Depreciation Defined. Depreciating an asset means allocating the asset's cost over its useful life. The useful life of an asset, or economic resource, is the period of time over which a company intends to use this asset in operating activities or manufacturing processes. Funded Depreciation Defined. Funded depreciation is a fixed asset management method that helps a company set aside funds to renew machinery and equipment that it uses in operating activities. For instance, a company buys a new truck valued at $100,000 and records $10,000 in annual depreciation expense over 10 years.