Financial Statement : The Importance Of Financial Statements

A balance sheet is a statement of the assets and liabilities of a business going into depth of what the balance of income period.

In accounting there is much to be learned, about the financial aspects of a business. In the past five weeks I have learned the importance of financial reports and how they relate to the success of an establishment. These reports may include balance sheets and income statements, which help accountants and the public grasp the overall financial condition of a company. The information in these reports is really significant to, managers, owners, employees, and investors. Managers of a business can take and deduce financial

A balance sheet gives an overall picture of a company's financial situation by showing the total assets of a business, including liabilities plus equity. Current assets can include cash, accounts receivable, inventory and prepayments for insurance. The balance sheet is used by investors to get an idea of what the shareholders have invested, including

investors, auditors, executives of the business, etc.) an overview of the financial results and condition of the company. The major financial statements that come out of the accounting cycle are income statements, balance sheets, Statement of cash flows and Statement of retained earnings. Income statements are considered the most important of all the financial statements since it presents the operating results of an entity , e.g. revenues, expenses, and profits/losses generated during the reporting period (Bragg, 2017). Balance sheets provide reports of assets, liabilities, and equity of the entity as of the reporting date and can be considered the second most important statement because it provides information/figures about the liquidity, as well as the capitalization of a company (Bragg, 2017). Statement of cash flows exhibits the cash inflows and outflows that occur during a reporting period, which provides a useful comparison to the income statement, particularly when the amount of profit or loss reported does not reflect cash flows encountered by the businesses (Bragg, 2017). Statement of retained earnings is the least used financial statement that provides information regarding changes in equity during the reporting period and can include information such as: sale or repurchase of stock, dividend payments, and changes caused by reported profits or losses. Statements of retained earnings are often

The purpose of this paper is to define accounting, and identify the four basic financial statements. The paper also explains how the different financial statements are interrelated to each other and why they are useful to managers, investors, creditors, and employees.

Understanding the finances of a company is important but knowing the significance of the financial statements is crucial to the operations as well. Reviewing the statement of financial position, operating statement and statement of cash flows serve as a guidance to management and executives on the day-to-day activities of an organization (Finkler et al., 2013). For example, the statement of financial position (balance sheet) shows the assets and

Separately, the balance sheet reports a company’s financial position while the income statement reports a company’s fiscal year profits and losses. The balance sheet measures a company’s financial position by reporting its assets, liabilities, and owner’s (shareholder’s) equity. The income statement measures a company’s financial performance by reporting its revenues, expenses, and net income/loss. When combined, they serve two vital purposes: (1) expand the accounting equation and (2) enable analysis using ratios to determine industry position or potential material misstatements. The increase or decrease in owner’s (shareholder’s) equity on the balance sheet is a direct result of the net

The balance sheet is one of the major and critical financial statements that show the financial position of the company. The balance sheets tell the user of the

The “financial statements are formal reports providing information on a company's financial position, cash inflows and outflows, and the results of operations” (Hermanson, p.22). There are four main components that make up a financial statement. The four parts are, balance sheet, income statements, cash flow and, statement of owner’s equity. The balance sheets role is to define the company’s assets liabilities and revenue of the business. The income statement shows the income within the company. Cash flow reviews the position of the company by cash payments and receipts. Lastly, the statement of owner’s equity shows the amount of earnings, stock and other capitals of people in the company. (Hermanson, p.34-35).

Accountants, business owners, investors, creditors and employees use four basic financial statements of an organization to determine the financial well-being and future earnings potential of that organization. Financial statements are a key tool in seeing and understanding the past, present and future condition of an organization. What are these financial statements and what do they mean to the reader? Do the financial statements mean something completely different to an investor, creditor, and employee?

Financial accounting reports, to include balance sheets and income statements provide accountants and the general public a snap shot of a company’s overall financial condition and possibly their future financial position. This financial information is very important to business owners, executive managers, private investors and employees. The information contained in a company’s financial report has several important uses. Managers and senior leaders of a business can take extrapolated financial data from the income statement which details monthly earnings as well as the company’s liabilities and equity position. This information can then be used to analyze and forecast future annual budgets. Additionally information obtained in these multiple types of reports can also be used to proactively predict trends that may have a negative financial impact on company’s future operations. On another note a company’s financial reports are used by lending institutions to determine their ability to receive and repay loans used to finance business operations.

This essay will begin to look at the main financial statements used by decision makers in businesses today. This essay will go into detail about the income statement and statement of financial position and whether these two statements provide decision makers with their financial information adequately. This essay will also include the various advantages and disadvantages of each financial statement as well as describing whom the decision makers are and why financial statements are important to them. A conclusion will be present at the end of this essay to demonstrate an overall view of whether financial statements are beneficial to decision makers.

A balance sheet represents the financial affairs of the company and is also referred to as “Assets and Liabilities” statement and is always as on a particular date and not for a period.

The Balance Sheet shows the company's financial standing at a given point in time, e.g. at the end of a year or at the end of a month. It is called 'Balance' since financial assets on one side and liabilities plus owner's equity on the other side must balance (and certainly not show a loss) for the company to be successful

Also referred to as a Profit and Loss (P&L) statement, income statements illustrate a company’s revenues and expense, operating and non-operating income and expense, which is generated and incurred within an accounting period. “The analysis of income can create a picture of the quality of operations in the composed profit and loss account period” (Jeletic, 2012, pg. 325). In addition, income statements also inform external users of net profits or losses from the corporation 's equity position during an accounting period. These data are valuable to a company’s stakeholders, respectively. Some external stakeholders may utilize this information to highlight potential risks, financial strength, the yield on investment and operational abilities of a company (Carrahera & Auken, 2013).