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WGU Accounting-for-Decision-Makers Exam - Topic 1 Question 6 Discussion

What does it mean if a company has a debt ratio of 101.5%?
B) The company has 1.5% more total liabilities than total assets
A) The company has 1.5% more total liabilities than gross sales
C) The company has 1.5% more total liabilities than net income
D) The company has 1.5% more current liabilities than current assets

WGU Accounting-for-Decision-Makers Exam - Topic 1 Question 6 Discussion

Actual exam question for WGU's Accounting-for-Decision-Makers exam
Question #: 6
Topic #: 1
[All Accounting-for-Decision-Makers Questions]

What does it mean if a company has a debt ratio of 101.5%?

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Suggested Answer: B

The correct answer is B. The company has 1.5% more total liabilities than total assets. The debt ratio is calculated as:

Debt ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets

If the debt ratio is 101.5%, or 1.015, that means total liabilities are 101.5% of total assets. In other words, liabilities are slightly greater than assets. Specifically, the company has 1.5% more liabilities than assets.

This is an important financial warning sign because it suggests the company may have negative equity. Since the accounting equation is:

Assets = Liabilities + Owners' equity

if liabilities exceed assets, then owners' equity must be negative. That can indicate financial distress, accumulated losses, or a highly leveraged position.

Option A is incorrect because the debt ratio does not compare liabilities to sales. Option C is incorrect because it does not compare liabilities to net income. Option D is incorrect because the debt ratio uses total liabilities and total assets, not current liabilities and current assets. Therefore, the only correct interpretation of a 101.5% debt ratio is that total liabilities exceed total assets by 1.5%, making Option B correct.


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Tamera
10 hours ago
I thought the debt ratio was about total liabilities compared to total assets, so B seems like the best choice, but I'm a bit confused about the other options.
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Paris
6 days ago
I'm not entirely sure, but I feel like 101.5% indicates the company is in a risky position. Could it be A or B?
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Cassie
11 days ago
I remember practicing a question like this, and I think it was about comparing liabilities to assets. So, B sounds right to me too.
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Katie
16 days ago
I think a debt ratio over 100% means liabilities exceed assets, so maybe it's B?
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