Financial Statements Overview

Study Notes

Types of financial statements include the Statement of Financial Position (balance sheet), Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income (income statement), Statement of Changes in Equity, Statement of Cash Flows, and Notes.
The Statement of Financial Position shows the entity's assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific point in time.
The Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income reports income or loss over a period of time.
The Statement of Changes in Equity shows the changes in equity accounts during a period.
The Statement of Cash Flows details the cash inflows and outflows for a period.
Notes provide additional narrative disclosures and other information required by accounting standards.
Assets represent resources controlled by the entity, which are expected to provide future economic benefits.
Liabilities represent present obligations of the entity to transfer economic resources as a result of past events.
Equity represents the residual interest in the assets of the entity after deducting its liabilities.

Current assets and liabilities are those expected to be realized or settled within one year or the operating cycle, whichever is longer.
Noncurrent assets and liabilities are those expected to be realized or settled after one year or the operating cycle.

Financial statements can be presented as classified (current/noncurrent) or unclassified.
Classified statements categorize assets and liabilities based on liquidity (i.e., how easily they can be converted to cash).
Unclassified statements group items without considering their liquidity.

Cash equivalents are highly liquid investments that can be readily converted to cash with insignificant risk of change in value.

Expenses are decreases in economic benefits during a period from outflows or consumption of assets or increases in liabilities, excluding those relating to investments by owners.
Common expense categories can include costs of goods sold, distribution or selling costs, administrative or general and administrative costs, and other expenses.

Revenue is an inflow or enhancement of economic benefits during a period from ordinary activities of an entity. - Gains may or may not arise from the ordinary activities of an entity.

Income statements report only the profit or loss for a period.
Statement of Comprehensive Income reports both the profit or loss and items that affect total comprehensive income, which may or may not be part of the ordinary activities of an entity.

The statement of cash flows provides information about the cash inflows and outflows of an entity during a period, categorized by operating, investing, and financing activities.
Operating activities concern the principal revenue-producing activities of the business and other activities that are not included in investing or financing activities.
Investing activities include the acquisition and disposal of long-term assets and other investments not included in the normal operating cycle.
Financing activities concern the provision of capital to the entity and its repayment.
The statement of cash flows can be presented using the direct or indirect method.

There are different business structures such as Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, and Cooperative, each with unique legal and equity considerations.