1/7
Looks like no tags are added yet.
Name | Mastery | Learn | Test | Matching | Spaced |
|---|
No study sessions yet.
Balance sheet
A snapshot of a business’s health (what it owns and owes) at a specific date - also known as the statement of financial condition.
Balance sheet features
Assets (what it owns)
Liabilities (owes to external stakeholders)
Equity (owes to owners, e.g. sole trade, partners or shareholders)
Assets
Things of value to the business (e.g. car, cash, premises, equipment, intellectual property). Can be either:
Current: easily converted into cash.
Non-current: considered long-term, where their full value won’t be recognized until at least a year.
Liabilities
Things the business owes (e.g. bank loans, accounts payable (bill or invoice). Can be:
Current: Must be paid within 12 months.
Non-current: Paid over long-term, usually more than 12 months.
Owners Equity
The owners (or shareholders in a company) investment in the business (capital). As an investment, owners expect a return on this investment in the form of profits. It also represents the amount of money that would be returned to a company’s shareholders or a business owner if the business finished.
When a profit is made the owner or directors of a company will decide to either pay out the profit in the form of drawings (sole trader, partnership) or dividends (shareholders in a company), OR retain the profits for a specific future purpose such as expansion.
Balance sheet purpose
It tells investors a lot about a business:
How much debt it has (internal vs external),
Will the business be able to pay its short term debts on time (liquidity),
How much it needs to collect from customers (and how fast it does so),
What kinds of funds/savings the business has generated over time,
How much the business relies on loans from external financial institutions (stability).
Balance sheet issues
It only represents one point in time, and the very next day or hour the position may change. E.g. a customer (debtor) who owes a lot of money pays their accounts receivable.
Balance sheet equation
Assets = Owners Equity + Liabilities