ACCOUNTING TERMS - ACCOUNTING DICTIONARY - ACCOUNTING GLOSSARY
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AMORTIZATION Definition
AMORTIZATION 1. is the gradual reduction of a debt by means of equal periodic payments sufficient to meet current interest and liquidate the debt at maturity. When the debt involves real property, often the periodic payments include a sum sufficient to pay taxes and hazard insurance on the property. 2. is the process of spreading the cost of an intangible asset over the expected useful life of the asset. For example: a company pays $100,000 for a patent, they amortize the cost over the 16 year useful life of the patent. 3. the deduction of capital expenses over a specific period of time. Similar to depreciation, it is a method of measuring the "consumption" of the value of long-term assets like equipment or buildings.
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OPEN BALANCE EQUITY is an account that is automatically created by QuickBooks whenever a company is created. It is an equity account similar to Retained Earnings or Owner Capital. The Open Balance Equity account is basically a "plug" account used by QuickBooks to balance a transaction (basic accounting debits=credits). QuickBooks will enter a balance in the Open Balance Equity account for two reasons: beginning account balances or forced adjustments.
STOCK TURNS is the number of times per year that the stock (raw material, wip & finished goods) is turned over in relation to the sales revenue of a given product. Calculation - Stock turns = Sales turnover of products / Value of raw material, wip & finished goods.
