Level 1 Flashcards
What is the purpose of business accounts?
- Tax / regulatory purposes
- Managers to monitor business performance & operational decisions
- External analysts to give investment recommendations on certain companies
Accounts are prepared to provide a uniform accounting framework which enables easy comparison of performance, and fair tax and regulatory systems.
Should personal transactions be recorded in business accounts?
Not unless it involves:
- cash injection (equity/personal loan)
- withdrawal (dividends/loan)
What is a ‘going concern’?
A business assumed to have the resources to continue operating indefinitely, and making a profit, until it provides evidence to the contrary
–> Assets recorded based on their original cost/fair value
What is an accounting period?
Each business chooses an accounting period in which to complete a cycle of the accounting process (monthly/quarterly/annually - following a calendar or fiscal year i.e. 25th March)
What is Accrual Accounting?
It is an accounting method where revenue and expenses are recorded when they are earned/incurred, rather than when payment is received or made
What are the different types of business activities that should be recorded?
- Operational (day-to-day expenses including selling a service/leasing an office premises)
- Investment (acquisition/disposal of long-term assets e.g purchase of equipment/real estate asset)
- Financial (obtaining/repaying capital - shareholders/creditors, e.g. issuing shares, paying dividends, taking out loans)
What are the various elements of financial statements?
- Assets
- Liabilities
- Equity/Capital
- Income/Revenue
- Expenses/Losses
What are Current Assets?
Cash/other assets expected to be converted to cash within a year
e.g. cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivables, trade receivables, prepaid expenses, inventory, financial assets, trading securities/properties
**cash and cash equivalent: currency, cheques not yet deposited, petty cash, savings, UK gilts/bonds etc.
What are Non-Current Assets?
Assets purchased for long-term use and not likely to be converted to cash within one year
e.g. intangible assets (patents, trademarks, licenses, copyright, goodwill), property, plant & equipment (PPE), long-term investment property
Difference between Property as PPE and Investment Property?
Property can be held for operational purposes (“PPE”) e.g. a company’s HQ, or as investment properties held to receive income/capital appreciation etc.
N.B. US GAAP does not differentiate between the two.
What are liabilities?
Monies owed to banks/bondholders/trade creditors
What are the difference types of liabilities?
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Amounts owed within one year (e.g. short-term loans, overdrafts, creditors & taxes, advance payments)
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES
Long-term financial obligations which are owed in more than 1 year’s time (e.g. debentures/loans, derivatives liabilities, deferred revenues)
What is Owner’s Equity?
The firm’s NET WORTH and the difference between assets and liabilities, including accounts such as capital/additional paid-in capital/retained earnings
–> Can be positive or negative. Where negative, this is a signal for impending bankruptcy (or a new business)
What is the difference between revenue and gains?
Both are forms of income.
Revenue - income arising from operational activities, including sales, fees, interest, dividends, royalties, rent
Gains - do not form part of the normal business operations and are non-monetary (e.g. capital gains discovered from upward property revaluations - income not immediately realised)
What is the difference between expenditure and expenses?
Expenditure is a cash outflow that will increase the asset account (it affects the cash account, but not the profitability margin as it is considered an investment in the business)
(Operating) Expenses affect profitability directly. These include refurb works etc.
What is a contra-account?
An account used to offset some part of the value of another account. Common accounts include:
- Allowance for bad debts - estimate of how much of the accounts receivables will not be paid by customers
- Sales returns & allowances
- Accumulated depreciation - offsets property, plant & equipment
What is the ‘bottom line’?
Net income - Money gained/lost after all costs and expenses have been deducted from total sales
What are retained earnings?
Earning the company will keep in the company to support future operations (i.e. not distributed as dividends)