The Use of the Accounting Equation
By Tovah Hunter
The USE OF THE ACCOUNTING EQUATION page 1
The four core financial statements are Balance sheet, income statement, statement of retained earnings, and cash flows. There are three important financial statements; when combined together should show an equality balance sheet. Adaptation in the accounting equation system provides analyst logical explanations for making financial decisions based on an entity financial statement. However, these financial statements are objective, that historical cost must be present in order to determine a reliable and truthful report. To gain a better understanding of the accounting equation
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Again, we can see the use of a core financial statement, the balance sheet for Company B [1.4 what was the equity balance for Company B at December 31, 2008?] To gain equality, the balance sheet, must provide an equation assets – liabilities = equity balance. Owners’ equity has seemingly become an important value on an entity financial statement, particularly the business entity. The equity balance for Company B the month December 31, 2008 values $31,000.
Company B
Balance Sheet
December 31, 2009
Assets $60,000
Liabilities
The accounting equation: Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity. Assets are the resources of the company. Examples include cash, land, buildings, and equipment. Liabilities are “outsider claims”, the company’s obligations to creditors. Examples include accounts payable, notes payable, and income taxes payable. Owner’s Equity represents “insider claims” of the company or the owner’s share of the assets. If a business is keeping accurate records this equation should always be in balance.
SUMMARY OF STUDY OBJECTIVES 1Identify the sections of a classified balance sheet. In a classified balance sheet, companies classify assets as current assets; long-term investments; property, plant, and equipment; and intangibles. They classify liabilities as either current or long-term. A stockholders' equity section shows common stock and retained earnings. 2Identify and compute ratios for analyzing a company's profitability. Profitability ratios, such as earnings per share (EPS), measure aspects of the operating success of a company for a given period of time. 3Explain the relationship between a retained earnings statement
In accounting there is much to be learned, about the financial aspects of a business. In the past five weeks I have learned the importance of financial reports and how they relate to the success of an establishment. These reports may include balance sheets and income statements, which help accountants and the public grasp the overall financial condition of a company. The information in these reports is really significant to, managers, owners, employees, and investors. Managers of a business can take and deduce financial
While inaccurate accounting can cause misleading information about the company, every successful company should develop an income statement and balance sheet when monitoring financial growth. Also, formulating a horizontal and ratio analysis creates an accurate trend of the company spending behavior and debt-to-ratio venerability. A balance sheet can be considered as the bloodline of the company, allowing a quick view of financial fluency which could be attractive to outside investors. Last but not least, the income statement presents a hard result of gains, liabilities, revenues and debt within a yearly
The accounting equation is, Assets are equal to Liabilities plus Stockholders’ Equity. Assets are resources owned by a business. Liabilities are the debts and obligations of the business. Liabilities represent claims of creditors on the assets of a business. Stockholders’ equity represents the claims of owners on the assets of the business. This equity is divided into two parts: common stock and retained earnings. The balance sheet reports assets and claims to assets at one specific point in time. Claims to assets are subdivided into two categories: claims of creditors and claims of owners. The accounting equation must always balance. Each transaction has a dual effect on the equation. As an example if an individual asset is increased,
Generally accepted accounting principles allows the accounting profession to follow a recognized organization of objectives, to provide a structure for solving problems, to improve the understanding of financial statement and confidence in financial reporting, and to develop contrast among companies financial statements that can be generally accepted and universally practiced, “generally accepted” means that a reliable accounting organization has developed a standard of reporting that has been accepted because of the universal application (pg. 6, Kieso, Weygandt, & Warfield, 2007). There are four organizations that are evolved in the
investors, auditors, executives of the business, etc.) an overview of the financial results and condition of the company. The major financial statements that come out of the accounting cycle are income statements, balance sheets, Statement of cash flows and Statement of retained earnings. Income statements are considered the most important of all the financial statements since it presents the operating results of an entity , e.g. revenues, expenses, and profits/losses generated during the reporting period (Bragg, 2017). Balance sheets provide reports of assets, liabilities, and equity of the entity as of the reporting date and can be considered the second most important statement because it provides information/figures about the liquidity, as well as the capitalization of a company (Bragg, 2017). Statement of cash flows exhibits the cash inflows and outflows that occur during a reporting period, which provides a useful comparison to the income statement, particularly when the amount of profit or loss reported does not reflect cash flows encountered by the businesses (Bragg, 2017). Statement of retained earnings is the least used financial statement that provides information regarding changes in equity during the reporting period and can include information such as: sale or repurchase of stock, dividend payments, and changes caused by reported profits or losses. Statements of retained earnings are often
The “financial statements are formal reports providing information on a company's financial position, cash inflows and outflows, and the results of operations” (Hermanson, p.22). There are four main components that make up a financial statement. The four parts are, balance sheet, income statements, cash flow and, statement of owner’s equity. The balance sheets role is to define the company’s assets liabilities and revenue of the business. The income statement shows the income within the company. Cash flow reviews the position of the company by cash payments and receipts. Lastly, the statement of owner’s equity shows the amount of earnings, stock and other capitals of people in the company. (Hermanson, p.34-35).
As a consultant it is my responsibility to recommend the best direction for a new business to follow in order to be successful in financial documentation. It is very important for a new business/owner to understand the functions of accounting and its’ basic accounting system. Since Accounting Information Systems (AIS) is used to store, collect and process financial information. It would be wise for a new business to know the ins and outs of recording their finances so that they can keep track of their finances to see if they are gaining or losing a profit.
Each user of the financial statements interprets the information in a different manor. They use the information to determine their interactions with the organization. Management, investors, and employees use the same information from the financial statements but for different purposes. These four basic statements are the fundamentals of accounting which can be much more detail and complex. They do not need to be more complex for the users of the information; these basic statements have all the information needed to make
Most college courses in accounting focus on teaching the various components of the accounting system. While this is an effective way to learn and master each of the various components, it usually leaves students with only a vague notion of how those components work together. My goal is to bridge that gap using the Review Project and this Terry Project.
Financial statements are a vital factor of any business organization; they show where a company’s money came from, where it went, and where it is now, according to Securities and Exchange Commission website (2008). In addition, four main financial statements consist of the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, and statement
The balance sheet provides information about the nature and amounts of investments in enterprise resources, obligations to enterprise creditors, and the owners’ equity in net enterprise resources. That information not only complements information about the components of income, but also contributes to financial reporting by providing a basis for (1) computing rates of return, (2) evaluating the capital structure of the enterprise, and (3) assessing the liquidity and financial flexibility of the enterprise.
The balance sheet is the descriptive interpretation of the assets of what Andrews Company owns (assets), what it owes to the creditors (liabilities) and the contributions from the investors and (equity). Thus, Assets = Liabilities + Equity
The main purpose of the balance sheet is to reflect and explain the accounting equation: Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity. This equation is the fundamental model for recording and reporting transactions. It is essentially useful for showing what the company owns, what the company owes, and what does the owner’s equity remains. The ordering of the assets and the liabilities help the user to assess the liquidity of the company. For our purpose focusing on Walt Disney World, we are primarily focused on their assets and liabilities. In analyzing the balance sheet of our company, we will explain each aspects of the balance sheet in three separate parts.