Retained Earnings Statement Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Retained Earnings Statement?
A Retained Earnings Statement is a financial statement that summarizes the amount of a company’s net income or loss, after taxes, that was retained by the business from one accounting period to the next. It is used to track how much of a company’s profits are reinvested back into the company rather than distributed as dividends. The statement acts as an internal report for shareholders and management to use when evaluating growth opportunities and making decisions about future investments. The Retained Earnings Statement typically features three key components: Beginning Retained Earnings, Net Income/Loss and Ending Retained Earnings. The Beginning Retained Earnings figure shows what the total was at the beginning of an accounting period while Ending Retained Earnings provides an updated total at the end of an accounting period. Between these two figures is Net Income/Loss which represents any changes due to income or losses during that time frame. To calculate ending retained earnings, subtract any distributions (dividends) paid out from net income/loss and add it to beginning retained earnings figure. Retained earnings are usually tracked over long periods of time in order to accurately measure a company’s profitability and growth potential; this helps investors understand how well their investment is doing in relation to others companies within its industry or sector. It also provides information needed for informed decision-making regarding stock buybacks, dividend payments, capital investments and other corporate finance activities. Overall, understanding your business’s retained earnings statement can help provide insight into its performance over time as well as give guidance on where resources should be allocated for maximum return on investment. By tracking changes in this metric over long periods of time you can gain critical insights into your company’s overall financial health and help ensure sound decision-making moving forward with respect to strategic planning and resource allocation decisions related to profitability goals.