Asset Meaning and Definition from WordNet (r) 2.0

asset n : a useful or valuable quality [syn: plus] [ant: liability]

Asset Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Asset \As"set\, n. Any article or separable part of one's assets.

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In financial accounting, assets are economic resources. Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or controlled to produce value and that is held to have positive economic value is considered an asset. Simply stated, assets represent ownership of value that can be converted into cash (although cash itself is also considered an asset).

The balance sheet of a firm records the monetary

Intangible assets are nonphysical resources and rights that have a value to the firm because they give the firm some kind of advantage in the market place. Examples of intangible assets are goodwill, copyrights, trademarks, patents and computer programs, and financial assets, including such items as accounts receivable, bonds and stocks.

It should be noted that - other than software companies and the like - employees are not considered as assets, like machinery is, even though they are capable of producing value.

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* I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among men the greatest asset I possess. The way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement. - Charles Schwab

* How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values - Alan Greenspan

* Experience is an asset of which no worker can be cheated, no matter how selfish or greedy his immediate employer may be. - Napolean Hill


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