Stock Market Investors » Glossary of Stock Terms » What is a Balance Sheet?

What is a Balance Sheet?

The balance sheet is an obligatory element of every company's annual report. It includes information on a company's:

  • Assets
  • Liabilities
  • Equity
  • Net worth

These are tied to a particular time period. By referring to the balance sheet you can find out what is the real value of a company.

Avoid falling in the common mistake of referring to the balance sheet as the bottom-line. The latter is found in the income statement of the company and has no place in its balance sheet.

To be a successful investor you need two main things - the knowledge and the right trading platform. For a trading platform we can recommend try you Zecco and TradeKing.
Zecco offers free stock trades, no account minimum, real time quotes, trading community, and is also insured and protected against loss by SIPC. Opening a Zecco account to benefit from $0 Stock/ETF trading is a smart idea. Free stock trades allow you to preserve more of your wealth and save money, which you can invest instead of paying brokerage commissions.
TradeKing has been rated #1 Discount Broker by SmartMoney’s (the Wall Street Journal Magazine) annual US broker survey. It was also awarded the highest 4-star ranking in Barron's survey of Best Browser-Based Online Brokers. TradeKing platform features real-time portfolio information, advanced order entry, stock, option and mutual fund screeners, customized charting and alerts, volatility charts, a pricing probability calculator, free research and integrated news, and interactive educational information. Open a TradeKing account here

Article Tools
Rate this article : Low
  • Currently 2.6/5 Stars
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
High
Bookmark this page (CTRL+D) :


Related terms: balance sheet analysis, balance sheet income statement cash flow, cash balance sheet, financial balance sheet, balance sheet definition, sample balance sheet, how to make a balance sheet, what is a balance sheet