substantiating

Definition

The bureaucratic art of turning vague claims into documented reality through the careful assembly of receipts, invoices, and emails. Without substantiation, your expense report is just creative fiction.

Example Usage

The auditor required substantiating documents before approving the six-figure consulting expense.

Source: Common accounting and legal terminology

Related Terms

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impairment charge

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💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

waterfall distribution

The predetermined order in which cash flows are distributed among different classes of investors, with senior investors getting paid before junior ones. It's like a literal waterfall—money flows down until each tier is satisfied.

💰 Finance / Accounting

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Accounts Payable (AP)

Money your company owes to vendors and suppliers—basically an IOU list that keeps accountants awake at night.

💰 Finance / Accounting

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disburse

The fancy way to say 'fork over the cash,' typically used when governments or large organizations finally release funds they've been sitting on. It's the financial equivalent of a parent grudgingly handing over allowance money. Always sounds more dignified than 'pay out,' which is exactly why accountants love it.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

shadow banking

Financial intermediation that happens outside traditional regulated banks, including hedge funds, money market funds, and other entities that act like banks without pesky regulations. It's called 'shadow' because regulators prefer not to see what's happening there.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

revenue recognition

The accounting principle determining when revenue should be recorded, which sounds simple until you encounter multi-year contracts, partial deliveries, and customers who might return products. Getting this wrong is how good companies become accounting scandals.

💰 Finance / Accounting

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