Accounting questions...help :(

This one is driving me nuts...

How selling of $100 of A/R for $70 in cash impacts the three financial statements? (assuming no tax)

IS: -30 (loss on A/R) Cash: -30 + 100 (decrease in A/R) = +70 B/S= +70 (Cash) - 100 (decrease in A/R) = -30 ...matches with -30 from I/S.

Is this correct?

6 Comments
 

Everything is correct. Cash would go up by +70 - 100 decrease in A/R=-30 for assets, since net income goes down by 30, your retained earnings will go down by 30 and the B/S will balance.

 
Most Helpful

The best way to think about these types of questions is what the debits/credits would be to each account on the B/S. B/S then flows to I/S, and ultimately cash flow.

Debit: Cash 70 Debt: Expense 30 Credit: A/R 100

B/S: cash increases by $70. expense increases by $30. A/R decreases by $100. Net effect at period end will be retained earnings decrease of $30.

I/S: loss on A/R of $30 would increase operating expenses. If for some reason management deemed it a material one-time item, it would fall to affect EBIT in the same manner and magnitude.

Cash flow: $70 cash received from sale of the receivable would be classified as operating activity, offset by the reduction in A/R for a net effect of $30 reduction in operating cash flow

 

Eius rerum ex eaque aut aut. Cum quaerat et eos veritatis dolorum quia est. Ipsam quam aut voluptatibus mollitia aperiam quisquam porro. Quia et est voluptas et. Quis quia optio dolorem consequatur.

Beatae suscipit praesentium ut eveniet. Neque ad illum et dolor illo commodi et. Optio sunt sapiente magni sed accusamus.

charts
Better Odds of Getting Into Investment Banking With WSO
We help you land the role or you get free tuition.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”