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3.1·6 min read

Assets = Liabilities + Equity

The balance sheet always balances by construction: what a company owns equals what it owes plus what owners have put in and earned.

By the end you can
  • State and apply the accounting identity
  • Separate current from non-current items
Assets=Liabilities+Shareholders’ Equity\text{Assets} = \text{Liabilities} + \text{Shareholders' Equity}
Every transaction keeps this in balance - that is the discipline the balance sheet enforces.
Assets (what it owns)
  • Cash & equivalents
  • , (current)
  • , intangibles (non-current)
Liabilities + Equity (claims on it)
  • , accrued (current)
  • Debt (current + long-term)
  • Common stock +
Retained earnings

The cumulative a company has kept rather than paid out as dividends. It is the main bridge from the into equity each period.

Check yourself

A company has $500 of assets and $300 of liabilities. What is shareholders' equity?