Willis Towers Watson (Willis Towers Watson) Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

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Willis Towers Watson Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization Calculation

Depreciation is a present expense that accounts for the past cost of an asset that is now providing benefits.

Depletion and amortization are synonyms for depreciation.

Generally:
The term depreciation is used when discussing man made tangible assets
The term depletion is used when discussing natural tangible assets
The term amortization is used when discussing intangible assets

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Dec. 2023 adds up the quarterly data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was $505 Mil.

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

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Willis Towers Watson  (NAS:WTW) Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization Explanation

One of the key tenets of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is the matching principle. The matching principle states that companies should report associated costs and benefits at the same time.

For example:

If a company buys a $300 million cruise ship in 1982 and then sells tickets to passengers for the next 30 years, the company should not report a $300 million expense in 1982 and then ticket sales for 1982 through 2012. Instead, the company should spread the purchase price of the ship (the cost) over the same time period it sells tickets (the benefit).

To create income statements that meet the matching principle, accountants use an expense called depreciation.

So, instead of reporting a $300 million purchase expense in 1982, the company might:

Report a $30 million depreciation expense in 1982, 1983, 1984...and every year after that for the 30 years the company expects to sell tickets to passengers on this cruise ship.

To calculate depreciation, a company must make estimates and choices such as:

The cost of the asset
The useful life of the asset
The salvage value of the asset at the end of its useful life
And a way of spreading the cost of the asset to match the time when the asset provides benefits

The range of different ways of spreading the cost under GAAP accounting is too long to list. However, public companies in the United States explain their depreciation choices to shareholders in a note to their financial statements. It is critical that investors read this note. Investors can find this note in the company's 10-K.

Past depreciation expenses accumulate on the balance sheet. Most public companies choose not to show this contra asset account on the balance sheet they present to shareholders. Instead, they simply show a single item. This single asset item may be marked Net. Such as Property, Plant, and Equipment - Net. It is actually the asset account netted against the contra asset account.

A contra asset account is an account that offsets an asset account. So, for example a company might have:

Property, Plant, and Equipment - Gross: $150 million
Accumulated Depreciation: $120 million
Property, Plant, and Equipment - Net: $30 million

In this case, the only item likely to be shown on the balance sheet is Property, Plant, and Equipment - Net. This is the cost of the company's property, plant, and equipment (asset account) minus the accumulated depreciation (the contra asset account). It means the company's assets cost $150 million, the company has reported $120 million in depreciation expense over the years, and the company is now reporting the assets have a book value of $30 million.

It is possible for a company to have fully depreciated assets on its balance sheet. This means the company's estimate of the useful life of the asset was shorter than the asset's actual useful life. As a result, the asset - although it is still being used - is carried on the balance sheet at its salvage value.

This is a reminder that depreciation involves estimates and choices. It is not an infallible process.

Companies do not have cash layout for depreciation. Therefore, depreciation is added back in the cash flow statement.

Although depreciation is not a cash cost, it is a real business cost because the company has to pay for the fixed assets when it purchases them. Both Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger hate the idea of EDITDA because depreciation is not included as an expense. Warren Buffett even jokingly said We prefer earnings before everything when criticizing the abuse of EDITDA.

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Be Aware

Depreciation estimates make the calculation of net income susceptible to management's accounting choices. These choices can be either overly aggressive or overly conservative.

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Willis Towers Watson Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization Related Terms

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Operating Income Operating Margin % EBITDA

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Willis Towers Watson (Willis Towers Watson) Business Description

Executives

Pamela Thomson-hall	officer: Head of International	51 LIME STREET, LONDON X0 EC3M 7DQ
Anne Pullum	officer: Head of Strategy and CAO	C/O WILLIS TOWERS WATSON, 200 LIBERTY ST, 7TH FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10281
Julie Jarecke Gebauer	officer: Head of Human Capital&Benefits	JUPITER SATURN HOLDING CO, 875 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK NY 10022
Fredric J Tomczyk	director	TORONTO DOMINION CENTRE, PO BOX 1, TORONTO A6 M5K IA2
Stephen M. Chipman	director	3101 DREXEL DRIVE, DALLAS TX 75205
Jacqueline Hunt	director	53 SOUTH GREEN, MATTISHALL, NORFOLK X0 N220 3JY
Anne Donovan Bodnar	officer: Head of Human Resources	901 N. GLEBE ROAD, ARLINGTON VA 22203
Gene H Wickes	officer: Head of Exchange Solutions	901 N GLEBE ROAD, ARLINGTON VA 22203
Brendan R Oneill	director	C/O IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES PLC, 20 MANCHESTER SQUARE, LONDON X0 W1U 3AN
Paul C Reilly	director	880 CARILLON PARKWAY, ST. PETERSBURG FL 33716
Alexis Faber	officer: Chief Operating Officer	3340 PLAYERS CLUB PARKWAY, SUITE 200, MEMPHIS TN 38125
Andrew Jay Krasner	officer: Chief Financial Officer	1450 BRICKELL AVENUE, SUITE 1600, MIAMI FL 33131
Fumbi F. Chima	director	44 THORNBURY CT., 36-38 CHEPSTOW VILLAS, LONDON X0 WII 2RE
Michelle R Swanback	director	7001 EAST BELLEVIEW AVENUE, DENVER CO 80237
Inga K Beale	director	C/O CRAWFORD & COMPANY, 5335 TRIANGLE PARKWAY, PEACHTREE CORNERS GA 30092