE.
FEE SIMPLE is absolute ownership of real property; owner is entitled to the entire property. This includes unencumbered right of disposition during his/her life and upon death the real property passes to his/her heirs. Also known as FEE SIMPLE ABSOLUTE and FEE ABSOLUTE.
FEE SIMPLE ABSOLUTE see FEE SIMPLE.
FF&E is Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (in real estate).
FFO - FUNDS FROM OPERATIONS is used by real estate and other investment trusts to present the cash flow from trust operations i.e., earnings plus depreciation and amortization.
FGI see FINISHED GOODS INVENTORY.
FICA (FEDERAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS ACT) is the
FICTITIOUS NAME is often referred to as a DBA, "Doing Business As," a fictitious name is frequently used by sole proprietors or partnerships to provide a name, other than those of the owners or partners, under which the business will operate.
FIDUCIARY is a person or business (for example, a bank or stock brokerage) who has the power and obligation to act for another (often called the beneficiary) under circumstances which require total trust, good faith and honesty.
FIFO (first-in, first-out) is an inventory cost flow whereby the first goods purchased are assumed to be the first goods sold so that the ending inventory consists of the most recently purchased goods.
FINANCE CHARGE is the total dollar amount your loan will cost you. It includes all interest payments for the life of the loan, any interest paid at closing, your origination fee and any other charges paid to the lender and/or broker. In real estate, appraisal, credit report and title search fees are normally not included in the finance charge calculation.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS is analysis of a company's financial statement, usually by accountants or financial analysts.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING is the area of accounting concerned with reporting financial information to interested external parties.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (FASB) is a professional organization which develops accounting principles.
FINANCIAL GUARANTEE INSURANCE is insurance created to cover losses from specified financial transactions.
FINANCIAL INCOME is that income that is contained within the financial statements of an entity. Financial income normally is not in alignment with taxable income reported in income tax returns. See TAXABLE INCOME.
FINANCIAL LEVERAGE is the use of debt to increase the expected return on equity. Financial leverage is measured by the ratio of debt to debt plus equity.
FINANCIAL RATIO is the result of dividing one financial statement item by another. Ratios help analysts interpret financial statements by focusing on specific relationships.
FINANCIAL RATIO ANALYSIS is: a. an easy and valuable way to interpret and understand the numbers found in your financial statements. Understanding the relationships between the numbers can help you answer critical questions about your business -- and if you monitor the ratios on a regular basis you'll gain insight into how effectively you are managing your business. And: b. lenders also like to evaluate risk by using several sets of ratios; ratios of assets to liabilities, and ratios of lender-investor dollars to owner-investor dollars. Recognize that ratios are indicators and that only you can tell the full story about your business. So the more adept you are at explaining your financial ratios to your investor/lender, the better she/he will understand your business as he/she makes a investment/credit decision.
FINANCIAL REPORTING RELEASE (FRR), in the
FINANCIAL RESULTS usually refers to the summary financial statements provided in compliance to the GAAP guidelines. They can cover any period(s), but usually cover either: single month, quarter, or annual periods.
FINANCIALS see FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
FINANCIAL SCHEDULE, contained in an audited annual report, summarizes the audited financial position of the audited entity. Other application of the term is the scheduling of amounts, not necessarily by date, of major financial events by any given category as to projected receipts, payments, costs, etc.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT is a written report which quantitatively describes the financial health of a company. This includes an income statement and a balance sheet, and often also includes a cash flow statement. Financial statements are usually compiled on a quarterly and annual basis.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS is analysis of a company's financial statement, usually by accountants or financial analysts. Usually includes indepth financial ratio analysis comparisons over time periods.
FINANCIAL VIABILITY is the ability of an entity to continue to achieve its operating objectives and fulfill its mission over the long term.
FINANCING MARGIN RATIO (FMR) is the margin to be maintained between the debit balance and the actual security value as stipulated in the Facility Letter or any other margin as stipulated by a lending bank from time to time as the FMR.
FINISHED GOODS INVENTORY is that portion of goods in inventory which have completed manufacture and are available for sale.
FISCAL is belonging to the public treasury; or, pertaining to public finance and financial transactions.
FISCALIST is an economist who prefers that the government affect the economy by raising and lowering taxation and/or government spending.
FISCAL LEVERAGE is the ability of a government to affect economic conditions and/or actions of others through fiscalist policies.
FISCAL YEAR is the declared accounting year for a company, but it is not necessarily in conformance to a calendar year (January through December). However, it does cover twelve months, 52 weeks, 365 days. For example, the
FIXED ASSET is a long-term tangible asset that is not expected to be converted into cash in the current or upcoming fiscal year, e.g., buildings, real estate, production equipment, and furniture. Sometimes called PLANT.
FIXED ASSETS are those assets of a permanent nature required for the normal conduct of a business, and which will not normally be converted into cash during the ensuring fiscal period. For example, furniture, fixtures, land, and buildings are all fixed assets. However, accounts receivable and inventory are not. Sometimes called PLANT.
FIXED ASSETS (NET) is all property, plant, leasehold improvements and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation or depletion.
FIXED ASSETS (NET) / NET WORTH measures liquidity by comparing "fixed" assets with "fixed" capital. A lower ratio indicates proportionately smaller investment and a better "cushion" for creditors in case of liquidation. This may be important if the fixed assets are not easily used in other businesses. The presence of substantial leased fixed assets (not shown on the balance sheet) may deceptively lower this ratio. Therefore smaller is better, i.e., greater than .75 (75%) should merit caution.
FIXED ASSET TURNOVER measures management's ability to generate revenues from investments in fixed assets. FAT considers only the firm's investment in property, plant and equipment and is extremely important in high asset firms such as manufactures and telecommunications companies. Generally, the higher this ratio:
·
the smaller the investment required to
generate sales, thus the more profitable the firm.
·
indicates the firm has less money tied
up in fixed assets for each dollar of sales revenue.
A declining ratio may indicate that the firm
has over-invested in plant, equipment, or other fixed assets.FIXED BUDGET is a budget that is not adjusted for changes in the volume of service. See FLEXIBLE BUDGET.
FIXED CHARGE is those expenses incurred each time a batch of product is produced. Primarily consists of ordering cost for the raw material, engineering costs for machine setup and preparation for the production run, and work order processing cost; also known as SETUP COST.
FIXED CHARGE RATIO is calculated: total fixed costs/total expenses.
FIXED COST is a cost that does not vary depending on production or sales levels, such as rent, property tax, insurance, or interest expense.
FIXED COSTS are operating expenses that are incurred to provide facilities and organization that are kept in readiness to do business without regard to actual volumes of production and sales. Fixed costs remain relatively constant until changed by managerial decision. Within general limits they do not vary with business volume. Examples of fixed costs consist of rent, property taxes, and interest expense.
FIXED FEE is a set price for the completion of a project. It is easier for the customer to budget, but provides higher risk for the contractor due to cost overruns.
FIXED OVERHEAD is those costs like rent, utilities, basic telephone, loan payments, etc., that stay the same whether sales go up or down. Variable overhead, on the other hand, are those costs which vary directly with production.
FIXED EXPENSES in the operation of a business are those expenses that remain the same regardless of production or sales volume, i.e. do not fluctuate with sales volume. Contrast with VARIABLE EXPENSES.
FLASH REPORT provides highlights of key information promptly to the responsible managerial accountant; also called EXCEPTION REPORT.
FLAT INTEREST refers to charging interest on the full original loan amount, rather than on the declining balance. With group based loans, for example, a common "interest rate" is "3% per month, flat, for 4 months". This means that a $100 principal amount lent is multiplied by 3%, and then by 4 months to come up with $12 in interest. Thus, $112 would be repaid over 4 months in equal installments.
FLAT LEASE is a lease where the cost is fixed for a specific period of time.
FLAT RATE is a per unit price that remains constant regardless of the volume purchased.
FLEXIBLE BUDGET is based upon different levels of activity. It is a very useful tool for comparing actual costs experienced to the cost allowable for the activity level achieved, i.e. it is dynamic in nature as compared to static. A series of budgets can be readily developed to fit any activity level. Flexible budgeting distinguishes between fixed and variable cost, thereby allowing for a budget that can be automatically adjusted to the level of activity actually attained.
FLOAT is 1. the time between the deposit of checks in a bank and when the amount is truly accessible; 2. the amount of funds represented by checks that have been written but not yet presented for payment. Some entities will 'play the float' by writing checks although there are insufficient funds actually on deposit to cover the checks; and, 3. to issue new securities through an underwriter.
FLP is Family Limited Partnership.
FMR see FINANCING MARGIN RATIO.
FOOTING, in accounting, is the sum of a column of figures.
F.O.B. (FREE ON BOARD) is a transportation term that indicates that the price for goods includes delivery at the seller’s expense to a specified point and no further. The FOB term is used with an identified physical location to determine 1) the responsibility and basis for payment of freight charges, and 2) the point a twhich title for the shipment passes from seller to buyer.The FOB location terms, Origin and Destination, may be qualified by modifiers. The modifier determines the payment of the transportation charges. Modifiers denote nothing about the title of the goods or filing of claims. The most three common modifiers are: Collect, Prepaid & Add, and Prepaid & Allow. Collect: The carrier collects the transportation charges from the buyer. Prepaid & Add: The seller prepays the transportation charges, but adds the charges to the invoice for reimbursement from the buyer .Prepaid & Allow: The seller prepays the transportation charges and they are already included in the contract price.
F.O.B. DESTINATION is where the seller retains title and control of goods until they are delivered and the contract of carriage has been completed. The seller selects the carrier and is responsible for the risk of transportation.
FOB POINT OF ORIGIN is where the supplier is responsible for all shipping costs to the point of having the goods loaded unto the vessel for shipment to its destination. The purchaser, from that point forward, is responsible for all further shipping costs to the point of destination, e.g., insurance, transportation, etc.
FOLIO, dependent upon application, is a. a book (or manuscript) consisting of large sheets of paper folded in the middle to make two leaves or four pages; or, b. a sheet of any written or printed material (especially in a manuscript or book); or, c. the system of numbering pages; or, d. in investments, an unstructured basket of common stock that may represent a stock index, a sector or theme, or even an actively-managed portfolio at inception, but which may be modified by an investor or an advisor to meet the tax and spending needs of its owner. The rationale for the folio is to take advantage of diversification and the ability to realize tax losses in a separately managed account. In general, an investor will have to devote a fair amount of time to the folio or engage the services of a specialized advisor.
FOOTING is the sum of a column of figures.
F.O.R. (FREE ON RAILROAD) is where goods will be delivered by the exporter to a railway station. The importer is responsible from this point on.
FORECAST is to estimate or calculate expected business results in advance. To plan the business course for the future. A document that sets down the plan. See BUSINESS PLAN, PROJECTION, BUDGET.
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION is the process of restating foreign currency accounts of subsidiaries into the reporting currency of the parent company in order to prepare consolidated financial statements in the native currency of the parent company.
FOREIGN SALES AGENT or REPRESENTATIVE is an entity that works to sell your merchandise in a foreign country. Equivalent to the “Manufacturer's Representative” in the
FORENSIC ACCOUNTING provides for an accounting analysis that is suitable to a court of law which will form the basis for discussion, debate and ultimately dispute resolution. Forensic accounting encompasses investigative accounting and litigation support. Forensic accountants utilize accounting, auditing and investigative skills when conducting an investigation. Equally critical is the ability to respond immediately and to communicate financial information clearly and concisely in a courtroom setting.
FORM 1065 (Schedule K-1) is the domestic partnership income tax return form used in the
FORM 1120 is the income tax return form used by corporations in the
FORESEEABLE is what may be reasonably anticipated.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS, within the meaning of the
are statements made that are not historic and are thereby predictive. You can identify forward-looking statements by use of the words “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “estimate”, “assume”, “project” and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events and trends or that do not relate to historical matters. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
FORWARD PREMIUM is when a currency trade forward price is higher than its spot price.
FP, among others, means Fixed Price.
FRANCHISE is a legal arrangement giving rights to sell a product or service.
FRAUD is intentional deception resulting in injury to another person or entity
FREE CASH FLOW is net income plus non-cash charges to income, specifically depreciation and amortization less capital expenditures, to sustain the basic business.
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT is an agreement between countries that will result, over an agreed period of time, in an elimination of duties for goods flowing between the signatories.
FREE TRADE ZONE (FTZ) is an area, usually a port of entry, designated by the country for duty-free entry of goods. As long as the goods do not go into the country from the FTZ, no duty is assessed. While in the FTZ, goods may be processed, packaged, serviced or displayed.
FREIGHT FORWARDER is an individual or firm that provides for the packing and shipping of merchandise. Generally they also assist with export and other documentation.
FRIENDLY TAKEOVER consists of a straight buyout of a company, and happens all the time. The shareholders receive cash or (more commonly) an agreed-upon number of shares of the acquiring company's stock.
FREQUENCY, in advertising, is the number of times you hope to reach your target audience through your advertising campaign.
FRF is an acronym for French Francs.
FRR see FINANCIAL REPORTING RELEASE.
FRS 19, in the
A.
Deferred tax is provided on timing differences relating to:
- accelerated capital
allowances and depreciation
- accruals for and payments of pension and other post retirement benefits
- the elimination of unrealized intra group profits
- unrelieved tax losses
- “fair value revaluations” that are taken annually to the profit and loss account
- other short-term timing differences
- accruals for and payments of pension and other post retirement benefits
- the elimination of unrealized intra group profits
- unrelieved tax losses
- “fair value revaluations” that are taken annually to the profit and loss account
- other short-term timing differences
B.
Deferred tax is not provided on timing differences relating to:
- other fixed asset
revaluations, where there is no intention to sell
- gains that are rolled over
- unremitted overseas earnings, where there is no intention to remit.
The FRS 19 Standard also includes further,
detailed measurement and disclosure rules.- gains that are rolled over
- unremitted overseas earnings, where there is no intention to remit.
FSA has several possible meanings, e.g. Flexible Spending Account (employee benefit offered by some companies) or Funding Standard Account.
FULL CHARGE BOOKKEEPER is someone who can do it all - including compiling the data into the General Ledger and preparing financial statements.
FULL COSTING see ABSORPTION COSTING.
FULL COST RECOVERY is adjusting fees/prices for goods/services to where all cost of operations and maintenance are covered for supplying the given goods or services.
FULL DISCLOSURE, generally, is the requirement to disclose all relevant or material facts to a transaction.
FULLY DEPRECIATED is when an asset has already been charged with the maximum amount of depreciation allowed by the taxing authority for accounting purposes.
FUND is a pool of money normally set apart for a purpose, for example, a pension fund to provide pensions.
FUND ACCOUNTING is a method of accounting and presentation whereby assets and liabilities are grouped according to the purpose for which they are to be used. Generally used by government entities and not-for-profits.
FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS is a method used to evaluate the worth of a security by studying the financial data of the issuer. Performing fundamental analysis will teach you a lot about a company, but virtually nothing about how it will perform in the stock market. Apply this analysis on two competing companies or in comparisone to its industry and it becomes clearer which the best investment choice is. See FUNDAMENTALS.
FUNDAMENTALS are factors which are “fundamental” to the working of a company’s business, its profitability, operating costs, product prices, technical innovations, etc. Company analysis taking into account these fundamental factors facilitates share valuation. See FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS.
FUNDED DEPRECIATION ACCOUNT is a reserve setup to cover the replacement cost of those capital assets covered within the depreciation schedule.
FUND MANAGEMENT is the professional, in many cases regulated, caretaker of client assets for a fee. Dependent upon type of fund, the fund may be authorized to put assets within the fund at risk in the pursuit of profits for the asset owners (clients).
FUNDS FLOW is the funds generated from operations; normally expressed as 'cash flow from operations' or 'working capital from operations'.
FUTA see FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT TAX ACT.
FUTURE VALUE is the amount of money that an investment made today (the present value) will grow to by some future date. Since money has time value, we naturally expect the future value to be greater than the present value. The difference between the two depends on the number of compounding periods involved and the going interest rate.
FX ACCOUNT (Foreign Exchange Account) is a trading account usually based in foreign currencies.
FYE is For Year Ending.
GAAP see GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES.
G&A usually refers to the indirect overhead costs contained within the General and Administrative expense / cost categories (see also SG&A).
GAI is Guaranteed Annual Income.
GAO see GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE.
GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT (GIGO) is an often used computer and software industry saying meaning that if the data going into a system is suspect, the resulting data output will be suspect.
GASB stands for Government Accounting Standards Board.The GASB is a nonprofit organization responsible for establishing and improving accounting and financial reporting standards for governmental units.
GATT (GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE) is a multilateral treaty that aims to reduce trade barriers and increase trade. The GATT was an interim treaty process that has now culminated in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
GBP is United Kingdom Pound Sterling (Currency Code).
GDP see GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT.
GEARING is the proportion of the capital employed of a company that is financed by lenders rather than shareholders.
GEARING RATIO measures the percentage of capital employed that is financed by debt and long term financing. The higher the gearing, the higher the dependence on borrowing and long term financing. Whereas, the lower the gearing ratio, the higher the dependence on equity financing. Traditionally, the higher the level of gearing, the higher the level of financial risk due to the increased volatility of profits. Financial manager face a difficult dilemma. Most businesses require long term debt in order to finance growth, as equity financing is rarely sufficient, on the other hand, the introduction of debt and gearing increases financial risk. A high gearing ratio is positive; a large amount of debt will give higher return on capital employed but the company dependent on equity financing alone is unable to sustain growth. Gearing can be quite high for small businesses trying to become established, but in general they should not be higher than 50%. Shareholders benefit from gearing to the extent that return on the borrowed money exceeds the interest cost so that the market value of their shares rise.
GENERAL ACCOUNTING involves the basic principles, concepts and accounting practice, recording, financial statement preparation, and the use of accounting information in management.
GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE (GAO) is the organization in the U.S. Congress that investigates the performance of the federal government. GAO evaluates the use of public funds and the performance of federal programs, while also providing analytical, investigative and legal services in order to support to Congress in its policy formulation and decision making processes. Most GAO reports are initiated at the request of Congress, while some are initiated by the agency itself or are required by law.
GENERAL EXPENSE is expense not directly connected with any single department.
GENERAL JOURNAL is the most basic of journals. It is a chronological list of transactions. It has a very specific format for recording each transaction. Each transaction is recorded separately and consists of: 1.) a date; 2.) any and all accounts to receive a debit entry are listed first with an amount in the appropriate column, then; 3.) any and all accounts to receive a credit entry are indented and listed next with an amount in the appropriate column; 4.) a clear description of the transaction. At least one line is then skipped to visually separate recorded transactions.
GENERAL LEDGER is the record of all account entries.
GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES (GAAP) is a recognized common set of accounting principles, standards, and procedures. GAAP is a combination of accepted methods of doing accounting and policy board set authoritative standards.
GENERALLY ACCEPTED AUDITING STANDARDS (GAAS), in the
GENERAL LEDGER is the accounting records that show all the financial statement accounts of a business.
GENERAL PARTNERSHIP is one or more partners who are jointly and severally responsible or liable for the debts of the partnership.
GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENT is a component of an enterprise that (a) provides products and services within a particular economic environment and (b) that is subject to risks and returns that are different from those of components operating in other economic environments.
GFOA is Government Finance Officers' Association.
GILT is a bond issued by the
GLOBAL CUSTODY is a term used within the investment banking industry in defining securities/monetary instruments that are traded internationally by Global Custodians. Those securities would be held in "Global Custody". Chase Bank originated the concept of providing Global Custody trading services for institutional investors trading in foreign markets in 1974. Banks recognized as Global Custodians provide their customers with Global Custody services in respect to securities traded and settled not only in the country in which the Global Custodian is located but also in numerous other countries throughout the world.
GLOBAL DEPOSITORY RECEIPTS are receipts evidencing ownership in the underlying shares of a foreign company. Generally,
GLOBAL MUTUAL FUND, also Bond Fund, is a mutual fund that can invest in stocks and bonds throughout the world. Such funds typically have a portion of their assets in American markets as well as Europe,
GMP is either Good Manufacturing Practice(s) or Gross Maximum Price.
GMROI is an acronym for Gross Margin Return On Investment (retail).
GNP see GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT.
GOAL is the milestone the organization aims to achieve that evolves from the strategic issues. They transform strategic issues into specific performance targets that impact the entire organization. They can be qualitative or quantitative. Dependent upon usage, GOALS are general in nature, while OBJECTIVES are specific, measurable and time-based. In some organizations, the meanings for GOAL and OBJECTIVE are reversed.
GOING CONCERN refers to the liquidity of a concern. If the concern is illiquid, the viability of that concern being able to continue to operate is in doubt.
GOING CONCERN CONCEPT is the underlying assumption that any accountant makes when he prepares a set of accounts. That the business under consideration will remain in existence for the foreseeable future.
GOING CONCERN PRINCIPLE assumes that the accounting entity will maintain proper accounting records from the date of its establishment to the date of its liquidation.
GOING PUBLIC refers to those activities that relate to offering a private company's shares to the general investing public including registering with the SEC.
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