Tough Technical

I recently stumbled a bit on a technical question in an interview and wanted to share it.

Although I knew the answer, I had not prepared for this specific question and it did not come out very naturally. I resorted to writing down some debits and credits on my paper before answering just to be sure. The question is as follows.

What is the total effect on the financial statements of selling a piece of machinery with Book Value of $80 for $100?

Answer: 1) There is Gain on sale of $20. This increases Operating Profit by $20 and Increases net income by 20*(1-t) assume tax of 40% = 12 2) Cash Flow Statement A) Non-cash gain of $20 added back * this is kind of tricky. Even though the buyer may be paying cash this is a non cash gain because of... B) Cash flow From Investments increases by $100 SO: Net Change in Cash = NI = 12 -20 Non Cash Gain +100 Investment Net Change in Cash = 92

Balances by Assets (-80 BV + 92 Cash) = 12 Net Income closes to RE = 12

This is a particularly good question because I have not ran across it in guides, and because it utilizes multiple pieces of the CFS, along with the trick of a "non cash gain"

Best

2 Comments
 

Odit quidem facilis maiores aut. Quia temporibus et quia asperiores modi quisquam vel. Consequatur nesciunt commodi illo delectus. Corporis nobis quae accusamus. Ut ut facilis aliquid labore et mollitia et.

Placeat ex laboriosam sequi et quis nam dolore. Voluptatibus corporis et placeat. Soluta aperiam id ut nisi velit est. Totam tempora aperiam unde corrupti qui facere.

Eum in consequuntur magnam qui et. Ratione omnis sit ipsam aliquid voluptate. Sed non nam doloribus inventore vel neque quis. Sed qui necessitatibus sunt explicabo natus. Consectetur quas voluptatum nulla qui nam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”