Definition of Cash accounting
Cash accounting
A method of accounting in which profit is calculated as the difference between income
when it is received and expenses when they are paid.
Related Terms:
Same as PV, but usually includes a subtraction for an initial cash outlay.
the value in today’s dollars of cash flows that occur in different time periods.
present value factor equal to the formula 1/(1 - r)n, where n is the number of years from the valuation date to the cash flow and r is the discount rate.
For business valuation, n should usually be midyear, i.e., n = 0.5, 1.5, . . .
The change in the value of a firm's foreign currency denominated accounts due to a
change in exchange rates.
Earnings of a firm as reported on its income statement.
Total liabilities exceed total assets. A firm with a negative net worth is insolvent on
the books.
The ease and quickness with which assets can be converted to cash.
The average project earnings after taxes and depreciation divided by the average
book value of the investment during its life.
The value of assets that can be converted into cash immediately, as reported by a company. Usually
includes bank accounts and marketable securities, such as government bonds and Banker's Acceptances. cash
equivalents on balance sheets include securities (e.g., notes) that mature within 90 days.
A forecasted summary of a firm's expected cash inflows and cash outflows as well as its
expected cash and loan balances.
Purchase of a security and simultaneous sale of a future, with the balance being financed
with a loan or repo.
The value of assets that can be converted into cash immediately, as reported by a
company. Usually includes bank accounts and marketable securities, such as government bonds and Banker's
Acceptances. cash equivalents on balance sheets include securities (e.g., notes) that mature within 90 days.
The actual physical commodity, as distinguished from a futures contract.
The length of time between a firm's purchase of inventory and the receipt of cash
from accounts receivable.
A company that pays out all earnings per share to stockholders as dividends. Or, a company or
division of a company that generates a steady and significant amount of free cash flow.
In general, the time between cash disbursement and cash collection. In net working capital
management, it can be thought of as the operating cycle less the accounts payable payment period.
Cash deficiency agreement
An agreement to invest cash in a project to the extent required to cover any cash
deficiency the project may experience.
Cash delivery
The provision of some futures contracts that requires not delivery of underlying assets but
settlement according to the cash value of the asset.
Cash discount
An incentive offered to purchasers of a firm's product for payment within a specified time
period, such as ten days.
Cash dividend
A dividend paid in cash to a company's shareholders. The amount is normally based on
profitability and is taxable as income. A cash distribution may include capital gains and return of capital in
addition to the dividend.
Cash equivalent
A short-term security that is sufficiently liquid that it may be considered the financial
equivalent of cash.
Cash flow
In investments, it represents earnings before depreciation , amortization and non-cash charges.
Sometimes called cash earnings. cash flow from operations (called funds from operations ) by real estate and
other investment trusts is important because it indicates the ability to pay dividends.
Cash flow after interest and taxes
Net income plus depreciation.
Cash flow coverage ratio
The number of times that financial obligations (for interest, principal payments,
preferred stock dividends, and rental payments) are covered by earnings before interest, taxes, rental
payments, and depreciation.
Cash flow from operations
A firm's net cash inflow resulting directly from its regular operations
(disregarding extraordinary items such as the sale of fixed assets or transaction costs associated with issuing
securities), calculated as the sum of net income plus non-cash expenses that were deducted in calculating net
income.
Cash flow matching
Also called dedicating a portfolio, this is an alternative to multiperiod immunization in
which the manager matches the maturity of each element in the liability stream, working backward from the
last liability to assure all required cash flows.
Cash flow per common share
cash flow from operations minus preferred stock dividends, divided by the
number of common shares outstanding.
Cash flow time-line
Line depicting the operating activities and cash flows for a firm over a particular period.
Cash-flow break-even point
The point below which the firm will need either to obtain additional financing
or to liquidate some of its assets to meet its fixed costs.
Cash management bill
Very short maturity bills that the Treasury occasionally sells because its cash
balances are down and it needs money for a few days.
Cash markets
Also called spot markets, these are markets that involve the immediate delivery of a security
or instrument.
Related: derivative markets.
Cash offer
A public equity issue that is sold to all interested investors.
Cash ratio
The proportion of a firm's assets held as cash.
Cash settlement contracts
Futures contracts, such as stock index futures, that settle for cash, not involving
the delivery of the underlying.
Cash transaction
A transaction where exchange is immediate, as contrasted to a forward contract, which
calls for future delivery of an asset at an agreed-upon price.
Cash-equivalent items
Temporary investments of currently excess cash in short-term, high-quality
investment media such as treasury bills and Banker's Acceptances.
Cash-surrender value
An amount the insurance company will pay if the policyholder ends a whole life
insurance policy.
Cashout
Refers to a situation where a firm runs out of cash and cannot readily sell marketable securities.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
Future cash flows multiplied by discount factors to obtain present values.
Discretionary cash flow
cash flow that is available after the funding of all positive NPV capital investment
projects; it is available for paying cash dividends, repurchasing common stock, retiring debt, and so on.
Equivalent annual cash flow
Annuity with the same net present value as the company's proposed investment.
Expected future cash flows
Projected future cash flows associated with an asset of decision.
Free cash flows
cash not required for operations or for reinvestment. Often defined as earnings before
interest (often obtained from operating income line on the income statement) less capital expenditures less the
change in working capital.
General cash offer
A public offering made to investors at large.
Generally Accepted Accounting Principals (GAAP)
A technical accounting term that encompasses the
conventions, rules, and procedures necessary to define accepted accounting practice at a particular time.
Incremental cash flows
Difference between the firm's cash flows with and without a project.
Ledger cash
A firm's cash balance as reported in its financial statements. Also called book cash.
Net cash balance
Beginning cash balance plus cash receipts minus cash disbursements.
Nominal cash flow
A cash flow expressed in nominal terms if the actual dollars to be received or paid out are given.
Noncash charge
A cost, such as depreciation, depletion, and amortization, that does not involve any cash outflow.
Operating cash flow
Earnings before depreciation minus taxes. It measures the cash generated from
operations, not counting capital spending or working capital requirements.
Purchase accounting
Method of accounting for a merger in which the acquirer is treated as having purchased
the assets and assumed liabilities of the acquiree, which are all written up or down to their respective fair
market values, the difference between the purchase price and the net assets acquired being attributed to goodwill.
Real cash flow
A cash flow is expressed in real terms if the current, or date 0, purchasing power of the cash
flow is given.
Regulatory accounting procedures
accounting principals required by the FHLB that allow S&Ls to elect
annually to defer gains and losses on the sale of assets and amortize these deferrals over the average life of the
asset sold.
Scheduled cash flows
The mortgage principal and interest payments due to be paid under the terms of the
mortgage not including possible prepayments.
Statement of cash flows
A financial statement showing a firm's cash receipts and cash payments during a
specified period.
Statement-of-cash-flows method
A method of cash budgeting that is organized along the lines of the statement of cash flows.
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 8
This is a currency translation standard previously in
use by U.S. accounting firms. See: Statement of accounting Standards No. 52.
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 52
This is the currency translation standard currently
used by U.S. firms. It mandates the use of the current rate method. See: Statement of Financial accounting
Standards No. 8.
Symmetric cash matching
An extension of cash flow matching that allows for the short-term borrowing of
funds to satisfy a liability prior to the liability due date, resulting in a reduction in the cost of funding liabilities.
Target cash balance
Optimal amount of cash for a firm to hold, considering the trade-off between the
opportunity costs of holding too much cash and the trading costs of holding too little cash.
Wanted for cash
A statement displayed on market tickers indicating that a bidder will pay cash for same day
settlement of a block of a specified security.
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
The balance in a company’s checking account(s) plus short-term or temporary investments (sometimes called “marketable securities”), which are highly liquid.
CASH-FLOW STATEMENT
A statement that shows where a company’s cash came from and where it went for a period of time, such as a year.
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
A section on the cash-flow statement that shows how much cash a company raised by selling stocks or bonds this year and how much was paid out for cash dividends and other finance-related obligations.
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
A section on the cashflow statement that shows how much cash came in and went out because of various investing activities like purchasing machinery.
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATIONS
A section on the cash-flow Stockholders’ equity statement that shows how much cash came into a company and how much went out during the normal course of business.
Accounting
A collection of systems and processes used to record, report and interpret business transactions.
Accounting equation
The representation of the double-entry system of accounting such that assets are equal to liabilities plus capital.
Accounting period
The period of time for which financial statements are produced – see also financial year.
Accounting rate of return (ARR)
A method of investment appraisal that measures
the profit generated as a percentage of the
investment – see return on investment.
Accounting system
A set of accounts that summarize the transactions of a business that have been recorded on source documents.
Accruals accounting
A method of accounting in which profit is calculated as the difference between income when it is earned and expenses when they are incurred.
Cash cost
The amount of cash expended.
Cash Flow statement
A financial report that shows the movement in cash for a business during an accounting period.
Cash value added (CVA)
A method of investment appraisal that calculates the ratio of the net present value of an
investment to the initial capital investment.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
A method of investment appraisal that discounts future cash flows to present value using a discount rate, which is the risk-adjusted cost of capital.
Financial accounting
The production of financial statements, primarily for those interested parties who are external to the business.
Management accounting
The production of financial and non-financial information used in planning for the future; making decisions about products, services, prices and what costs to incur; and ensuring that plans are implemented and achieved.
Strategic management accounting
The provision and analysis of management accounting data about a business and its competitors, which is of use in the development and monitoring of strategy (Simmonds).
Accounting equation
The formula Assets = Liabilities + Equity.
Cash
Amounts held in currency and coin (commonly referred to as petty cash) and amounts on deposit in financial institutions.
cash disbursement journal
A journal used to record the transactions that result in a credit to cash.
Cash receipts journal
A journal used to record the transactions that result in a debit to cash.
Petty cash
The amount of currency and coin that a company keeps on hand to pay for small purchases and expenses.
Statement of Cash Flows
One of the basic financial statements; it lists the cash inflows and cash outflows of the company, grouped into the categories of operating activities, financing activities, and investing activities. The Statement of cash Flows is prepared for a specified period of time.
accounting
A broad, all-inclusive term that refers to the methods and procedures
of financial record keeping by a business (or any entity); it also
refers to the main functions and purposes of record keeping, which are
to assist in the operations of the entity, to provide necessary information
to managers for making decisions and exercising control, to measure
profit, to comply with income and other tax laws, and to prepare financial
reports.
accounting equation
An equation that reflects the two-sided nature of a
business entity, assets on the one side and the sources of assets on the
other side (assets = liabilities + owners’ equity). The assets of a business
entity are subject to two types of claims that arise from its two basic
sources of capital—liabilities and owners’ equity. The accounting equation
is the foundation for double-entry bookkeeping, which uses a
scheme for recording changes in these basic types of accounts as either
debits or credits such that the total of accounts with debit balances
equals the total of accounts with credit balances. The accounting equation
also serves as the framework for the statement of financial condition,
or balance sheet, which is one of the three fundamental financial
statements reported by a business.
accrual-basis accounting
Well, frankly, accrual is not a good descriptive
term. Perhaps the best way to begin is to mention that accrual-basis
accounting is much more than cash-basis accounting. Recording only the
cash receipts and cash disbursement of a business would be grossly
inadequate. A business has many assets other than cash, as well as
many liabilities, that must be recorded. Measuring profit for a period as
the difference between cash inflows from sales and cash outflows for
expenses would be wrong, and in fact is not allowed for most businesses
by the income tax law. For management, income tax, and financial
reporting purposes, a business needs a comprehensive record-keeping
system—one that recognizes, records, and reports all the assets and liabilities
of a business. This all-inclusive scope of financial record keeping
is referred to as accrual-basis accounting. Accrual-basis accounting
records sales revenue when sales are made (though cash is received
before or after the sales) and records expenses when costs are incurred
(though cash is paid before or after expenses are recorded). Established
financial reporting standards require that profit for a period
must be recorded using accrual-basis accounting methods. Also, these
authoritative standards require that in reporting its financial condition a
business must use accrual-basis accounting.
cash burn rate
A relatively recent term that refers to how fast a business
is using up its available cash, especially when its cash flow from operating
activities is negative instead of positive. This term most often refers
to a business struggling through its start-up or early phases that has not
yet generated enough cash inflow from sales to cover its cash outflow for
expenses (and perhaps never will).
cash flow
An obvious but at the same time elusive term that refers to cash
inflows and outflows during a period. But the specific sources and uses
of cash flows are not clear in this general term. The statement of cash
flows, which is one of the three primary financial statements of a business,
classifies cash flows into three types: those from operating activities
(sales and expenses, or profit-making operations), those from
investing activities, and those from financing activities. Sometimes the
term cash flow is used as shorthand for cash flow from profit (i.e., cash
flow from operating activities).
cash flow from operating activities, or cash flow from profit
This equals the cash inflow from sales during the period minus the cash
outflow for expenses during the period. Keep in mind that to measure
net income, generally accepted accounting principles require the use of
accrual-basis accounting. Starting with the amount of accrual-basis net
income, adjustments are made for changes in accounts receivable,
inventories, prepaid expenses, and operating liabilities—and depreciation
expense is added back (as well as any other noncash outlay
expense)—to arrive at cash flow from profit, which is formally labeled
cash flow from operating activities in the externally reported statement
of cash flows.
statement of cash flows
One of the three primary financial statements
that a business includes in the periodic financial reports to its outside
shareowners and lenders. This financial statement summarizes the business’s
cash inflows and outflows for the period according to a threefold
classification: (1) cash flow from operating activities (cash flow from
profit), (2) cash flow from investing activities, and (3) cash flow from
financing activities. Frankly, the typical statement of cash flows is difficult
to read and decipher; it includes too many lines of information and
is fairly technical compared with the typical balance sheet and income
statement.
discounted cash flow (DCF)
Refers to a capital investment analysis technique
that discounts, or scales down, the future cash returns from an
investment based on the cost-of-capital rate for the business. In essence,
each future return is downsized to take into account the cost of capital
from the start of the investment until the future point in time when the
return is received. Present value (PV) is the amount resulting from discounting
the future returns. Present value is subtracted from the entry
cost of the investment to determine net present value (NPV). The net
present value is positive if the present value is more than the entry cost,
which signals that the investment would earn more than the cost-ofcapital
rate. If the entry cost is more than the present value, the net
present value is negative, which means that the investment would earn
less than the business’s cost-of-capital rate.
double-entry accounting
See accrual-basis accounting.
free cash flow
Generally speaking, this term refers to cash flow from
profit (cash flow from operating activities, to use the more formal term).
The underlying idea is that a business is free to do what it wants with its
cash flow from profit. However, a business usually has many ongoing
commitments and demands on this cash flow, so it may not actually be
free to decide what do with this source of cash. Warning: This term is
not officially defined anywhere and different persons use the term to
mean different things. Pay particular attention to how an author or
speaker is using the term.
generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)
This important term
refers to the body of authoritative rules for measuring profit and preparing
financial statements that are included in financial reports by a business
to its outside shareowners and lenders. The development of these
guidelines has been evolving for more than 70 years. Congress passed a
law in 1934 that bestowed primary jurisdiction over financial reporting
by publicly owned businesses to the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC). But the SEC has largely left the development of GAAP to the
private sector. Presently, the Financial accounting Standards Board is
the primary (but not the only) authoritative body that makes pronouncements
on GAAP. One caution: GAAP are like a movable feast. New rules
are issued fairly frequently, old rules are amended from time to time,
and some rules established years ago are discarded on occasion. Professional
accountants have a heck of time keeping up with GAAP, that’s for
sure. Also, new GAAP rules sometimes have the effect of closing the barn
door after the horse has left. accounting abuses occur, and only then,
after the damage has been done, are new rules issued to prevent such
abuses in the future.
internal accounting controls
Refers to forms used and procedures
established by a business—beyond what would be required for the
record-keeping function of accounting—that are designed to prevent
errors and fraud. Two examples of internal controls are (1) requiring a
second signature by someone higher in the organization to approve a
transaction in excess of a certain dollar amount and (2) giving customers
printed receipts as proof of sale. Other examples of internal
control procedures are restricting entry and exit routes of employees,
requiring all employees to take their vacations and assigning another
person to do their jobs while they are away, surveillance cameras, surprise
counts of cash and inventory, and rotation of duties. Internal controls
should be cost-effective; the cost of a control should be less than
the potential loss that is prevented. The guiding principle for designing
internal accounting controls is to deter and detect errors and dishonesty.
The best internal controls in the world cannot prevent most fraud
by high-level managers who take advantage of their positions of trust
and authority.
negative cash flow
The cash flow from the operating activities of a business
can be negative, which means that its cash balance decreased from
its sales and expense activities during the period. When a business is
operating at a loss instead of making a profit, its cash outflows for
expenses very likely may be more than its cash inflow from sales. Even
when a business makes a profit for the period, its cash inflow from sales
could be considerably less than the sales revenue recorded for the
period, thus causing a negative cash flow for the period. Caution: This
term also is used for certain types of investments in which the net cash
flow from all sources and uses is negative. For example, investors in
rental real estate properties often use the term to mean that the cash
inflow from rental income is less than all cash outflows during the
period, including payments on the mortgage loan on the property.
operating cash flow
See cash flow from operating activities.
Free Cash Flow
The funds available for distribution to the capital providers of the
company after investments inside the company have been made
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