Difference Between Equity vs Asset
The equity of the Company or Business is money that is invested by the owner of the company. It can be said that Equity is the Capital of business. We should know who are owners of Business Forms. For Company Shareholders are the owner, for Partnership Firm, Partners are an owner, for Proprietorship individual is an owner. All the money which is invested by the owner is called Equity of Business. Meaning of Assets as per dictionary is “a useful and valuable thing”. Assets are things that are bought or generated by the Company and which gives economic benefit to the business. Assets are reflected on the right side of the Balance sheet. Assets can be classified as fixed assets and current assets according to the Life of Assets. Assets are also classified according to their physical existence that is Tangible Assets and Intangible Assets. Fixed Assets are those types of assets that are used by the business for the long term—for example, Land and Building, Plant and Machinery, Vehicles, office equipment, etc. Current Assets are those assets whose life is less than a year.
Equity
In Equation form, Equity can be represented as
The interpretation of the above equation is “Assets which are created by the company after paying off all the debts”. We can also say that Shareholder’s Equity in Net Assets of Company, or it is also called as the Net worth of Company. Positive Shareholder’s Equity is a Good Sign of Financial Condition of the Company, which means that the company has a sufficient amount of Assets to Pay off its all due, i.e. Liabilities. In the same line, negative Equity reflects, Company doesn’t have a sufficient amount of Assets for paying of its due. This gives a negative impact on the Company. Utilization of Equity is done mainly for two purposes:
- Creation of Assets or
- Paying off Liabilities
Equity is a source of funds for the business. Hence it is always reflected as the Liability side of the Balance sheet.
Meaning of Assets
Example of Current Assets is Accounts Receivable, Short term Loans and Advance, Prepaid Expenses, Cash and Bank Balance, etc. Tangible Assets are those assets that have physical existence like Plant and Machinery. Intangible assets are those assets that cannot be seen or those which are invisible like Goodwill, trademark, patent, etc. Assets are Application of Funds of Business. Hence, it has a debit balance.
Head to Head Comparison Between Equity vs Asset (Infographics)
Below is the top 7 difference between Equity vs Asset:
Key Differences between Equity vs Asset
let us discuss some of the significant differences Between Equity vs Asset :
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- Equity is money that is bought by Owners of the Company for running the business, whereas Assets are things that are bought by the company and have a value attached to it.
- Equity is always represented as the Net worth of a Company, whereas Assets of the Company are valuable things or Property.
- Equity always carries a credit balance, which means the company has an obligation to repay. In contrast, assets always carry a debit balance which means that valuable things are the property of the Company.
- Equity is the Source of Funds, whereas Assets are the application of that Fund.
- There is no Classification of Equity, whereas Assets are classified into Fixed Assets, Current Assets or Tangible Assets and Intangible Assets.
- It is reflected on the Left Side of the Balance sheet and Assets are reflected at the Right Side of the Balance sheet.
Below is the Balance sheet of the Company; this is how both Equity and Assets are represented:
|
Balance sheet |
|||
| Liabilities | Amount | Assets | Amount |
| Shareholder’s Equity | Current assets | ||
| Equity | $1,00,000 | Cash | $50,000 |
| Reserves | $20,000 | Petty cash | $500 |
| Current/short-term liabilities | Inventory | $10,000 | |
| Accounts payable | $6,000 | Pre-paid expenses | $100 |
| Interest payable | $200 | Fixed assets | |
| Accrued wages | $300 | Leasehold | $0 |
| Income tax | $500 | Property & land | $20,000 |
| Long-term liabilities | Furniture & fitout | $50,000 | |
| Loans | $7,600 | Vehicles | $4,000 |
| Total liabilities | $1,34,600 | Total assets | $1,34,600 |
Equity vs Asset Comparison Table
Let’s look at the top 7 Comparison between Equity vs Asset
| The Basis of Comparison |
Equity |
Assets |
| Meaning | Equity is Money which is bought by owners of Company in the Business | Assets are things which are owned by Company |
| Purpose | For Buying Assets or for Paying off Debts | Forgiving Economic Benefit to Business by utilization |
| Classification | No Classification | Classified into Fixed Assets and Current Assets |
| Ownership | Equity is funds of Owner’s | Assets are Property of Company |
| Equation | Equity = Assets – Liabilities | Assets= Equity+Liabilities |
| Debit/ Credit | Credit Balance | Debit Balance |
| Financial Statement | Reflected at the Liability side of the balance sheet | Reflected at Asset Side of Balance sheet |
Conclusion – Equity vs Asset
Equity vs Assets are different terms, but both are related. We can say that one is the Source of Funds and the Other is the Application or Utilization of Fund. One is Liability, and the Other is Asset.
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