Depreciation
1. In accounting, an expense recorded to allocate a tangible asset's cost over its useful life. Because depreciation is a non-cash expense, it increases free cash flow while decreasing reported earnings.
2. A decrease in the value of a particular currency relative to other currencies. Investopedia Says:
1. Depreciation is used in accounting to try to match the expense of an asset to the income that the asset helps the company earn. For example, if a company buys a piece of equipment for $1 million and expects it to have a useful life of 10 years, it will be depreciated over 10 years. Every accounting year, the company will expense $100,000 (assuming straight-line depreciation), which will be matched with the money that the equipment helps to make each year.
2. Examples of currency depreciation are the infamous Russian ruble crisis in 1998, which saw the ruble lose 25% of its value in one day. Related Terms:
Absolute Physical Life
Accelerated Depreciation
Accretion
Amortization
Appreciation
Book Value
Physical Asset
Salvage Value
Straight Line Basis
Tangible Asset |