What is the difference between financial accounting and cost accounting?

@bell 

Financial accounting and cost accounting are two branches of accounting that serve different purposes within an organization:

1. Financial Accounting: Financial accounting is focused on the preparation and reporting of financial statements for external users, such as investors, creditors, and government entities. It deals with summarizing, analyzing, and presenting financial data in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The main objectives of financial accounting are to provide a true and fair view of an organization's financial position, performance, and cash flows. It covers areas such as recording transactions, preparation of financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement), and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
2. Cost Accounting: Cost accounting primarily focuses on providing internal information to management for decision-making, planning, and control purposes. It involves the identification, accumulation, measurement, analysis, and interpretation of costs associated with various activities, products, processes, or departments within an organization. Cost accounting systems help determine the cost of producing goods or services, calculate job or product costs, evaluate cost efficiency, and support budgeting and pricing decisions. It provides insights into the cost behavior, cost structure, and profitability of different segments or products within an organization.

In summary, financial accounting is mainly concerned with reporting financial information to external stakeholders, while cost accounting is more internally focused and provides managers with information necessary for planning, controlling costs, and making informed business decisions.