What are FIFO and LIFO?
When you decide to sell a portion of your holdings in a stock, you have to decide which shares you actually want to sell. Two of the most common methods used in this decision are known as FIFO and LIFO, and the choice you make can have a big impact on your taxes.
How does LIFO affect the cost of inventory?
In other words, the older inventory, which was cheaper, would be sold later. In an inflationary environment, the current COGS would be higher under LIFO because the new inventory would be more expensive. As a result, the company would record lower profits or net income for the period.
Does FIFO increase net income?
FIFO gives us a good indication of ending inventory value, but it also increases net income because inventory that might be several years old is used to value COGS. And although increasing net income sounds good, remember that it also has the potential to increase the amount of taxes that a company must pay.
How does LIFO reserve affect the balance sheet?
In periods of rising prices, constant increases in costs can create a credit balance in the LIFO reserve, which results in reduced inventory costs when reported on the balance sheet. Almost all analysts look at a publicly-traded company's LIFO reserve.
Which credit cards do you pay off first?
Save Money on Interest Then, pay off the credit card with the highest interest rate first by making high lump sum payments to that card each month. Once you pay off the credit card with the highest interest rate, move on to the card with the next highest interest rate.
Do credit cards pay off highest interest first?
Anything you pay over the minimum amount due will generally be applied to your highest-interest balances first.
What type of credit is paying by credit card?
The two most common types of credit accounts are installment credit and revolving credit, and credit cards are considered revolving credit. To make the most of both, you'll need to understand the terms, including what your monthly payments will be and how they both show up on your credit report.
How does paying off credit card bill work?
At the end of each monthly billing cycle, the card issuer will tell you how much you owe, the minimum payment it requires from you, and when that payment is due. By making at least the minimum payment, and making it on time, you'll stay in good standing with your credit issuer.
When paying off debt What should I pay first?
Option 1: Pay off the highest-interest debt first Best for: Minimizing the amount of interest you pay. There's a good reason to pay off your highest interest debt first — it's the debt that's charging you the most interest.
Is it better to pay off your credit card or keep a balance?
It's better to pay off your credit card than to keep a balance. It's best to pay a credit card balance in full because credit card companies charge interest when you don't pay your bill in full every month.
How do credit cards work technically?
Credit cards offer you a line of credit that can be used to make purchases, balance transfers and/or cash advances and requiring that you pay back the loan amount in the future. When using a credit card, you will need to make at least the minimum payment every month by the due date on the balance.
What type of account is a credit card?
A credit card is a type of payment card in which charges are made against a line of credit instead of the account holder's cash deposits. When someone uses a credit card to make a purchase, that person's account accrues a balance that must be paid off each month.
What are the 4 types of credit cards?
4 Types of Credit CardsVisa credit cards.Mastercard credit cards.American Express credit cards.Discover credit cards.
Do credit card companies like when you pay in full?
Paying your balance in full is a much more responsible way of managing your credit. Not only do you not worry about interest charges, you keep your credit utilization low, boost your credit score—the number that many creditors and lenders use to approve your applications—and avoid getting into credit card debt.
Does making 2 payments boost your credit score?
Making more than one payment each month on your credit cards won't help increase your credit score. But, the results of making more than one payment might.
How do you pay off a credit card each month?
While your credit card issuer gives you the option of paying just a portion of your outstanding balance, as a rule of thumb, you should pay your full credit card balance each month. This is because if you pay your balance slowly, for example, making minimum payments only, it could take years to pay it off.
Businesses for Which Inventory Prices Tend to Rise (Manufactured Goods, Food)
LIFO or FIFO: All the tax advantages of using LIFO are driven by the assumption that inventory prices are rising; therefore, a company that wants to pay lower taxes should consider using LIFO.
Companies for Which Inventory Prices Tend to Fall Over Time (Technology)
FIFO: If inventory prices are falling over time, you won’t receive the tax benefit that LIFO offers. LIFO would make your taxable income higher because it uses the most recent inventory prices, which are lower than old prices.
Businesses Running Lean With Just-In-Time Inventory and High Turnover (Restaurants, Small Retailers)
FIFO: It can be easier and require less record keeping. In addition, if you're talking about perishable items, the physical flow is naturally FIFO.
Businesses Storing Inventory on Ongoing Long-Term Basis (Manufacturers, Artists)
Neither: If the inventory is art or a product manufactured as a discrete project, you should be able to specifically identify what inventory items are on hand and what they originally cost. This is referred to as the “specific identification” method of accounting for inventory.
Businesses With Very Little or Only Occasional Inventory (Contractors, Landscape Architects)
Neither: These items would likely be considered supplies rather than inventory—goods used in the process rather than goods purchased for resale. These items would be charged to “expense” when purchased; then, if a significant amount is on hand at the end of the period, reverse it out of supplies expense and report as supplies.
What does FIFO mean in inventory?
FIFO stands for “first in, first out” and assumes the first items entered into your inventory are the first ones you sell. LIFO, also known as “last in, first out,” assumes the most recent items entered into your inventory will be the ones to sell first. The inventory valuation method you choose will depend on your tax situation, ...
What is the LIFO method?
Recordkeeping. If you choose to use the LIFO method of inventory valuation, you will need a recordkeeping system that allows you to determine when you access older “layers” of inventory and then apply the cost of that older inventory accurately.
What is inventory flow?
Inventory flow: Most businesses sell the oldest items in stock first. Think of a grocery store or a clothing boutique: In both of these types of businesses, stock loses its value with time, and so the older items are pushed to the front of the shelves to help them sell quicker.
Can you use LIFO or FIFO valuation?
Inventory flow. For spools of craft wire, you can reasonably use either LIFO or FIFO valuation. For perishable goods — like groceries — or other items that lose their value with time, using LIFO valuation doesn’t make sense because you will always try to sell older inventory first.
Can you use LIFO for inventory?
You can choose to value all your inventory using LIFO, or you can use LIFO just for certain goods you carry. Once you elect to use LIFO for your inventory valuation, you cannot switch back to FIFO or another inventory valuation method without express permission from the IRS. To request a change in inventory valuation from the IRS, ...
Is LIFO more onerous than FIFO?
Recordkeeping: When comparing FIFO vs. LIFO, the recordkeeping requirements for LIFO are typically more onerous than those for FIFO. This is because the inventory in a business that uses LIFO is “layered,” meaning older inventory can be held for long periods of time.
Is LIFO valuation allowed?
Reporting requirements. If you are looking to do business internationally, you must keep IFRS requirements in mind. LIFO valuation is not allowed under these standards. If you plan to do business outside of the U.S., choose FIFO or another inventory valuation method instead. Back to top.
What is FIFO accounting?
Then, for internal purposes, such as in the case of investor reporting, the same company can use the FIFO method of inventory accounting, which reports lower costs and higher margins, which is attractive to investors.
Why is LIFO reserve calculated?
LIFO reserve is usually tracked so that companies using different methods of accounting can be accurately compared. In order to ensure accuracy, a LIFO reserve is calculated at the time the LIFO method was adopted.
Why use LIFO reserve?
The reason for using the LIFO reserve is because most businesses use FIFO for internal use but LIFO for external reporting. FIFO shows attractive returns to investors where as LIFO reduces taxes due to the specific calculations ...
What are the benefits of LIFO?
As stated, one of the benefits of the LIFO reserve is to allow investors and analysts to compare companies that use different accounting methods, equally.
What is the FIFO method of evaluating inventory?
The FIFO method of evaluating inventory is where the goods or services produced first are the goods or services sold first, or disposed of first. The LIFO method of evaluating inventory is when the goods or services produced last are the ones to be sold or disposed of first.
What is FIFO in tax?
The FIFO method is the default for the IRS, and so if you don't specify a method with your broker when you sell shares, you'll automatically be treated as if you had elected FIFO treatment. The main benefit of the FIFO method is that by using the shares you acquired first, you're more likely to get long-term capital gains treatment ...
What does FIFO mean in stock?
FIFO and LIFO are acronyms that, in this case, relate to the stock you decide to sell. FIFO stands for first in, first out, while LIFO stands for last in, first out. What this means is that if you use the FIFO method, then a sale of stock will be allocated to the shares you bought earliest.
What is LIFO method?
The LIFO method is one that you have to elect affirmatively with your broker. The main benefit of the LIFO method is that the shares that you've owned for the shortest period of time tend to be the ones that have the smallest taxable gain, and so you can make a sale without incurring a large tax bill. However, because the LIFO method involves the ...
What is the disadvantage of FIFO method?
The disadvantage of the FIFO method, however, is that because stock prices tend to rise over time, the shares you bought first will typically have the lowest cost basis. That means that your taxable gain could be higher than it would be on other shares you've owned for a shorter period of time.
What happens if your broker doesn't send your information?
If your broker doesn't send that information, then the IRS can conclude that you never made an election and so force you to use the default FIFO method.
How is your FICO score determined?
Finally, keeping an eye on your FICO score is a good way to spot trouble. Your FICO score is determined by the information on your credit report. If you fall victim to identity theft or a credit reporting error, this will likely show up in your FICO score.
Which credit bureaus use the same credit score?
Each of the three major credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — collects data independently and scores you based on its own data. Credit card issuers don't all use the same score from the same bureau. Usually, all three FICO scores will be pretty similar.
Why should every purchase be on a credit card?
by Virginia C. McGuire, Paul Soucy. Credit cards are convenient and secure, they help build credit, they make budgeting easier, and they earn rewards. And no, you don't have to go into debt, and you don't have to pay interest. Explore Credit Cards.
Does Fair Isaac give free credit scores?
In 2013, Fair Isaac Corp., the company that created the FICO score, launched its FICO Score Open Access program, which allowed lenders to give their customers free FICO scores. The next year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau called on major credit card issuers to offer free credit scores to their customers, and many of them now do.
Two different tax liabilities for same-stock sale
Whenever you sell a stock at a higher market price than you bought it for, you may have to pay income tax on the profit -- which is considered a capital gain.
NYSE: SONY
Multiple purchases of identical stock Things aren't so straightforward when selling shares purchased in separate lots and at different market prices. Because all of the shares are identical, you may be unsure which lot's tax basis to use for the sale transaction.
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