Account.docx

Definition of Notes to Financial Statements The notes to the financial statements are a required, integral part of a company's external financial statements. They are required since not all relevant financial information can be communicated through the amounts shown (or not shown) on the face of the financial statements. The notes are also referred to as footnote disclosures. Generally, the notes are the main method for a company to comply with the full disclosure principle. Example of Notes to Financial Statements The first note to the financial statements is usually a summary of the company's significant accounting policies for the use of estimates, revenue recognition, inventories, property and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets, fair value measurement, discontinued operations, foreign currency translation, recently issued accounting pronouncements, and others. The remaining notes contain the details (including schedules of amounts) for items such as inventories, accrued liabilities, income taxes, employee benefit plans, leases, business segment information, fair value measurements, derivative instruments and hedging, stock options, commitments and contingencies, and more. Each external financial statement should also include a reference to the notes, such as: The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

Sample Transaction #2 Marilyn illustrates for Joe a second transaction. On December 2, Direct Delivery purchases a used delivery van for $14,000 by writing a check for $14,000. The two accounts involved are Cash and Vehicles (or Delivery Equipment). When the check is written, the accounting software will automatically make the entry into these two accounts. Marilyn explains to Joe what is happening within the software. Since the company pays $14,000, the Cash account is credited. (Accountants consider the checking account to be Cash, and the TIP you learned is that when cash is paid, you credit Cash.) So we know that the Cash account will be credited for $14,000 and we know the other account will have to be debited for $14,000. We need only identify the best account to debit. In this case we choose Vehicles (or Delivery Equipment) and the entry is: