Eric Gerard Ruiz, CPA

The specific identification inventory method tracks the costs of individual items of inventory until they are sold to customers. The cost of goods sold (COGS) and cost of ending inventory are determined by the actual cost assigned to each physical unit of inventory. This guide discusses how the specific identification inventory method works, who it’s…

Straight line depreciation is the simplest way to compute depreciation expense. In computing straight line depreciation, we consider three elements: Cost of the fixed asset: The cost of the asset is its purchase price net of discounts taken, plus sales taxes, shipping costs, insurance, and so on. Useful life: Useful life is the estimated length…

Revenue and profit are items in the income statement that are measures of return. Revenue is the gross amount of earnings from the sale of products and services, whereas profit is the net amount or what’s left after deducting expenses and other charges. Terms You Should Remember Gross or total revenues: This is the total…

Cost of goods sold (COGS) represent the total costs in making or purchasing a product. In simpler words, COGS is the amount you paid when you produced or purchased the products that were sold during the period. Selling costs like commissions are not part of COGS. Rather, these are recorded as part of operating costs….

An early payment discount―also called a prompt payment or cash discount―is a reduction in an invoice balance when it’s paid before the due date. It provides an incentive for customers to pay their bills before they’re due. When used strategically, early payment discounts can speed up the bookkeeping process, increase customer loyalty, and improve cash…

In accounting, liabilities are debts your business owes to other people and businesses. Examples of liabilities include bank loans, IOUs, promissory notes, salaries of employees, and taxes. Liabilities are on the right side of the balance sheet, and these accounts have a normal credit balance. It means that crediting liability accounts increases their balances while…

In accounting, a “source document” refers to any document that substantiates and evidences a transaction. It’s important to retain and organize these documents to research problems or questions that arise concerning transactions. You also might need to provide these to the IRS if it audits you or questions anything related to your tax return. 1….

Internal controls are important for all businesses, regardless of nature, size, and type. When I was at the university, we created an accounting manual for a local small business in the area. The main challenge that we encountered was creating a sound internal control system for a small business with three administrative employees who handle…

In simple terms, accounting is the process of recording and summarizing transactions for the purpose of generating reports relevant to decision-making. Regardless of the business size, it is an important business function to ensure that all of the owners’ resources are used efficiently and effectively. Many certified public accountants (CPAs) and business executives define accounting…

The profit and loss (P&L) statement (also known as an income statement) is one of the four basic financial statements that presents the revenues, expenses, and net income of a business. In basic accounting, the P&L statement is always one of the first financial statements to be prepared. It measures the performance and profitability of…

The option of whether to use the accrual or cash basis of accounting largely depends on what the accounting numbers will be used for as well as the cost and difficulty to produce accrual-basis numbers. Cash-basis accounting is often used for income tax reporting while accrual-basis is usually better for financial statements. The difference between…