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The Income Statements, Balance Sheet, And Statement Of Cash Flows

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Income Statements – Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows
Financial statements are very important for decision makers in the business world. They inform the firm’s owners, lenders and managers of the performance of the company and their employees. Standardized financial statements make for financial transparency between all businesses and sectors of business. Financial statements are important to companies not only to measure performance but to obtain capital through debt and equity. The main financial statements used by all companies, private and public, are the balance sheet, income statement (profit and loss statement), and statement of cash flows. Companies also use financial ratios to determine if they are performing to standards and are determine if they are increasing revenues sufficiently with the amount of expenses and debt taken on.
Income Statement
The income statement measures the flow of business activity by comparing revenues to the expenses over a period of time, as opposed to the momentary status of the business at a point in time (Brian P. Brinig, 2011). The income statement is important because it lists the amount of expenses that were incurred to create the revenues of the company. The biggest typical expenses for a company are the cost of goods sold, advertising and promotion, depreciation, wages and salaries, and rent.
Balance Sheet
A balance sheet lists assets, liabilities and equity of a business at a single point in

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