Accounting For Engineers

PDH Course P190
Accounting Basics for the Engineer
David J. Nowacki, MBA
2008 / Updated 2011
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www.PDHcenter.com PDH Course P190 www.PDHonline.org
Accounting Basics for the Engineer

David J. Nowacki, MBA
Objectives of this Course:
This course targets the engineer and engineer-owner/manager in outlining

key accounting and financial concepts. These basic topics are introduced
to aid the professional practitioner in dealing with non-engineering
professions such as commercial bankers, investment bankers and
accountants. The course participant will learn the differences between:
cash flows versus profits, return of investment versus return on
investment, accrual versus cash accounting and book versus market
values.
 Basic Financial Statements and Reporting.

 Differing view of the finance professional and the accounting
professional.
 Some insights into governmental control involving tax issues.
 Language of the finance arena and why some common phrases like
cash and profits are not identical.
Professor David J. Nowacki is an adjunct professor teaching graduate finance courses at Texas A&M University-Commerce
and through the Mechanical Engineering Department at Southern Methodist University (SMU), Dallas, Texas. Mr.
Nowacki has 20 years experience in the investment-banking arena having worked for Wall Street firms in New York City,
San Francisco, Houston and Dallas. His specialty is fixed income securities and derivatives including hedge strategies.
Mr. Nowacki also consults on merger and acquisitions, strategic planning and the venture capital arena.
© David J. Nowacki Page 2of 38

Chapter 1
Revisiting the ‘Speaking Two Languages’
Course one on this series, dealing with basic financial math applied to managerial
decision making, introduced the idea that wealth creation begins with the ‘speaking of
two languages.’ While there are certainly exceptions, wealth creation comes from
individuals being able to speak two different languages, but not in the traditional sense of
Spanish, French or Russian. The separate languages are those that cross industry
boundaries such as an engineer who understands the medical arena. An engineer adds
value if he can relate stress-strain concepts to ball-and-joint synthetic limbs and
communicates with medical professionals as easily as with other engineers.
This course, Accounting Issues, is designed to advance the professional engineer within
his technical field by introducing or re-introducing languages from the accounting and
finance professions. For the most part, the engineering profession is project based where
there is a beginning, middle and an end. More and more projects are being scrutinized for
economic sense using the analytical tools introduced in the initial course. This course
further expands the evaluation process but takes the view that projects are continuing.
Therefore, our analytical tools in this course target reporting mechanisms which are used
by the accounting and finance professionals.
Why Accounting and Financial Analysis for Engineers
The professional engineer will be better suited in a corporate or entrepreneurial

environment if they can grasp the nuances of the financial arena. On the surface, some
business/accounting/finance topics can appear to be strange but not more alien than, say,
thermodynamics, dynamics or advance calculus. For the most part, it is easier for a
graduate engineer to pick up business concepts than it is for a business graduate to pick
up engineering concepts. Therefore, a purpose for this course is to advance the
professional engineer in his overall career activities.
There is a ‘language to business,’ specifically accounting and finance topics. Much of

this language has crept into street lingo or common language. However, sometimes these
phrases are incorrectly used so the student should be aware that there are specific
definitions needed to be learned (or unlearned then relearned correctly). For example,
while ‘sales’ and ‘revenues’ are generally considered the same thing, profits and cash
flow are not definitions of each other. Cash is not the same as profits; cash is not the
same as a ‘sale’ and profits are not cash flow! It is possible to have a profitable operation
with a negative cash flow. It is possible to have an operation generating cash but not be
profitable. Understanding these differences is important for smooth operating
departments, divisions and business units. We begin with preliminary introductions into
certain accounting and financial topics to serve as a background and base for further
topics.

Chapter 2
Accounting versus Finance or Financial Planning
There is a significant difference between the accountant and the accounting industry and
finance and financial planning. Accounting deals strictly in ARREARS. That is, a
certain time period has come and gone and only after this time period does the accounting
work begin. Usually in May of any given year, large public companies begin to
issue/publish their financial statements for their fiscal year end of December 31st from the
preceding year. So, the May issuance of these (delayed) documents indicate that the data
provide is automatically wrong, not in the sense of errors, but in the context that the data
does not represent anything that occurred in recent months.
On the other hand, finance professionals are looking to plan future events: next year’s
expansion, replacement of plant or equipment and even next week’s payroll. In
performing such plans, the finance professional must utilize accounts and accounting
documentation to make predictions of future events. The finance profession generally
looks forward.
Accounting: Rear View Mirror
Finance: Forward Planning

The Terms “OF” and “ON” & the IRS Taxes
A brief and simplified Income Statement, (referred to as “I/S”) is provided below.
Income Statement
365 Days
Revenues $ 12,000
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) $ 4,000
Operating Margin $ 8,000
Selling, General, & Administrative Expenses $ 800

Depreciation and Amortization $ 3,000
Interest Expense $ -
Gross Profit $ 4,200
Taxes (all jurisdictions) $ 700
Net Income $ 3,500
Some quick notes about terminology and titles. Accountants are required to label
everything identically. Revenues listed above are synonymous with Sales, but
some report Net Sales. (Net Sales might be the term used if, for example, the
company uses independent representatives who take their commissions before
turning in sales orders to the company.)
Operating margin may, from time to time, be called gross margins. Selling,
General & Administrative Expenses (SG&A) becomes a ‘catch-all’ category,
especially if the executives use a corporate jet! In our example, Taxes
incorporates all taxing jurisdictions (Federal, State, County, City, School, sewer,
etc.). Net Income can also be termed Net Profits, net earnings or earnings.
The nine line items listed in this simple I/S can be expanded into several dozen
lines providing more details (or sometimes more confusion). External reporting
such as public corporations can use relatively lengthy or rather short statements.
At the same time, internal use of the I/S might be incredibly involved (meaning
dozens of line items) so that district, regional and senior managers can blame
…uh, evaluate their subordinates!

A Brief but Important Section on our Tax Collection Process
A ‘simple’ explanation of our tax structure involves a trip back to Sesame

Street and the alphabet, as this part of the course is brought to you by the letter
“F” and the letter “N”.
You will agree that there is a difference between:
“F”
and
“N”
(duh, Yes!)
You will then agree that there is a difference between these two words:
“OF”
and
“ON”
(well, Yes, double duh!)
Therefore, understand that there is a difference between:
RETURN OF Investment
and
RETURN ON Investment!
Okay, there is a difference but what does that have to do with anything?

Look at an example of a CD:
Certificate of Deposit
-$100 (out of pocket) +$108 (into Pocket)
Return On Investment
$8
$100
Return Of Investment
$100
Note the outbound cash flow (-$100) is coded red; when this investment amount is
returned, it is termed:
Return OF investment.
The blue portion is the actual
Return ON our investment.
Enter taxes:
Assume, for the moment, the government taxes this transaction on CASH FLOW, and say
the tax rate was 10%. The transaction would be as follows:
-$100 (investment)
+ $108 (payment) or cash flow at maturity
less $10.80 taxes (10% times cash flow)
a net of $97.20.
We have less capital now than when we started!!!

Since our desire is to gain on investments, investors would never undertake this type of
opportunity! If taxes are assessed as in this example, the entire market would adjust.
Until such adjustments are implemented, all investment would dry up in our economy.
Fortunately, our tax laws are not based on cash flows; taxes are based on profits.
Furthermore, the tax laws allow the investor the ability to recover his investment.
Therefore in the CD example, the investor is allowed to recover his initial $100 before
being taxed on the remainder. The government understands that an investor is allowed to
recover the initial investment AND then tax the investor on anything in excess of the
original amount. Under such a system, the tax rate can be anything less than 100% and
the investor will always have a positive return (albeit a smaller return under high tax
rates) for all potential rates.
Return OF investment is permitted or allowed

And the Return ON investment is taxed.
Back to our simple Income statement:
Income Statement
365 Days
Revenues $ 12,000

Net Income $ 3,500
Now for the crescendo of this section: Where in the Income statement is the concept of
return of investment and the concept return on investment? (Pause for effect!)
Return on investment is the line item ‘Net Income.’
The more challenging issue is that the line item Depreciation and Amortization is the
mechanism for the return of investment. This line item is that process by which an
investor gets to recover his costs (specifically, his capital costs) for purchasing longer-
lived assets (pre-tax).

DEPRECIATION and Cash versus Non-Cash Expenses:
The topic of depreciation incorporates two separate activities that, at times, might not be
related. To illustrate these, look at two common assets that show up in the business
environment: real estate and automobiles. (This example will disregard the possibility that an
automobile may, over time, become a collector’s item and increase in value. Our discussion will focus on
an automobile used in the course of business.)
The use of an automobile, especially when putting considerable mileage on the vehicle,
will cause the value of that asset to diminish over time. The value can go down just
because of age (vehicle that is 2 years old is move valuable than a vehicle that is 6 years
old, even if they have the same mileage). When mileage and the use (wear and tear) of
the vehicle is included in a valuation of the asset, the value of the vehicle declines on a
fairly predictable path, as reported in public and private data bases for used vehicle sales.
While these databases are both incomplete and may not be accessible to all market
participants, the pricing for used vehicles is more fluid than, say, something that trades
less frequently like used forklifts.
There are two ‘costs’ associated with the use of a vehicle. First, operating costs is the
expense of running the vehicle: fuel, oil, normal or regular maintenance. Operating costs
are included in the I/S lines items such as SG&A or could be included as a direct cost for
a particular product (in COGS). Operating costs are considered cash expenses as they are
realized when incurred; that is, you pay for the gasoline at the pump.
The second cost associated with the vehicle is due to a capital cost, the initial purchase of
the vehicle where usage causes the value to decline. The value decline is considered to
have ‘depreciated’ as the physical asset is worth less (and possibly worthless). The
capital costs are ‘accounted’ in the depreciation line item of the I/S where a recovery of
our investment is incorporated into the income statement. Note, that all things being
equal, the higher the amount of depreciation reduces the amount of taxes due for a given
period. Again, all things being equal, most investors want to pay less tax today.
Therefore, there is tendency for investors to have as high a depreciation amount as they
can.
Since changing (increasing) depreciation affects taxes collected, the IRS sets how fast we
are allowed to recover such costs. The government controls these depreciation amounts
by classifying assets such as a 3-yr, 5-yr, or 15-yr asset. Using a simple ‘straight-line’
method of depreciation, a 3-yr asset can deduct 1/3 of the capital costs each year. (This is
not exactly true in real life, but sufficient for our example here.)
Take another look at the vehicle purchase and, say, this asset is given a 5-yr classification.
Assume the vehicle was purchased for cash, the entire purchase price (vehicle cost, taxes,
title, license) is the amount of the investment. We are allowed to deduct 1/5 of this
amount for each of the next 5 years, which is our return of investment line item. The
actual line item in the I/S is ‘depreciation expense’, as defined earlier. But note, we are
taking an “expense” on this year’s I/S but we have not written a check for this amount.
More specifically, the process of taking depreciation means that depreciation is a ‘non-
cash’ expense. We get to deduct the return of capital expense but did not write a check
for that specific amount in the time frame in question (I/S time frame). This is our return
of investment, and we can deduct such before the line that designates taxable income.
Last item concerning automobiles (and similar assets): the accounting profession in
dealing with the IRS allows the idea of a depreciation system that can track actual values
of assets. That is, some assets depreciate very fast in the first few years and then the rate
of value-loss over the remaining useful lives is slow. The IRS allows for a depreciation
process to track closely with known value decays, commonly known as accelerated
depreciation versus straight-line depreciation.
In shifting to real estate as an asset category, real estate is considered to be two separate
assets: building (all improvements to property) and dirt (or land). Land is a separate line
item in a detailed I/S because land is an asset that cannot be depreciated. The
improvements, such as buildings, parking lots, etc. can then be separated into sub-
categories themselves. Long-term assets that have a limited life can carry separate
depreciation schedules.
Air-conditioning systems might be classified as a 7-yr asset; where, in general, every 7th
year significant cash outlays are needed to replace or replenish significant operating parts.
These cash outlays are referred to as capital expenditures. A capital expenditure (or
CapEx) is the process where CASH goes out the door (you had to pay for the A/C
system) but a current year expense is not generated. Why? The asset is classified as a
7-yr asset, for example, and must be recovered (return of investment) over the next 7-year
period.
Back to the big picture on real estate where there is a significant and historical departure
from vehicles. Automobiles used in business decay in value as they are utilized in
operations. The depreciated value of the asset tends to conform to the actual market
value of the asset. Real estate, which is used in operations of business, can show some
wear and tear. However, as a general rule in our country, real estate has, over time,
appreciated in value. The IRS allows depreciation expenses (according to its schedules
for asset categories) so that a return of investment is allowed. At the same time, the
value of the asset can actually rise. Please see “Book versus Market Values” later in
this course.
To recap:
 Return of and Return on investment are two separate topics.

 Return on investment is considered a profit number.

 Return of investment is a recapture of investments and is considered

depreciation, a non-cash expense.
 The IRS has developed rules and regulations effectively classifying assets into
useful life categories which control the amount of depreciation expense that can
be realized in any given period.
 The following is how depreciation affects net income and cash flow:
o An increase in depreciation reduces gross profit, thus reducing taxes.
o Depreciation is a non-cash expense…..to determine cash flow from the
income statement, take net income and add all non-cash expenses.
o If taxes are reduced, depreciation increases cash flow (all things equal).

Goodwill
Goodwill is an asset and is carried on the balance sheet. It is also classified as an

intangible asset along with intellectual property such as patents, copy writes, trademarks,
logos and certain contracts. Goodwill can only be created during a purchase and sale
transaction when the purchaser pays more than the value of an asset. Huh? Why would
anyone pay more for than the value of an asset? Ironically, this is one definition of
wealth creation.
For example, lumber, drywall, screws, bath fixtures, land and labor have costs associated
with them. A developer purchases these products and services in order to create an
apartment complex. The funds are expended, the apartment complex is created and over
the next year, the complex is entirely leased to tenants. The developer has a ‘basis’ in the
assets. His ‘accounting basis’ is the book value of the operation which is the total costs
associated with the complex. His land has a cost (and not a depreciable asset) and his
buildings have a cost (parts and labor including interest expense during the construction
period).
The complex is now operating smoothly when an investor, say a pension fund, wants to
earn a specific yield for the pension fund’s portfolio. If the target return for the pension
fund is 12%, the fund manager will look at the net cash flows from the complex and
calculate the price to be paid that will ensure this yield. This price might be above and
beyond the value of the bricks, and mortar and land, but the investor is willing to pay this
price for the asset because the fund will be assured of the yield. Here, the buyer is willing
to pay above the value of the assets in order secure such a yield thus creating Goodwill.
Wealth creation comes about when one can purchase assets and then sell those assets for
more than their purchase price. While this is very simplistic in nature, wealth creation
does not get any more complex.
Another example:
 Purchase a bunch of steel.

 Assemble the steel to create a machine that makes widgets.
 Shove raw materials in one end and get a finished product at the other end.
 Sell the entire operation. However, the sales price is not based on ‘costs’
associated with creating the manufacturing operation; the sales price is based on
the present value of the profits that will be created as the finished products are
sold over the next 5, 10, 20 or indefinite years. (For a full discussion on this
valuation technique, please refer to the first in this series of continuing education
courses.)

The initial raw materials might have cost $100,000 but the entire entity is sold for $2
million. This $2 million purchase price represents the present value of future profits/cash
flows.
Assume the sale of the ongoing widget manufacturing business is as described above:
Seller’s book value of assets = $100,000
Buyer’s offering and price accepted by seller = $2,000,000
The transfer of assets will create certain accounting line items. For this transaction,
assume the book value of the assets, as carried by the seller on their accounting
statements ($100,000); understate the actual market value of those assets at the time of
the sale. An independent third party appraiser is hired to value these assets. Why a third-
party? The establishment of ‘true’ values for depreciation purposes is required as this
will become the basis for the new owner. If not properly conducted and valued,
preferably by a third-party, the IRS might apply significant penalties upon the purchaser
for creating fraudulent accounting entries, including jail time!
Assume that the third-party appraisal for the hard assets is $200,000. Hard assets are
those assets you can see and touch (not intangibles).
A recap of the transaction is:
Seller’s book value = $100,000
Buyer and Seller’s agreed transaction price for the entire operation = $2,000,000
Today’s value of the assets of the seller (provided by third party appraiser) =
$200,000
Furthermore, assume that all hard assets are classified as 15-yr assets; useable life of 15
years now establishes the depreciation schedule for this classification of assets.
Purchase Price = $2,000,000
‘Hard assets’ = $200,000
Remainder = $1,800,000.
The hard asset figure is the beginning book value for the buyer; thus establishing his book
basis with future depreciation amounts emanating from this value according to IRS
depreciation schedules for that asset class.
The remainder is the amount of money paid above and beyond the value of the hard assets
purchased. This amount is paid because the operation can produce future profits. The
$1,800,000 is called an ‘intangible’ asset or Goodwill. It can be considered to be the

value of the operation as a whole (machine, plus logo, plus packaging, plus distribution
system, explicit or implied product reliability, current and future customer base, yadda
yadda).
Goodwill is an asset so the owner/investor has a right to earn his return of investment.
Similar to depreciation on hard assets in which portions of the asset create a depreciation
expense, Goodwill creates a non-cash expense also. However, Goodwill’s return of
investment is termed ‘amortization’ rather than ‘depreciation.’ Lines items in an income
statement might be entitled: Depreciation and Amortization Expenses (where both
amounts are lumped into one reported figure).
Politics and the Olden days
Goodwill has been a hot topic for many Congresses on how to handle and how to allow
the return of investment or its recovery. At some point, goodwill was a 20-year asset,
then a 35-year asset with only a straight-line method of expensing allowed. Why has this
changed throughout the years? Corporate raiders could use Goodwill as a tax-sheltering
event reducing taxes over the life of their investment. By changing the regulations,
Congress can, to a limited extent, alter the deduction amounts for a given year. But this
was also a veiled attempt to reign in corporate raiders as well.
Currently, the law does not allow the amortization of any goodwill expense unless the
owner can prove (document) goodwill was impaired. For example, if I own a XYZ Car
Dealership (and in that purchase, goodwill was created) and XYZ Manufacturer issues a
massive recall due to brake failures on all passenger cars, I can show that this recall has
harmed the reputation of the brand, and therefore can deduct an expense due to reduction
in value of the goodwill.
On another hand, a McDonald’s franchisee could argue (document) that the last national
campaign for Happy Meals did not produce significant increase in sales. Such argument
could be used to take a goodwill expense, even if revenues in total did not go down. The
point here is that in the real world, a two-line discussion on how goodwill was impaired
might be sufficient to take a goodwill deduction in just about any environment.
One of the best/worst examples of goodwill expense involved Time-Warner and their
purchase of AOL. Technically, AOL had very little in hard assets when Time-Warner
purchased them. However Time-Warner paid a great deal above the hard asset value as
Time-Warner saw value in AOL’s customers, and distribution system. Over a very short
period of time, it was realized that AOL’s customers were not that valuable to Time-
Warner who, for example, could not deliver videos on demand. So the merged firm
began to take massive deductions to the tune of $56+ billion per quarter. This is one of
the greatest wealth transfers (without blood being spilled) in the history of the world. The
original Time-Warner owners transferred their ownership and wealth to the AOL owners
(sellers). For a full discussion on management’s role in this debacle, see the third in this
series of continuing education courses for a full description and explanation on such
events.
BOOK VERSUS MARKET VALUE
Book values versus market values and the complexity of this topic is the last background
item needed before the discussion of financial statements. Market value will be defined
as: that price that a willing buyer and willing seller agree to exchange assets (cash for the
asset). Neither party is forced to make the purchase or sale nor harmed by the purchase or
sale. True market values occur at auctions, where the price of an object is announced for
all to hear. However, THE BEST example is the commodity pits where anyone, not just
the auctioneer, can ‘offer to sell’ or ‘bid to buy’ at any price and any volume they so
choose. The open outcry system allows price dissemination from both buyers and sellers
simultaneously.
Book value is defined as the value an asset is held on the financial statement (namely,
balance sheet) of a firm. The initial book value is the total value of the asset: purchase
price, taxes, delivery and any installation charges. The book value of a specific asset is
the amount or the basis by which the firm can create its depreciation schedule.
There are several aspects that come into play concerning book values which originate
from governmental agencies, namely the IRS, and accounting professionals. The IRS
establishes a certain life expectancy for asset classes, such as a 3-year or a 5-year asset,
which limits the amount of depreciation. They also establish timing issues as to when the
asset can be depreciated. For example, a 3-yr asset cannot be depreciated by 1/3 in the
year it is purchased and put into service. This ruling tends to keep corporations from
buying assets in late December to be able to take deductions in that year. (Earlier this ruling
was relaxed for ease of examples; check with your accountant for real world instructions.)
The accounting profession puts on several restrictions as well. The major restriction is
that the company must report the asset at:
The Lower of Cost
Or
Market Value
Memorize this phrase as the importance of this is outlined below.
In a dynamic world, the current book value (reported in the Balance Sheet) is defined as
the total cost to put that asset into service less any cumulative depreciation expenses. If

an allowable depreciation expense has been taken for the given asset, that expense
amount will be deducted from the book value of the asset this year.
Assume a 5-yr asset has a total cost of $100,000, and we depreciate that asset over 5 years
using a straight-line depreciation method (and relax the IRS restriction on year one’s
amount; so that we have $20,000 per year). The cost basis, or book value, would be as
follows when put into service:
End of Year Book Value
0 $100,000
1 $ 80,000
2 $ 60,000
3 $ 40,000
4 $ 20,000
5 $ 0
We have been able to take a depreciation deduction in the amount of $20,000 each year
for these 5 years. This depreciation amount ‘flows’ through the income statement in the
given year and is evidenced by the difference in the balance sheet items from year to year.
This depreciation deduction or depreciation expense is a non-cash expense. We did not
write a check for $20,000 but did deduct this amount for tax purposes. This amount is the
return of investment we are allowed to recover each year.
Note that after year five, our book value is $0. This $0 book value does not, however,
mean the market value of the asset is $0 or that we place no value in the asset or there is
no use for the asset. The asset itself might be quite useful and an integral part of our
operations. Furthermore, the asset might have a significant ‘market’ value to some other
operator if we ever decided to sell it.
Here is where the concepts of market and book value become complex.
Assume the corporation owns and uses an automobile in its operation. Assume further
that this particular style of automobile is the most popular in the world, and a ‘liquid’
market of buying and selling used and new vehicles in the model exists with the data
(pricing and values) made public. If the vehicle were placed on the books at $10,000
with a 5-year life, its book values would be as follows (assuming no outside influence):
End of Year Book Value

0 10,000
1 8,000
2 6,000
3 4,000
4 2,000
5 -

However, since public data is available, we see that the book value (without outside
influence) compared with the reported market values is:
True
Book Value Market
End of Year Straight Line Values
0 10,000 10,000
1 8,000 6,000
2 6,000 4,000
3 4,000 3,000
4 2,000 2,500
5 - 2,000
Since our reporting rule is that we must report the LOWER OF COST OR MARKET,
our balance sheet must reflect the adjusted book value as follows:
Book Value True Market Adjusted

End of Year Straight Line Values Book Values
0 10,000 10,000 10,000
1 8,000 6,000 6,000
2 6,000 4,000 4,000
3 4,000 3,000 3,000
4 2,000 2,500 2,000
5 - 2,000 -
If, for example, in year 2 we report a value on our books of $6,000 and the true market
value is $4,000, we will be lying to shareholders in stating values that were not true.
With the new laws, specifically Sarbanes-Oxely, we could be thrown in jail for such
fraudulent reporting.
Let us look at another example. However, we will remove all ‘depreciation’ expense
from this analysis to remove clutter from the point to be made. Furthermore, we must
assume all ‘market values’ are publicly disclosed and available to all parties. Note that
there are a great many assets that don’t have values commonly reported as they may not
‘trade’ that often in the used markets. In this example, the asset will have a market value
decay due to local economic conditions; then the asset will increase in value as those
economic conditions have reversed over the next several years. This might be similar to a

market cycle where there is a real estate bust in a local market which then attracts many
buyers making the area popular resulting in firmer real estate prices throughout the area.
The use of a commercial real property will be used. The market value of the building
changes in value as follows:
True Market
Year Values
2000 5,000,000
2001 4,500,000
2002 4,200,000
2003 4,800,000
2004 5,500,000
2005 6,250,000
2006 7,000,000
We show a softening (decay) in values for a few years followed by market values
becoming higher toward the end of our time frame. The following chart shows how the
adjusted book value must be reported for the time period at hand. (Remember no
depreciation is considered in this example.)
True Market Adjusted

Year Values Book Values
2000 5,000,000 5,000,000

2001 4,500,000 4,500,000
2002 4,200,000 4,200,000
2003 4,800,000 4,200,000
2004 5,500,000 4,200,000
2005 6,250,000 4,200,000
2006 7,000,000 4,200,000
You will see where finance people and accounting people differ. Under the accounting
rules, we must show the asset at the lower of cost or market. Year 2000 our book value is
just our cost basis; however, the next year, the market value is below our book or cost
basis so we must adjust our book value down to $4.5 million. (We are allowed to take
this ‘loss’ through our income statement which may create a lower tax bill for that
particular year.)
Similarly, the next year, we must take another loss due to the deterioration of the market
values again. These adjusted book values become the new cost basis for the next year.

You will see that when the market value of the building goes up, we are not allowed to
increase the asset value on our books (lower of cost or market).
YOU MUST WRITE THE ASSET DOWN IF MARKET VALUES GO

DOWN; YOU CANNOT INCREASE BOOK VALUES IF MARKET
VALUES GO UP!
There are long-lived public corporations that may have assets with market values in the
millions but have a $0 basis on their books.

BALANCE SHEET
The first financial statement introduced in business education is the balance sheet (B/S)
which lists the firm’s assets (what the firm owns), the firm’s liabilities (what it owes
others) and the firm’s equity. The left side of the B/S contains the assets (A) and the right
side is the liabilities (L) and equity (E). The B/S is balanced because:
A=L+E
Assets are those ‘things’ the company secures to help produce revenue or sales. The left
side of the balance sheet is an “accounting” (all pun intended) of the assets owned by the
company, which are used to produce revenues and hopefully profits. Some inefficient
companies may carry assets that are not used in the direct production of current profits;
for example, real estate in form of raw land to be used for expansion.
Right Side Finances the Left Side
Asset Liabilities Cost Associated with Debt (rate)
Cash Assets Produce Revenue

A/R
Inv
Autos
Office
Equipment Equity Cost Associated with Equity
Machinery
Real Estate:
Land
Building
I/P
Goodwill

The right side of the B/S describes how those assets were secured: did we borrow (a
liability) or did we pay cash (equity). The right side is said to “finance” the left side.
Both sides of the B/S are ordered. The left side is ordered according to liquidity, the
ability to turn a particular asset into cash. Since cash is cash, cash is listed first. The
right side is ordered according to maturity of the line item: short term debt, long-term
debt and then equity. (Corporate equity is a perpetuity which can exist forever!)
Left Side Right Side

Asset Liabilities
Cash A/P
Order of Liquidity
Order of Maturity
A/R Short Term
Inv Longer Term
Autos
Office Equipment
Machinery
Real Estate:
Land
Building Equity
I/P
Goodwill
Of interesting note, a company’s liability is what they owe someone else. Such a loan can
only be secured with the consent of the lender. That is, an entity cannot just say,”We are
going to borrow from someone today.” The lender must be in agreement with the terms
and conditions, otherwise the borrower will not get his capital. While this might fall into
the DUH category, this subtle idea means that this particular company is accessing the
capital markets!
Whether this entity is located in the back of a garage or on Main Street, Anytown USA,
public markets are being accessed. The lenders in this case have an opportunity to make
a loan to this corporation or place their funds in some other alternative. No loan will be
created if other opportunities are better in the ‘risk’ and ‘risk vs. return’ scenarios.
Therefore, borrowers participate in the public markets whether they knew it or not!
Now looking at the equity portion of the balance sheet, like the debt area accessing capital
markets, people (investors/owners/entrepreneurs) creating companies are not going to
undertake such risky events if their potential returns are not sufficient. Why would an
investor undertake a risky investment if that investment is predicted to earn, say, 5%
when ‘riskless’ C.D.’s yield 5%? In both the equity and debt portions of the B/S, market
forces (supply and demand for such capital) are directly and indirectly influencing these
decisions.

Issues with the B/S
Book Value of the Assets
As outlined earlier, the B/S of a company carries that company’s assets at the lower of
cost or market. If market values are significantly higher than the book values, the B/S
under-reports such market value. Market values of assets can never be lower than book
value; if they are, jail time is eminent! Lenders and finance professionals know that from
time to time assets are reported lower than market value. It is always a good idea for an
owner to point out to outsiders, lenders in particular, when market values are greater than
the book value entries. Of interesting note, financial institutions require independent
valuations of assets. The institution itself, however, must conduct valuations. Owners
can supply their own valuations but the institution must undertake such effort
independently; however, they generally collect a fee from the potential borrower.
Market Value and Book Value of the Corporation
Book value of the corporation is determined by calculating the net equity from the B/S as
follows:
Equity = Assets less Liabilities
Net Worth or Equity = What you own less what you owe.
Again, book value of the assets may not accurately reflect market values. If, however,
you are to determine the true value of every asset, then a ‘value’ might be
Net Worth or Equity = Market value of all assets less your total liabilities.
There is another form of valuation, which places the focus on the entire entity as a whole.
This process removes the valuation from specific assets or asset adjustments. An example
is to value IBM. The corporation IBM has a book value from its B/S which we can
retrieve from their financial statements. It also has a market valuation, based on the
pricing of its equity and debt traded in the market on a daily basis. The debt component
(long term bonds) will trade similarly to other entities deemed to have similar market
risks (business risks, government risks, economic risks, international risks, etc). The
equity component is priced through the auction markets, for example the New York Stock
Exchange, where willing buyers and sellers set a price for the security (daily or on a
minute by minute basis). The pricing of the shares of stock are based on many, many
things including the B/S as reported, investor’s opinion (in total) on the market value of
the assets and the potential income streams these assets can produce in future years,
discounted to the present time.

I like to call this process as ‘voting’ for a company. If you like the company, you vote
FOR it. If you don’t like the company, you vote AGAINST it. A FOR vote means you
buy the stock, thus creating upward pressure (supply and demand) and the stock rises in
value. An AGAINST vote means you sell, driving the price of the stock down.
Not voting (neither buying nor selling) means a participant (or a non-participant for that
matter) feels the shares are correctly priced or very near correctly priced (not worth
adjusting the share price due to transaction costs).
TIME Issues
If you research any B/S, you will notice it has a reported date such as December 31, 2007.
The B/S is a ONE-DAY EVENT or a Snapshot. It is a picture of the firm on that day and
that one-day only. Do not think that this day is a typical day throughout the year! It is a
snapshot.
REMEMBER SNAPSHOT
Q: Assume you are to be honored by your company and your picture will be taken next
Tuesday for the local newspaper and a popular trade magazine. What are you going to do
this weekend?
A: You will probably get a new hairdo or haircut. You will take steps to make yourself
look good (or at least presentable) on the day your picture will be taken.
Does such activity happen when the snapshot for the B/S is to occur?

INCOME STATEMENT
The Income Statement (I/S) is the financial reporting document that generally targets or
represents two views: profitability and tax liabilities. Owners are interested in knowing if
their company is profitable. The IRS wants ‘its pounds of flesh.’ The I/S reports both of
these.
The I/S time frame spans a period: quarterly, semi-annual or annual periods. As
previously introduced, a simple I/S might be:
Income Statement
365 Days
Revenues $ 12,000

Net Income $ 3,500
These financial statements are always produced in arrears. That is, the period is
completed with the actual accounting occurring after the fact. Only after the end of the
year do we know what some of our expenses have been. Then and only then can we
determine the profitability of operations.
For example, we borrow 50% of the capital needed to start a snow-cone stand. From
observation, we see that every snow cone sold provides us with $1.00 in cash. We can
also observe direct costs due to cups, flavoring syrup and labor. On a daily basis, we can
calculate the cash taken in, the amount of goods that went out the door (cups, ice,
flavoring syrup) and add to this the labor for that day. However, such a daily record does
not take into account monthly rental, monthly utility costs and other indirect expenses
(indirect because we cannot allocate one specific cost to a snow-cone sale). Furthermore,
additional expenses due to interest expense (we pay quarterly) and depreciation expenses
(non-cash expense) are not included until after the period is complete.

The I/S should take into account (again, all pun intended) all costs associated with the
operations. All depreciation of assets and any amortization of goodwill (return of
capital) is included in the I/S which effectively reduces taxes. In addition, the I/S can be
used to economically evaluate our opportunity to determine if we are earning sufficient
returns. For example, if operations are producing $5 in after tax profits, we can look at
our investment to determine if these profits provide sufficient returns for our risk
undertaken. If $100 in asset are required to operate the business, and that business creates
$5 Net after tax income, this represents a 5% after tax rate of return. If certificates of
deposits (no risks whatsoever) pay 5% after tax return, there appears to be no reward for
accepting additional risks. In this case, the opportunity is not worthwhile. A detailed
discussion on this topic concerning a franchise model is provided toward the end of this
course.
I/S can be structured to help management identify problem areas quickly. In the short or
simplified I/S provided, Operating Margin is a number we target to evaluate margins.
That is, we look at the revenues generated versus the direct costs to calculate the margins
from the direct activity. That amount, in aggregate, is then used to pay all other bills.
Back to the example of the snow cone. If the snow cone is sold for $1.00 per unit, and
costs per unit are $0.16, our operating margin is $0.84. Each sale produces $0.84, which
is used to pay for all indirect and overhead costs, including management salaries,
management’s corporate jets and anything paid to the owners as a return ON investment.
(See the third course in this series for a full discussion on perquisites, management’s
greed and why contracts are structured the way they are!) Splitting the I/S this way
allows us to focus on direct and indirect costs
One further note for those undertaking this course, do not think the I/S reports cash
positions or cash generating activities (or at least reports them fully). Cash is cash as one
can track it, see it deposited and see it withdrawn. Revenues can occur without cash
exchanging hands, profits can be positive without any cash being generated. And, cash
can be generated without any profits being realized.

Statement of Cash Flows
The Statement of Cash Flows (SCF), or sometimes referred to as the “Statement of Cash”
or the “Sources and Uses of Funds” is the last financial statement produce by
corporations in reporting their financial position. The ‘time frame’ for the SCF is
identical to that of the I/S: quarterly, semi-annual or annual.
The SCF explains where cash was generated and then how that cash was used or applied.
If cash was generated but not used or applied, then the cash balance reported on the B/S
would change (upward) from period to period. The reporting period for a given year, say
calendar year 2007, would provide two balance sheets (Dec. 31, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2007)
along with and income statement for the calendar year 2007 and the statement of cash
flows for calendar 2007. The differences between the line items on the two balance
sheets should be tracked through the income statement and statement of cash flows.
The SCF is reported in three general classifications:
Cash from Operations
Cash from Investment Activities
Cash from Financing Activities
The three categories help managers, owners and interested parties (such as current or
potential lenders, potential owners) understand where B/S changes occur and the use of
cash generated by the business.
For our example, look at Southwest Airlines (SWA). SWA gets paid to fly people from
one spot to another; this is the operating business. Outsiders would like to understand
how they perform such activities and how much cash they generate in operating this
business. Who are these outsiders? Investors have in interest in seeing how they operate.
Current or potential lenders want to know if they are, in fact, producing cash from
operations.

We look to the SCF operating activities to find the following:
Net Income before any dividends paid (from the Income Statement) =
Add:
Depreciation and Amortization Expenses
Increase in Accounts Payable
Increase in Accruals
Less:
Increase in Accounts Receivable
Increase in Inventories
Equals:
Net cash provided by operating activities.
We begin with Net Income as defined by the I/S report. Concerning Depreciation and
Amortization, remember we were able to deduct such expenses as our attempt to
recapture our initial investment (return of investment). However, since these expenses
did not involve cash going out the door, we must add it to Net Income. (We deducted it
before taxes to lower our overall taxes but add it back because it was not an actual cash
outlay.)
In general, normal payables like utilities occur every month. If we delay a month’s
payment, cash does not go out the door; however, the liability will still show up on the
B/S along with the cash not sent. The effect of just delaying a payable will increase both
sides of the B/S. Similarly, accruals such as employment taxes do the same thing:
balloon both sides of the B/S. (Employment taxes might be due quarterly or semi-
annually; they build from month to month so the liability gets larger until it is paid.)
In the course of the time frame for the SCF, if people that owe you money that don’t pay
on time increase, this is a reduction in the actual cash received. Note, revenue from the
sale is booked and included in the I/S; however, if collections of the receivables fall short
of their historical trends, overall less cash is generated by the firm.
Likewise, buildup in inventory level use cash to the extent they are not financed by
payables (addressed already).
Cash from Investment Activities
For SWA, the cash generated from operations tells how they produce from core
operations. Again, their business is to fly people from place to place. However, from
time to time, SWA must sell airplanes that it owns and buy more airplanes to replace

those sold or for route expansions. (SWA does lease some aircraft so they do not report
asset purchases and sales in those instances.)
Target a particular aircraft that is to be sold; the airline calculates what current book value
that aircraft reports on the B/S. An agreed price for that aircraft is negotiated between
SWA, as seller, and some buyer resulting in cash exchanging hands for the asset itself.
Before SWA gets access to the cash, any and all liens from lenders (loans on that
particular aircraft) must be satisfied with the net remaining cash going to SWA.
Furthermore, SWA must determine any tax liabilities resulting from the transaction
(capital gain or loss depending on price and book value of the sale or ordinary recapture
of taxes). The tax liabilities will be reported in the I/S and included in the SCF because
this financial statement begins with Net Income.
Net Cash flow resulting from this sale is reported here. Furthermore, any cash that goes
to more aircrafts are included in this portion of the SCF with careful attention to signs
designating cash inflows (+) and cash outflows (-).
Cash from Financing Activities
This portion of the statement reports changes in reported debt levels and financings. For
example, SWA’s aircraft sale outlined above may require retirement of debt associated
with that particular aircraft. This is where the cash used to reduce that debt is reported.
Likewise, if debt is increased to buy new aircraft, that financing activity is reported here
as well, again with careful attention to the (+) and (-) of the cash flows.
The total of all three of these line items are added to the beginning of the year’s cash
balance to show how the end of the year’s cash balance is achieved.
One last note regarding these three financial statements and their uses, while there has
been a lot of ‘press’ about many investors loosing a great deal of money through the
Enron meltdown; there were a few people who made a fortune. What they saw was an
entity reporting significant profits (I/S) yet they were not generating enough cash (SCF).
These people suspected foul play and ‘voted against’ Enron by shorting the stock. When
it crashed from $80+ per share to under $3, they created tremendous wealth for
themselves.

Financial Statement Analysis and the Use of Ratios
Business analytics has evolved into a sophisticated quantitative approach involving ratios
and ratio analysis. Ratios have been created to quickly key-in on certain aspects of a
firm’s financial figures. There are 4 general classifications that ratios fall under:
 Liquidity
 Asset Utilization and Efficiency
 Debt / Leverage Utilization
 Profitability.
There are more than 60 ratios that can be calculated, and not all ratios are significant to
users. For example, the biggest provider of credit in the market place originates from
TRADE CREDIT. An example of trade credit is the process of delivering goods, say
lumber, to a builder on Monday. The house builder starts the process of framing a house
that day while the wholesale lumber operator begins the process of billing his customer.
An invoice is sent to the builder with ‘regular terms’ for the transaction. ‘Regular terms’
is an industry specific agreement for the terms of payment. Each industry has evolved
into a standard payment system like 30-day terms or 7-day terms as a “quasi-standard
operating procedure”.
Should a new vendor to that arena attempt to request harder terms such as 20-day
payment when all others are at 30-days, that new entrant will not get any business even if
prices are better! So, the example above for lumber at a 30-day term might be different
than the banana department at your local grocer. Why? The bananas have a shorter shelf
life and the last thing a lender wants is something owed to them without the asset being
around.
Vendors selling on 5-day and 30-day terms are not interested in profitability ratios; they
are keen on liquidity ratios as in, “Can I get my money in a week?!?!” Interested parties
tend to focus their analytical efforts toward those ratios that are important to them. Long-
term lenders are more interested in debt/leverage ratios and not so much on liquidity
ratios. Commercial lenders and trades/vendors are more interested in getting paid within
a reasonable time frame.
All lenders go through a process of ‘spreading’ financial statements, particularly

commercial banks, in an effort to determine absolute values and relative values along
with trends. Back to the lumber versus bananas examples, utilizing ratios between non-
similar industries does not create a whole lot of value. Ratios can show trends and show
some comparisons within an industry (one entity to another) but only in a limited sense.

Trouble with ratios:
 All financial statements are stale. They are outdated the moment they are printed.
 Some ratios utilize balance sheet items AND income statement items as if they
were equivalent in timing. Balance Sheet is a ‘one day’ time frame while the
income statement is over a period. So any ratio using these two statements may
distort the results. (Don’t forget the SNAPSHOT issue!)
 What is an industry? General Electric (GE) is classified as a diversified
manufacturing operation. This cannot be farther from the truth. GE is one of the
world’s largest financial institutions and really only manufacturers a few products.
(For example, GE doesn’t make light bulbs or small electric engines!)
 Are American Airlines and Southwest Airlines in the same industry? Actually, it
is AMR and SWA. AMR has multiple subsidiaries while SWA does not. Can
these two be compared head to head?
 Accountants and bankers will tell you that a current ratio (which is the ratio of
current assets to current liabilities) exceeding 1.3 is good. GOOD FOR WHOM?
A 1.3 ratio means you have $13 for every $10 coming due within the next year.
Highly inefficient for the company, but the accountants and bankers want this
because they are ‘protected’ better. So, ratios depend on one’s viewpoint!

Cash, Cash Flow, Profits and Revenues
Cash, the balance sheet line item, is reported using the SNAPSHOT approach at that one
moment in time. Cash flow is the concept of cash entering and leaving your company’s
bank account. Similar to an individual balancing his or her checkbook, a positive cash
flow for any given month would imply that there is more cash coming into the accounts
than going out in that time frame. While this is an important as aspect for an ongoing
entity, this fact does not completely address that month’s cash issues. For example, what
happens if all cash outflows occur in the first 20 days of the months, and collections
(inbound cash) only occurs that last 10 days of the month? Cash and the timing of cash,
while being a mundane issue for many, is still very important part of financial planning
(called ‘cash management’).
An additional legal point to bring to the engineer-owner needs to be outlined here. In the
personal world of checking accounts, many people get paid (after 3 p.m.) on Fridays and
go to their local grocery stores that night or over the weekend. What does this matter?
Technically, the banking day ends at 3 p.m., so any check deposited after that moment
becomes a ‘next day’ transaction. Since the next day is Monday, the check is actually
deposited that day, so the companying issuing the check gets extra days. Furthermore,
and technically, the deposit is only valid when that particular check actually ‘clears’
which is the process by which funds are actually transferred. However, consumers have
‘adapted’ the process of writing checks based on the Friday 3 p.m. deposit and not when
the actual check clears. (Do we really know when it clears?) Again, technically, writing
a check based on non-cleared funds is a crime. However, the commercial banking
industry does not pursue this avenue because it charges significant fees (NSF charges) to
help their customers!
For commercial activities (companies and corporations), officers of that entity can be held
accountable for writing checks based on funds that at not cleared. It is against the law to
write checks based on a deposit that has not cleared. Legal efforts generally do not
pursue such actions until something else goes wrong with the company. But, when other
things go wrong, this is an area where prosecutors can pursue. So owners, managers and
corporate officers, be aware of writing bad checks.
Revenue, or sales, is the term referencing successful events where the company sold
goods or services. The revenue figure is the amount used to pay for cost of goods sold,
then overhead, any taxes due. The final line item is profits or earnings which is the
amount remaining after all costs. Of course, revenue does not equal profits. But does a
Revenue line item match with cash or cash flow? No. For example, your best
salesperson brings a purchase order to the company on December 20th. The order calls
for shipment of goods January 20th, followed by an invoice to be paid by February 20th.
When was the sale made? Was the sale made (revenue booked) in December (purchase
order), January (shipment) or February (collection)?

This example shows that Revenue recognition might not match the actual cash flow
associated with the sale. The answer to the above timing of the sale is that each date
could be accepted as the revenue recognition date as long as each and every transaction
before and after follows the same logic. The company cannot pick one or the other each
year. It must be consistent.
‘Cash basis’ is the accounting convention where sales and expenses match the actual
receiving and disbursement dates. ‘Accrual basis’ is the process of recognizing the
transaction when presented, such as when the purchase order was presented. Hopefully
you can see that revenue recognition can, in certain circumstances, not match cash
generating activities. Profits might be recognized in the accrual convention without any
cash being generated!

The Franchise Model and Revisiting Return of and Return On
An income statement can provide valuable insight into economic viability of an

opportunity (net income generated versus the costs associated with that activity).
Furthermore, cash is also an important evaluating tool remembering that, at times, cash
and profits (net income) are not always consistent in growth.
Franchisers are notorious for saying their investment opportunity provides a 15% ‘cash on
cash’ return in operating their (your) stores. While the 15% might be accurate, this
number needs to be further evaluated. Of the 15%, 5% might be a true economic return
(return on) while the 10% portion is a return of investment. The 10% is just the
franchisee’s own money being recycled. If C.D.’s pay 5%, you will be taking tremendous
risk (even borrowing money, compounding even more risk) without being paid a
sufficient return versus risks taken.
How do we address this issue? Most CFO’s don’t know that two separate and distinct
analyses are required. First, the opportunity (be at acquisition or buying a copier) needs
to be evaluated economically. If the economic evaluation comes up negative, the second
analysis is not needed and the opportunity is discarded. If the first economic evaluation is
positive, then the asset is deemed to be valuable so a second financial analysis is due.
(Huh?)
What is an economic evaluation? The economic evaluation is an un-leveraged analysis of

the opportunity at hand. The purchase price of the opportunity is compared with the Net
Income of that particular activity or asset. No debt is used in the analysis (no interest
expense), and we do not care about cash flows in the economic evaluation but do care
about the leveraged analysis.
Say, we have an opportunity to buy a coin-operated soda-dispensing machine. The

machine costs $1,000. Revenue from each soda is $1 per event. Furthermore, we
calculate what the costs per can will be: electricity charges, rent to place the machine and
costs associated with servicing the machine (replacement of sold items, revenue
collections and repair). We run our income statement on this opportunity (no debt) and
determine our net income will be $60 per year. This $60 is an after-tax net income figure.
This is a 6% yield on our money!
Is this 6% sufficient return to undertake the risk?
(This question is very personal; if not sufficient, pass on this opportunity.)
If we accept this economic analysis and say the yield is sufficient, we proceed to the
second analysis where we might borrow 80% of the purchase price. Under this scenario,
after servicing debt, our net income might be $40 but after tax cash flow will be $50. In
the second analysis, cash on cash would mean $200 cash outlay (machine price less what
we can borrow) with a $50 cash return or a 25% return.
If we just looked at the ‘cash on cash’ return of 25%, the conclusion might be that this is
an acceptable return. However, looking at the economic return, we might reject the
business as 6% does not pay significant returns for the risk undertaken.
In evaluating any opportunity, it is always possible to lie to oneself. Model assumptions

can be slanted to prove anything. Hopefully the analysis is performed under a
conservative approach so that accounting assumptions (see next section) do not distort the
results. (For example, the depreciation used in the analysis should reflect the asset’s
value, and not selected to minimize taxes.)

Cash is real vs accounting opinion.

Assume the two companies (“A” and “B”) are in same industry. Look at the following
data reported:
Company "A" Company "B"
Sales 9,200 11,000

Less Returns and Allowances (1,000) (1,000)
Net Sales 8,200 10,000 (a)
Beginning Inventory 2,000 2,000

Purchases and Freight 6,000 6,000
Net purchases 8,000 8,000
Less ending inventory (2,000) (3,000) (b)
Cost of goods sold 6,000 5,000
Gross Margin 2,200 5,000
Op. Expenses
Selling Costs 1,500 1,500
Depreciation 500 300 (c)
Pension 100 20 (d)
Other 200 50 (e)
Salaries 200 200
Bonuses 100 100
Total Op Exp (2,600) (2,170)
Net Op Income (400) 2,830

Less Interest Exp (100) (100)
Taxable Income (500) 2,730
Federal Taxes 50% (250) 1,365
Net Income (250) 1,365
The last column has footnotes that will be explained later.
If we quickly go down the Income Statement to the line item of Gross Margin, we see that
“B” is tearing up “A”! “B” is by far a superior company!

 “B” has a superior sales force (selling more than “A”).

 The depreciation line item might indicate that “A” has more machines than “B”!
 Or, “A” has newer machines than “B” (and therefore, higher depreciation
expense).
 “A” carries fewer inventories so “A” is more efficient.
 “A” has higher pension fund liabilities and other costs where “B” does not!
“A” is not even profitable!
But a closer look at both of ‘these companies’ might reveal something unique! Review
the footnotes:
a) One company uses the accrual basis for booking sales, the other uses a cash basis.
b) One company uses an inventory tracking system called L.I.F.O (last in, first out);
while the other uses F.I.F.O. (first in, first out). Allocating earlier pricing for a
commodity, such as fuel costs, rather than later pricing can change a COGS entry.
c) One company uses accelerated depreciation methods versus a straight-line
depreciation method.
d) One company properly funds its current pension fund liability while the other
adopts erroneous assumptions and purposely under-reports (and under funds) its
pension fund liabilities.
e) One company properly reports capital expenditures (capitalizing long term assets)
while the other takes current year deductions (technically a prison able offense,
but provided here as an illustration).
The most important ‘REVEAL’:
Company “A” and “B” are the same company.
CASH IS REAL
PROFITS ARE AN ACCOUNTING OPINION
Cash is ‘real’ means one can track actual deposits and withdrawals. A snow cone can
generate $1 in cash and that cash can be deposited into a bank account. The costs
associated with these activities can be tracked as checks are written to cover these costs.
The ‘profit’ from that one snow-cone transaction cannot be determined when you have
that $1 bill in your hand nor determined when deposited. Only after the accounting

period is over do we gather all expenses, both cash and non-cash expenses, to determine
what our gross profit is and then determine what our taxes will be.
By changing accounting assumptions, profits are altered. Assumptions like cash versus
accrual accounting, depreciation methods and inventory controls are chosen by owners.
Each of these assumptions are ethical and do not violate laws. So, Profits have been
altered within the same operating entities due to the accounting opinions adopted.

Conclusion
Having taken 18 hours of college level calculus in my engineering studies (and passing
most of these!), I thought handling the ‘simple’ balance sheet and income statements
would be a breeze.
“Give me those math-oriented reports and I will be an expert on business!”
Upon further and extensive studying of these financial statements, I began to realize that I
am not an expert as the numbers were not talking to me. Being somewhat intimidated, I
did not express my lack of knowledge and the feeling of helplessness in evaluating
business statements. I continued to look for the answers in the financial statements. I
kept hoping for the “Eureka!” that was suppose to surface and when it came I would be
the best business ‘evaluator’ in the world.
If you think the financial statements reported by public companies are just a bunch of
numbers providing very little information, you are not alone. It took 4 years of lecturing
graduate and undergraduate finance courses before that “Eureka!” finally came to me!
I was looking for the financial statements to provide me “answers” which is entirely
wrong! The financial statements ARE a bunch of ‘meaningless’ numbers and they
provide very little information, at least on the surface!
What are financial statements and what is the “EUREKA?”
Financial statements are TIPS OF ICEBERGS. They do not provide answers to many
questions. What financial statement should do is create hundreds, if not thousands, of
questions and only in the answers to that multitude of questions does information make
sense.
How are revenues booked? What makes up your COGS? Where is overhead allocated to
COGS versus SG&A? Are you cash or accrual based?
However, once these questions are answered, you only have insight to this one entity as
each entity may have different assumptions.

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Accounting For Engineers

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PDH Course P190

Accounting Basics for the Engineer

David J. Nowacki, MBA

2008 / Updated 2011

PDH Online | PDH Center

An Approved Continuing Education Provider

Accounting Basics for the Engineer

Objectives of this Course:

This course targets the engineer and engineer-owner/manager in outlining

 Basic Financial Statements and Reporting.

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Revisiting the ‘Speaking Two Languages’

Why Accounting and Financial Analysis for Engineers

The professional engineer will be better suited in a corporate or entrepreneurial

There is a ‘language to business,’ specifically accounting and finance topics. Much of

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Accounting versus Finance or Financial Planning

Accounting: Rear View Mirror

Finance: Forward Planning

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The Terms “OF” and “ON” & the IRS Taxes

A brief and simplified Income Statement, (referred to as “I/S”) is provided below.

Operating Margin $ 8,000

Selling, General, & Administrative Expenses $ 800

Gross Profit $ 4,200

Taxes (all jurisdictions) $ 700

Net Income $ 3,500

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A Brief but Important Section on our Tax Collection Process

A ‘simple’ explanation of our tax structure involves a trip back to Sesame

You will agree that there is a difference between:

(well, Yes, double duh!)

Therefore, understand that there is a difference between:

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Look at an example of a CD:

-$100 (out of pocket) +$108 (into Pocket)

The blue portion is the actual

Return ON our investment.

+ $108 (payment) or cash flow at maturity

less $10.80 taxes (10% times cash flow)

We have less capital now than when we started!!!

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Return OF investment is permitted or allowed

Back to our simple Income statement:

Operating Margin $ 8,000

Selling, General, & Administrative Expenses $ 800

Gross Profit $ 4,200

Taxes (all jurisdictions) $ 700

Net Income $ 3,500

Return on investment is the line item ‘Net Income.’

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DEPRECIATION and Cash versus Non-Cash Expenses:

 Return of and Return on investment are two separate topics.

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 Return of investment is a recapture of investments and is considered

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Goodwill is an asset and is carried on the balance sheet. It is also classified as an

 Purchase a bunch of steel.

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