What is a Temporary Account? A temporary account is an account that is closed at the end of every accounting period and starts a new period with a zero balance. The accounts are closed to prevent their balances from being mixed with the balances of the next accounting period. The objective is to show the…
What is Incremental Cash Flow? Incremental cash flow refers to cash flow that is acquired by a company when it takes on a new project. To estimate an incremental cash flow, businesses must compare projected cash flow if it takes on a new project to when it doesn’t, putting into consideration how accepting such project…
What is Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI)? Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI) is a special gain or loss that is listed as a special item in the shareholder equity section of a company’s balance sheet. The AOCI account is the designated space for unrealized gains or losses on items recorded in the other comprehensive income category….
What is the Carrying Amount? The carrying amount is the original cost of an asset as reflected in a company’s books or balance sheet, minus the accumulated depreciation of the asset. It is also called book value and is not necessarily the same as an asset’s fair value or market value. Carrying Amount vs. Market…
What is LIFO Liquidation? LIFO liquidation refers to the practice of discount selling older merchandise in stock or materials in a company’s inventory. It is done by companies that are using the LIFO (last in, first out) inventory valuation method. The liquidation occurs when a company using LIFO wants to get rid of old and…
What is a LIFO Reserve? A LIFO reserve acts as a contra account, meaning it’s a ledger account used for inventory purposes that shows the differences between the two primary ways inventory is valued: LIFO (last in, first out) and FIFO (first in, first out). A contra account shows the opposite balance of other ledger…
What is the Periodic Inventory System? The periodic inventory system refers to conducting a physical inventory count of goods/products on a scheduled basis. Maintaining physical inventories can be costly because the process eats up time and manpower. Thus, many companies only conduct physical inventory counts periodically. A periodic inventory system is a commonly used alternative…
How to Record Payments in Accounting? Recording payments in accounting can otherwise be referred to as “accounts payable,” which means the total amount a given company owes to companies or suppliers for products or services. Furthermore, the accounts payable balance is reflected in the balance sheet, specifically in the current liabilities section, and includes all…
What are the Questions to Ask a Hiring Manager? A good idea when preparing for an interview is to come up with a list of questions to ask the hiring manager. When applying for a new position, each prospective employee will sit down for an interview. It is typically done by a hiring manager, although…
What is Smart Beta? Smart beta refers to investment in portfolios, being a combination of both passive and active investing. The smart beta approach is an arguably perfect intersection between traditional value investing and the efficient market hypothesis. A smart beta portfolio is efficient because it tracks with an underlying index and is optimized using…
