282 Chapter 16 Statement of Cash Flows
Now your students are ready to attack the problem, beginning with the Operating Activities section.
Students should be encouraged to use a “check–off” method in completing the statement of cash flows.
The basics of the check-off method are as follows: When the total change in an account has been
explained, check it off. Once an account has been checked off, you don’t need to look at it again.
For example, the first step in the operating activities section is to show the amount of net income. This
information is obtained from the income statement or, in accounting class, from the “additional
The next step in the Operating Activities section is to add back any depreciation, amortization, or
depletion. What account on the balance sheet would contain the depreciation for the year? (Answer:
Accumulated Depreciation) However, that account is also affected by entries to remove fixed assets when
At this time, instruct your students to review the additional information given with the problem to look
for any gains and losses on investing and financing activities. Remind them that gains and losses occur
only when assets are sold and liabilities settled. Problem 16-1A has a $30,000 gain on the sale of
investments that must be deducted from net income.
Ask your students to answer the following questions: (1) If there had been a loss of $20,000 on the sale of
investments, how would this be reported in the Operating Activities section of the statement of cash
Now it is time to look at the current assets and current liabilities related to operations. Instruct your
students to go through the accounts coded with “O” and write down whether each account increased or
decreased and by what amount. Then, ask your students to determine whether the change had a positive or
negative effect on cash. Many students want to cling to text Exhibit 4 to assist with this task, so try to give
them a logical approach to determine how account changes affect cash.
The suggested explanations are overly simplified and, therefore, not “totally” accurate. However, most of
your students will find them useful. For example, accounts receivable in Problems 16-1A and 16-1B
increased. A simplified explanation of how this affects cash flows follows:
If accounts receivable went up, did you sell more or less on credit? More. If you sold more on credit, did
you sell more or less for cash? Less. If you sold less on cash, what was the effect on the Cash account? It
decreased. Therefore, the change in accounts receivable is subtracted.