Retained earnings are kept with the company for growth instead of distributing dividends to the shareholders. Therefore the cost of retained earnings refers to its opportunity cost which is the cost of foregoing dividends by the shareholders. Therefore the cost of retained earnings is similar to theRead more
Retained earnings are kept with the company for growth instead of distributing dividends to the shareholders. Therefore the cost of retained earnings refers to its opportunity cost which is the cost of foregoing dividends by the shareholders.
Therefore the cost of retained earnings is similar to the cost of equity without tax and flotation cost. Hence, it can be calculated as
Kr = Ke (1 – t) (1 – f),
Kr = Cost of retained earnings
Ke = Cost of equity
t = tax rate
f = flotation cost
Here, flotation cost means the cost of issuing shares.
EXAMPLE
If cost of equity of a company was 10%, tax rate was 30% and flotation cost was 5%, then
cost of retained earnings = 10% x (1 – 0.30)(1 – 0.05) = 6.65%.
From the above example and formula, it is clear that the cost of retained earnings would always be less than or equal to the cost of equity since retained earnings do not involve flotation costs or tax.
A company usually acquires funds from various sources of finance rather than a single source. Therefore the cost of capital of the company will be the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) of each individual source of finance. The cost of retained earnings is thus an important factor in calculating the overall cost of capital.
Another important factor of WACC is the cost of equity. The cost of equity is sometimes interchanged with the cost of retained earnings. However, they are not the same.

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Liabilities are obligations which a business owes to external or internal parties.As per the accounting equation liabilities are equal to the difference between assets and capital. Total Outside Liabilities in relation to the Borrower can be all secured and unsecured loans, including current liabilRead more
Liabilities are obligations which a business owes to external or internal parties.As per the accounting equation liabilities are equal to the difference between assets and capital.
Total Outside Liabilities in relation to the Borrower can be all secured and unsecured loans, including current liabilities of the Borrower.
External Liability or outside liability is an obligation which a business has to pay back to external parties i.e. lenders, vendors, government, etc. Payable to Sundry creditors for the supply of any goods for the business or payable to any contractors for receiving any services or payable to the Govt. or other departments for any statutory payments like taxes or other levies. All these liabilities are known as an external liability to the business and are shown on the liability side of the Balance sheet after charging into the profit & loss account of that period.
Where, Internal Liability – All obligations which a business has to pay back to internal parties such as promoters, employees, etc. are termed as internal liabilities. Example – Capital, Salaries, Accumulated profits, etc.
Example – Borrowings, Creditors, Taxes, etc.
Where, 1) Person A takes a loan from person B (person not associated with the company), person B is an external liability to person A.
2) Person A has a tax liability of Rs.1000, here the government is an external liability to whom A has to pay the liability amount.
3) Person A got goods on credit from person C for 60 days, C is an external liability to A, which A has to pay within the time period.
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