Goodwill

What does it Mean? An account that can be found in the assets portion of a company's balance sheet. Goodwill can often arise when one company is purchased by another company. In an acquisition, the amount paid for the company over book value usually accounts for the target firm's intangible assets.
Investopedia Says... Goodwill is seen as an intangible asset on the balance sheet because it is not a physical asset such as buildings and equipment. Goodwill typically reflects the value of intangible assets such as a strong brand name, good customer relations, good employee relations and any patents or proprietary technology.

Terms Related Links

Badwill
Book Value
Brand
Identifiable Asset
Intangible Asset
Intellectual Property
Negative Goodwill
Patent
Tangible Asset
Target Firm

Terms Related Links
Accounting Rules Could Roil The Markets - FAS 142 is an accounting rule that changes the way companies treat goodwill. Be aware of the impact it has on reported earnings to avoid making bad investment decisions.

The Basics Of Mergers And Acquisitions - Learn what corporate restructuring is, why companies do it and why it sometimes doesn't work.

Can You Count On Goodwill? - We go over how to determine whether a measure of this important but hard-to-price intangible asset is justified.

Impairment Charges: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Impairment charge is a term for writing off worthless goodwill, but you need to know what it means and what its potential impact is on EPS.




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