Textbook on Balance Sheet Flashcards
What do financial statement users look to the balance sheet for?
To determine an entity’s ability to generate future cash flows and to evaluate its exposure to risk.
What makes a balance sheet strong?
Having limited obligations so that a company can make timely debt payments.
What is a healthy balance sheet?
A balance sheet that has adequate cash and other assets for managing day-to-day operations, for making timely debt payments, for stimulating future growth, and for funding any unexpected needs.
The four basic financial statements interrelate, or ________________ to provide comprehensive information on a company’s operating performance and financial position.
articulate
A key source of essential information regarding a company’s accounting policies that further explain the amounts reported in financial reports are the ____________.
notes
The financial statements are usually part of a company’s annual report to shareholders, which also includes additional _________________________ that supplement and enhance the financial statements.
disclosures
The statement of financial position, also called the balance sheet, lists an entity’s assets, liabilities, and equity as of a specific point in ___________.
time.
The balance sheet consists of ________________ accounts which are not closed at year-end and have cumulative balances that the company carries forward period to period over the life of the firm.
permanent
An entity’s ability to respond to unexpected needs and opportunities by taking actions that alter the amounts and timing of cash flows is known as financial ___________________________.
flexibility
What is the relationship between an entity’s financial flexibility and risk? The greater an entity’s financial flexibility, the ________ its risk.
lower
What are the limitations of the balance sheet?
- Use of Historical Costs: Many of the accounts on the balance sheet are reported at historical cost as opposed to market values or liquidation values. For example, assume an entity purchased land 10 years ago for $1,000 that now has a market value of $10,000. The firm reports the asset on the balance sheet under U.S. GAAP at the historical cost of $1,000. In this way, relying on historical costs limits the relevance of information in the balance sheet.
- Use of Estimates: Many of the accounts reported on the balance sheet are based on estimates as opposed to determinable amounts. For example, the net realizable value of accounts receivable is based on the estimated amount of cash that the entity expects to collect.
- Some Assets and Liabilities are Not Reported: A number of assets and liabilities are not reported on the balance sheet. For example, assets such as human capital and a company’s reputation for quality products will not be reported on the balance sheet.
What are three common cash flow measures that are based on balance sheet information?
liquidity, solvency, and financial flexibility
Which three areas does the balance sheet provide critical information to financial statement users?
- Summarizes the economic resources and obligations that impact the entity’s ability to generate future cash flows.
- Is useful in assessing an entity’s rate of return on its investments when examined in conjunction with the income statement.
- Aids in assessing the risk associated with an entity by providing inputs for cash flow measures of liquidity, solvency and financial flexibility.
A measure of an asset’s nearness to cash—that is, how quickly the firm can convert assets into cash and pay liabilities with minimal risk of loss is known as ___________________.
liquidity.
The cash flow measure that allows investors to determine whether an entity will have the resources needed to pay its currently maturing obligations, pay dividends, and/or buy back its own equity shares is __________________.
liquidity.
Thus, the more liquid an entity, the ____________ the risk associated with that entity.
lower
The cash flow measure of a firm’s long-term ability to pay its obligations as they mature is known as _____________.
solvency.
A firm with a high level of debt relative to its equity may have difficulty meeting the fixed payments associated with its debt and therefore is in a position of low _____________________ .
solvency.
Various financial ratios that are used to measure both ___________________ and ____________________.
- liquidity
- solvency
What are the three primary classifications on the balance sheet?
assets, liabilities, and stockholders’ equity
The balance sheet utilizes sub-classifications within each of these broad groups that enhance the usefulness of the balance sheet by grouping the accounts according to characteristics such as nature, function, or size. One of the primary distinctions is current versus ______________.
noncurrent or long-term
Resources that the firm expects to convert to cash, use, or consume in a period of more than one year or one operating cycle, whichever is longer are called ____________________ assets.
noncurrent
Obligations that are due after one year or one operating cycle, whichever is longer are ____________ liabilities.
noncurrent
What are the balance sheet classifications for assets?
Assets are generally subdivided on the balance sheet as current assets; long-term investments; property, plant, and equipment; intangible assets; and other assets.
What are balance sheet classifications for liabilities?
Liabilities are generally classified on the balance sheet as either current or noncurrent.
What are the four major components of stockholders’ equity?
Stockholders’ equity, also referred to as shareholders’ equity and owners’ equity, is generally separated into four major categories: contributed capital, retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income, and noncontrolling interest.
What are the balance sheet classifications for assets, liabilities and stockholders’ equity?
Resources that the firm expects to convert to cash, to use, or to consume within one year or one operating cycle, whichever is longer are called ______________ assets.
current
The period of time from the acquisition of goods to the point at which the entity receives cash from the sale of the goods is called the ___________________ cycle.
operating
Current assets primarily include:
- Cash and cash equivalents.
- Short-term investments.
- Accounts receivable.
- Inventory.
- Prepaid expenses.
Cash includes:
cash (coins, currency, and money orders)
What are cash equivalents?
Short-term, highly liquid investments acquired with three months or less to maturity.
Cash equivalents include:
- Commercial paper (i.e., short-term loans receivable from high-quality corporations sold by commercial banks).
- Money market funds.
- U.S. Treasury bills. For example, a three-year Treasury instrument acquired with two months to maturity is a cash equivalent.
What are short-term investments?
Investments that are not classified as cash equivalents which are investments in debt or equity securities of other corporations or governmental entities that the entity has the ability and intent to sell within the next year or operating cycle, whichever is longer.
Example: An entity classifying 100 shares of Microsoft that it intends to sell within the next year.
Amounts owed to the entity resulting from the sale of goods or services to customers on credit and require no formal written agreement are __________.
accounts receivable
Tangible property that is either (a) held for sale in the ordinary course of business, (b) used as raw materials in the manufacturing process to produce finished goods to be sold in the ordinary course of business, or (c) held as supplies to be currently consumed when providing goods or services are known as _____________.
For a retail or wholesale business, _______________ includes all goods held for resale. In the case of a manufacturing company, ______________ is made up of three components: raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods. ______________ is classified as a current asset.
inventory