Businesses of all sizes must submit yearly reports and financial statements as a matter of course. Financial reports and statements are used by business analysts, financial analysts, financial analysts, and financial managers to acquire information about a company’s financial health.
Insightful data may be found in financial statements and yearly reports on a wide range of economic subjects, including equity, cash flow, and profitability.
Because they are often used in the same context, many people confuse these two idioms. It’s important to note, however, that financial statements and annual reports are not usually identical. There is a difference between them, and they are not always the same thing.
With your background in financial statements and annual reports, you will be able to dig deeper into the information included in these papers and draw more accurate conclusions from it. Here are the Differences Between Financial Statements and Annual Reports as per your choice.
Why is it important to understand financial accounts and how they should be interpreted?
A company’s financial statements are essentially a log of all the transactions the company has undertaken financially. All parties concerned, including investors, shareholders, and Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, may easily understand them (ACRA).
One of the most important purposes of financial statements is to convey information about a company’s financial position, cash flow, and operational results. Financial statements have this as their primary goal. Informed decisions on how the firm allocates its resources may be made with the help of these data points.
For the most part, the management of a business compiles the company’s financial accounts, which are subsequently audited by a third-party auditor from outside the organisation.
The four most prevalent forms of financial statements are summarised as follows:
Balance Sheet
Using a specific structure, a balance sheet demonstrates the current financial health of a company. All of the company’s assets and liabilities, as well as the total number of shares it owns, are shown in this way. A company’s current net worth may be ascertained, for example, by consulting the balance sheet.
Cash Flow Statement
As well as the amount of money a company has available for spending, this statement reveals how that money is brought in and out of the company. It is considered healthy for a firm to have a positive cash flow since it does not have any outstanding debt, is more resilient to revenue swings, and is more willing to take chances.
In order to show the changes in equity, this statement should be used
When a new investment is made or new stock is issued to investors, these statements document any changes in equity within the business. Investors who buy new shares are one example of a company’s equity changing. A company’s equity would have to be reduced by 10% if it were to issue new shares that were each worth 10% of the company’s value.
Statement of Earnings
An income statement is used to monitor a company’s sales, costs, and net profit over a longer period of time. Investors often consult income statements while determining whether or not their investment will generate a profit.