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Current and Noncurrent Assets

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Current and Noncurrent Assets Paper
Elizabeth Webb
ACC/400
August 18, 2011
Frank Gutierrez

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to address the meanings of current and noncurrent assets while stating their differences. The paper will also include what the order of liquidity is and how it applies to the balance sheet.

Current and Noncurrent Assets Paper
Current Assets Current assets, also known as short-term, “are cash and other resources that are reasonably expected to be realized in cash or sold or consumed within one year of the balance sheet date or the company's operating cycle, whichever is longer” (simplestudies.com). Current assets is also a balance sheet item that will equal the total of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, inventory, marketable securities, prepaid expenses, and other assets that can be converted to cash in less than one year. A company's creditors will often be interested in how much that company has in current assets, since these assets can be easily liquidated in case the company goes bankrupt. In addition, current assets are important to most companies as a source of funds for day-to-day operations.

Noncurrent Assets

Noncurrent assets, also known as long-term, are assets that are not easily converted into cash or that are not expected to turn into cash within the following year. Examples of noncurrent assets include fixed assets, leasehold improvements, and intangible assets. Noncurrent assets are the complete opposite of current assets.

The Difference of Current and Noncurrent Assets

The differences between current and noncurrent assets are as stated in their definitions. “Assets and liabilities which are not current fall into the non-current, or long-term assets and liabilities in which case many companies would normally utilize within a year in distinguishing assets as current or

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