Depreciation and amortization is the accounting process of allocating the periodic expiration of PPE and
intangible assets with definite useful lives respectively, against the periodic revenue earned. It is an accounting
concept that is often misunderstood. A business entity will often incur expenditures to acquire PPE and
intangible assets for operational purposes. These expenditures can be viewed as long-term prepayments of
expenses. As the assets are used for their intended purposes, their utility decreases. There should be a
systematic and periodic allocation of the cost associated with the acquisition of assets that corresponds to the
decrease in utility and complies with the expense recognition principle. This cost allocation process is known as
depreciation or amortization.