Business, Finance

What Are Assets and What Are the Common Types?

A 2018 study reported that U.S. households had more than $113 trillion in assets. These assets are things of monetary value often owned by a business or an individual. It is crucial to understand more about assets and how they work.

So, what are assets? Keep reading to understand more about assets and the different types.

What Are Assets?

Assets refer to valuable resources that are convertible to cash. Governments, companies, and individuals own them. Personal assets include investments, a house, artwork, home items, or even a car.

Organizations also have assets, which are critical in promoting growth and production. The companies often categorize the assets as cash value. Businesses must keep track of these assets as they are central in running a business.

Companies and individuals need to know their assets and their worth to ensure adequate coverage. You can also use these assets to get a loan, as some of these assets can be ideal collateral.

Check out Your FundingTree service to know how you can benefit from asset-based lending. The money you borrow can help you address your company’s cash flow needs.

Types of Assets

Now that we have answered the question ‘what is an asset,’ it is crucial to know these assets. Different types of assets are mostly categorized based on their usage, physical existence, and convertibility. Here are some of the common types of assets you might need to understand.

Current Assets

Current assets include assets that are expected to be converted into cash, expended, or consumed within the current operating period or next year. In a business, some of these assets include accounts, receivable, inventory, and money.

Fixed Assets

Fixed assets refer to the long-lived assets, which you cannot convert into cash easily. These assets include buildings, property, furniture, and equipment.

Tangible Assets

Tangible assets are the assets with a physical presence. Some of these tangible assets include property, bonds, inventory, equipment, art, and precious metal.

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets are the assets without a physical presence. They include goodwill, trademarks, copyrights, and patents. As it stands, 80% of any company’s value is made of intangibles.

Determining the value of these intangible assets is usually difficult. Businesses use various metrics to determine how valuable the assets are in a company.

Financial Assets

A financial asset is one that has its value pegged on a contract. Some of the common financial assets include stocks, derivatives, bonds, and cash.

Businesses need to know more about asset classification to understand the fixed and current assets. Knowing these assets will make it easier for you to establish the revenue you’ll be getting from the asset.

Understanding What an Asset Is the First Step Towards Asset Management

Do you know what are assets? In simple times, an asset is anything valuable. Assets are essential for individuals and businesses.

There are different types of assets often categorized based on usage, physical existence, and convertibility. Each of these assets plays a significant role in a business. Ensure that you have understood more about the assets to ensure that you utilize them for personal and business growth.

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