Financial statements are an essential tool for understanding the financial health of a business. They provide a snapshot of the business’s financial performance and can help investors, creditors, and other stakeholders make informed decisions. If you’re new to financial statements, here’s a beginner’s guide to help you understand the basics.

There are three main financial statements that businesses typically prepare: the balance sheet, the income statement, and the cash flow statement. Let’s take a closer look at each of these statements.

The balance sheet provides a snapshot of a business’s financial position at a specific point in time. It shows the company’s assets, liabilities, and equity. Assets are the things that the company owns, such as cash, accounts receivable, inventory, and property. Liabilities are the company’s debts and obligations, such as accounts payable, loans, and taxes owed. Equity represents the value of the company that’s left over after liabilities are subtracted from assets.

The income statement, also known as the profit and loss statement, shows a business’s revenues and expenses over a specific period of time. It shows how much money the company earned from sales, as well as its expenses, including the cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and taxes. The income statement helps to show how much profit the business made during the period.

The cash flow statement shows how much cash a business generated or used during a specific period of time. It shows the cash inflows (such as sales revenue and investments) and cash outflows (such as expenses and loan repayments) to determine whether the business generated or used more cash during the period. The cash flow statement is particularly useful for assessing a company’s ability to meet its financial obligations.

Understanding financial statements is essential for making informed decisions about a business. By analyzing the information contained in financial statements, stakeholders can assess a company’s financial health, evaluate its performance, and make informed decisions about investments and other financial matters. By starting with the basics, anyone can learn to read and understand financial statements, even if they’re not an accounting expert.