Julia is a writer in New York and started covering tech and business during the pandemic. She also covers books and the publishing industry. With over a decade of editorial experience, Rob Watts ...

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2012. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function. I enjoyed the LIFO ...

Stakeholders in a business need a way to conveniently assess the financial position of the firm. The balance sheet is a document designed to do just that. It provides a concise summary of everything a ...

Joseph Nguyen is a contributing author at Investopedia and a research analyst with experience at a securities brokerage firm. Charlene Rhinehart is a CPA , CFE, chair of an Illinois CPA Society ...

When you want to know a company’s financial health, it helps to look at its balance sheet. But if you’ve never seen a balance sheet before or don’t know how to read one, all you’ll see is a collection ...

A balance sheet is a financial statement that provides a snapshot of a company's assets, liabilities, and shareholder's equity. A balance sheet is a type of financial statement. It gives you an ...

J.B. Maverick is an active trader, commodity futures broker, and stock market analyst 17+ years of experience, in addition to 10+ years of experience as a finance writer and book editor. Andy Smith is ...

Company management often analyzes financial statement data to understand how the business is performing relative to where it was historically, and relative to where it wants to go in the future.

Balance sheets consist of assets, liabilities, and shareholders' equity, revealing financial health. Shareholders' equity equals assets minus liabilities and reflects theoretical investor value if a ...

A strong balance sheet can make all the difference between your investment surviving a market downturn and blowing up in your face. Nearly every financial crisis can be traced back to a foundation of ...