Trial Balance

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Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Trial Balance'

A bookkeeping worksheet in which the balances of all ledgers are compiled into debit and credit columns. A company prepares a trial balance periodically, usually at the end of every reporting period. The general purpose of producing a trial balance is to ensure the entries in a company's bookkeeping system are mathematically correct.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Trial Balance'

Preparing a trial balance for a company serves to detect any mathematical errors that have occurred in the double-entry accounting system. Provided the total debts equal the total credits, the trial balance is considered to be balanced, and there should be no mathematical errors in the ledgers.

However, this does not mean there are no errors in a company's accounting system. For example, transactions classified improperly or those simply missing from the system could still be material accounting errors that would not be detected by the trial balance procedure.
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'Trial Balance'

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    http://www.investopedia.com/university/accounting/accounting4.asp
    ... (4) At the end of the reporting period (usually the end of the month), create a
    preliminary trial balance of all the accounts by (a) netting all the debits and ...
  • CFA Level 1 Study Guide - Financial Statements - Accounting ...

    http://www.investopedia.com/exam-guide/cfa-level-1/financial-statements/accounting-process.asp
    ... 6.6 Income Statement: Non-recurring Items; 6.7 Balance Sheet Basics; 6.8 Balance
    Sheet Components - Assets; 6.9 Balance Sheet Components ...
  • Introduction To Accounting Information Systems

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/professionaleducation/11/accounting-information-systems.asp
    ... can then be used to prepare accounting statements and reports such as accounts
    receivable aging, depreciation/amortization schedules, trial balance, profit and ...
  • Tax Court: Your Last Resort

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/tax/09/tax-court-last-resort.asp
    ... for trial. Small cases often take a year to decide, and regular cases can take much
    longer. Interest also continues to accrue upon your unpaid tax balance ...
  • Intangible Assets Provide Real Value To Stocks

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/010603.asp
    ... While the market reacts immediately to clinical trial results or online retailers'
    customer ... UK and France, allow recognition of brand as a balance sheet asset. ...
  • Watch Out For Changes In Credit Card Agreements

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/credit-card-terms-changes.asp
    ... would, in this situation, change the APR on the customer's outstanding balance from
    23.99 ... notice, it will be tougher to prevail should the case head to trial. ...
  • CFA Level 1 Study Guide - Quantitative Methods - Common ...

    http://www.investopedia.com/exam-guide/cfa-level-1/quantitative-methods/probability-distributions-calculations.asp
    ... 6.6 Income Statement: Non-recurring Items; 6.7 Balance Sheet Basics; 6.8 Balance
    Sheet Components - Assets; 6.9 Balance Sheet Components ...
  • CFA Level 1 Study Guide - Fixed Income Investments ...

    http://www.investopedia.com/exam-guide/cfa-level-1/fixed-income-investments/differentiating-between-spreads.asp
    ... 6.6 Income Statement: Non-recurring Items; 6.7 Balance Sheet Basics; 6.8 Balance
    Sheet Components - Assets; 6.9 Balance Sheet Components ...
  • Cheap Stocks Can Be Deceiving

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/stocks/10/stocks-cheap-can-be-deceiving.asp
    ... On the flip side, it can take a very long time for that value to come to light
    and it can be a severe trial of an investor's patience. ...
  • Pharmaceuticals With Big Returns

    http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/Pharmaceuticals-With-Big-Returns-JNJ-PPH-MRK-PFE-HGSI0622.aspx
    ... stock, such as Wal-Mart, for example, requires understanding of the firm's balance
    sheet and ... about the drug since "the trials they did and the trial design was ...

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