What are Prepaid Expenses? Prepaid expenses represent expenditures that have not yet been recorded by a company as an expense, but have been paid for in advance. In other words, prepaid expenses are expenditures paid in one accounting period, but will not be recognized until a later accounting period. Prepaid expenses are initially recorded as…
Selling, General & Administrative (SG&A) Expense SG&A includes all non-production expenses incurred by a company in any given period. It includes expenses such as rent, advertising, marketing, accounting, litigation, travel, meals, management salaries, bonuses, and more. On occasion, it may also include depreciation expense, depending on what it’s related to. In an income statement, gross…
What is a Profit Margin? In accounting and finance, a profit margin is a measure of a company’s earnings (or profits) relative to its revenue. The three main profit margin metrics are gross profit margin (total revenue minus cost of goods sold (COGS) ), operating profit margin (revenue minus COGS and operating expenses), and net profit margin (revenue…
Accounts Payable vs Accounts Receivable In accounting, confusion sometimes arises when working between accounts payable vs accounts receivable. The two types of accounts are very similar in the way they are recorded, but it is important to differentiate between accounts payable vs accounts receivable because one of them is an asset account and the other…
Audited Financial Statements Public companies are obligated by law to ensure that their financial statements are audited by a registered certified public accountant (CPA). The purpose of the independent audit is to provide assurance that company management has presented financial statements that are free from material error. Additionally, hiring an independent and qualified CPA provides…
What is Section 338? The United States Congress enacted Section 338 in 1982 to allow taxpayers to treat certain qualified stock purchases as asset acquisitions for federal income tax purposes. Section 338 provides two elections: the so-called “regular Section 338 election” under Section 338(g), and the other under Section 338(h)(10). These elections treat a stock…
What is Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)? Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) measures the “direct cost” incurred in the production of any goods or services. It includes material cost, direct labor cost, and direct factory overheads, and is directly proportional to revenue. As revenue increases, more resources are required to produce the goods or service….
What is a Cost Driver? A cost driver is the direct cause of a cost and its effect is on the total cost incurred. For example, if you are to determine the amount of electricity consumed in a particular period, the number of units consumed determines the total bill for electricity. In such a scenario, the…
What is the Energy Industry Comps Template? The energy industry comps template allows investors to compare one energy company to other ones in the same industry. This method helps to determine the relative value of a particular company. This template looks at Occidental Petroleum which is one of the largest energy company in the United…
What is Variance Analysis? Variance analysis can be summarized as an analysis of the difference between planned and actual numbers. The sum of all variances gives a picture of the overall over-performance or under-performance for a particular reporting period. For each item, companies assess their favorability by comparing actual costs to standard costs in the industry….
