Essay Purpose Of Financial Statements

| A general partnership is comprised of a group of two or more individuals who enter into an agreement to start a business. The partners and the business are legally the same. The partners enter into an agreement called the articles of partnership and are typically equally active in the business and the business’s management, unless otherwise stated in the partnership agreement. All profits and losses are shared by the partners in a joint business venture.

The main purpose of the financial statements is to provide creditors and investors with a summary of a business financial activity. All statements are prepared at certain times throughout the year. The balance sheet reports liabilities, assets, and owner equity of the company. The income statement matches incurred expenses during a period of generated revenue. The statement of retained earnings reports retained earnings from net loss and net incomes from

Financial statements provide financial decision makers with varied information presented in specific formats that is easily attainable tools to evaluate financial health. Three of the necessary financial statements are the statement of financial position or the balance sheet, operating statement also called income statement, and the statement of cash flows (Finkler, Jones, and Kovner, 2013).

A partnership is the creation of two or more people who operate a business as co-owners and share profits. There is a collective amount of money that is contributed to the organization as it pertains to all aspect of the business and in return each individual share equally the profits and losses of the business. Partnerships require that there be a partnership agreement established because more than one person can make decisions for the partnership. The agreement should include how future business decisions will be made, the profits will be split among the partners, and the dissolving of the partnership (sba.gov). The partnership must file an annual information return that reports income, deductions, gains, and losses that occur from normal business operations. The business does not pay income taxes but the business pass through any profits and losses to its partners. Taxes that are included in a partnership are: employment tax, excise tax, annual return of income, income tax, self-employment tax, and estimated tax. Other qualifications of a partnership is that partners must furnish a copy of their Schedule K-1 form to all the partners by the date of the Form. It is important to remember that partners are not employees and they are not to be issued a W-2 Form.

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

The information found in financial statements outlines the financial activities of that company, and can help managers, creditors, and investors make many important decisions.

This financial statement is also used to keep records of the business, those records could also be used to compare the business development and to find out whether the business is making profit or not.

A Partnership is a business form that consists of two or more individuals. There are two types of partnerships; general and limited. General partners are liable for the full extent of debts and obligations within the business. Limited partnerships provide individuals with a limitation of responsibilities in the organization’s liability; this type of partnership is dependent upon the investment percentage. Advantages of partnerships consist of cost efficiency, shared financial responsibility, complementary skill association, and offer employees partnership incentives. Disadvantages of partnerships are joint and individual liability, disagreements between partners, and shared profits (“U.S. Small Business Administration,” 2013).

A partnership is related to any business entity conformed for two or more owners, not registered as a corporation or a limited-liability company. The partnership can be of two types: General partnership or limited partnership. In a limited partnership, one of the owners generally acts as the general partner assuming responsibility for managing the business decisions, while the limited partner only acts as a financial contributor to the business without any participation on business

Financial statements are imperative for organizations to keep track of the overall performance and value of the company over a period of time. Furthermore, the financial statements are necessary for creditors and investors to evaluate a company’s financial performance. There are four primary financial statements which focus of different areas of the financial aspects. There are balance sheets, income statements, statements of retained earnings, and statement of cash flows. Each of these statements is an essential measure for the financial activities within a company.

Financial statements of the company are significant for the investors who would like to venture into the business operation. It gives them the insight whether the business is making profits or it is doomed to fail;

Financial statement measures the financial performance, liquidity and strength of the firm, it is important

A partnership is a business organization where the partners own the business together and are

Financial statements are a very useful tool for individuals interested in the organization. Investors use the information to determine if it a wise decision to put their money into the organization. Investors need to determine if the organization has been successful and profitable and will continue to be successful and profitable. Creditors use the financial statements to determine the amount of credit that should be advanced to the organization. Employees generally do not look at the financial statements, but if a new executive was thinking of joining the organization, he or she may want to see the potential of the organization to make sure the investors are becoming a part of a successful organization. Management uses the financial statements on a monthly basis to determine which areas of the organization are profitable and which areas of the organization that needs to be discontinued or restructure to become more profitable.

The Purpose of Financial Statements The financial statements of a business are used to provide information about the status of the business, set performance targets and impose restrictions on the managers of the firm as well as provide an easier method for financial planning. The financial statements consist of the Profit and Loss Account, Balance Sheet and the Cash Flow Statement. There are four areas of information, which we can collect from a company's financial statements. They are: Ÿ