Worksheet Details
CategoryBalance Sheet.
TopicHow do you create a balance sheet in excel.
AuthorAlice Garran
PostedThu, Sep 12th 2019 10:42 AM
Formatjpg/jpeg
Now that you can answer the question what is a balance sheet. Let’s look at how to read a balance sheet. Investors, creditors, and internal management use the balance sheet to evaluate how the company is growing, financing its operations, and distributing to its owners. A single sheet won’t tell you that much about the company, but a comparative report that shows two to three years of trend will tell you how cash is being spent, the amount of debt being paid off, and the level of investments being made each year. It will also show the if the company is funding its operations with profits or debt.
When valuing your assets, it’s best to err on the side of caution. This means that if equipment depreciates, you should list what it could currently be sold for. A general rule of thumb when ascertaining assets is to choose either what you paid for it, or its current fair market value. You should choose fair market value for any equipment or working capital that may be a few years old, because it will not be worth as much as you paid for it. On the other hand, if you are counting real property as an asset, you will want to choose what it is currently assessed at, rather than what you paid for it. Real property values can grow over time. If you pay tax on your real property, then you will want to use what it is being assessed as.