The Controllership Series: Financial Statement Preparation

Overview

One of the important roles of any member of the financial team. Including the controller, may be involvement in the preparation of the company's financial statements. Even if that responsibility falls within the office of the CFO, the controller & other finance personnel must understand how their transitions recorded impact the financial statements. Financial statements (or financial reports) are formal records of the financial activities & position of a business, person, or other entity. Relevant financial information is presented in a structured manner & in a form which is easy to understand. They typically include four basic financial statements accompanied by a management discussion & analysis:

A balance sheet or statement of financial position reports on a company’s assets, liabilities & owners’ equity at a given point in time. An income statement may have varying names including profit & loss report (P&L report), statement of comprehensive income, or statement of revenue & expenses. These report on a company’s income, expenses & profits over a stated period. A profit & loss statement provides information on the operation of the enterprise. These include sales & the various expenses incurred during the stated period. A statement of changes in equity or “statement of equity” also called “statement of retained earnings” reports on the changes in equity of the company over a stated period. A cash flow statement reports on a company’s cash flow, particularly its operating, investing & financing activities over a stated period.

A balance sheet represents a single point in time, where the income statement, the statement of changes in equity & the cash flow statement each represent activities over a stated period. For large corporations, these statements may be complex & may include an extensive set of footnotes to the financial statements, management discussion & analysis & supplementary information. The notes typically describe each item on the balance sheet, income statement & cash flow statement in further detail. Notes to financial statements are considered an integral part of the financial statements.