What Is Finance Reserve Income?

A Review of Management and Maintenance Implications for a Condominium

A reserve fund is a savings account or other liquid asset aside by an individual or business to meet any future costs or financial obligations. Less liquid assets may be used if the fund is set up to meet the costs of scheduled upgrades. A homeowner's association can use the dues paid by homeowners to maintain the community.

The goal is to deposit funds regularly in an account that will accrue interest, increasing the fund's value while not in use. A reserve fund is kept in a liquid account because expenses may arise unexpectedly. Money is invested on behalf of the fund's members and later paid out during retirement.

When employees sign up for a pension fund, they put money into a reserve fund that is used to make sure other employees get aPayout when they retire. Reserve funds are often used by homeowners' associations and condominiums in the event of large-scale maintenance or renovation projects. Reserve funds are usually managed in conjunction with operating funds, which are usually used to fund the community's day-to-day expenses.

The experts consider the age of the property, its current state, and the amenities it provides, as well as project maintenance costs that may be needed in the future. The final figure determined by a reserve study is only a recommendation because condominiums or HOAs don't always fully fund their reserves. Potential buyers should look into the efficacy of a particular community before purchasing a home because of the implications of a poorly managed reserve fund.

A Company Using Capital Reserves to Cover the Losses of an Old Fixed Asset

The capital reserve is created from the profits of the company generated from its non-operating activities during a period of time and is retained for the purpose of financing the long term project of the company or write off its capital expenses in the future. A capital reserve is an account on the balance sheet that is used to prepare the company for unforeseen events like inflation, instability, or to get into a new and urgent project. The company decided to create a reserve of $18,000 to cover the loss of $18,000 they have made from the sale of an old fixed asset.

Building Reserve Fund Credits

There are no legal restrictions on the use of funds that have been designated as being reserved, which is why a reserve is something of anachronism. The funds designated as a reserve can be used for anything. Reserve accounting is very simple - just credit the reserve account for the same amount as the retained earnings account, and then deduct the amount from the reserve account.

When the activity that caused the reserve to be created has been completed, reverse the entry to shift the balance back to the retained earnings account. A business would like to reserve funds for a future building construction project and so would like to credit a Building Reserve fund for $5 million and keep the same amount of retained earnings. The building cost $4.9 million and is accounted for as a debit to the fixed assets account and a credit to cash.

A cautionary tale on the use of a larger cash reserve

If the factors for your situation suggest that a smaller cash reserve is adequate, then you should add your average monthly expenses by three or four months. The minimum is three. In rare cases, planners only have two months to spare.

Five or six months is the best time to use a larger cash reserve. Unusual circumstances can lead to a larger cash reserve, with up to 12 months of expenses being used as the objective. A conservative goal might be suggested by the presence of an individual with a high risk of health problems.

The Financial Statements of Bank Accountants

The financial statements for banks are different from what most investors think. There are no accounts receivables or inventory to measure whether sales are rising or falling. There are several unique characteristics of bank financial statements that include how the balance sheet and income statement are laid out.

Once investors have a good idea of how banks earn revenue and how to analyze it, bank financial statements are easy to understand. Banks pay interest on some of the accounts they take in. Banks either lend to companies or invest the deposits in securities.

The spread between the rate of interest on the loans and the rate of deposit that the bank pays is what makes their profits. Banks earn interest on their cash when it is invested in short-term securities. It may seem odd that the deposits are red and loans are green.

Deposits are a liability on the balance sheet of a bank, while loans are assets because the bank earns interest from loans. When you get a mortgage from your bank, you are paying the bank interest and principal for the life of the loan. Your payments are an income stream for the bank, like a dividend, and similar to investing in a stock.

The balance sheet items are average balances for each line item, rather than the balance at the end of the period. Average balances help to understand the bank's financial performance. There is a yield for the time period and corresponding interest related income.

The Use of Journal entries in the Management and Accounting System

Journal entries are typically used to record the placement of cash into a reserve account. The reserve account will be credited and the operating cash account will be debited. A company may need to set up a bank account for the reserve account.

The operating account is one of the sources of deposits into the bank account. The general ledger needs to be accurate and accountants need to reconcile the reserve account. Stakeholders may need to be informed of the use of reserve accounts.

Stakeholders need to know why a company is setting aside cash. The need for a reserve account can be reported by the disclosure, along with the amount of money set aside each month. The disclosure statement may include procedures for handling overages.