How To Create Financial Reports That Stakeholders Find Value In

Finances are complicated, particularly when you are talking about business finances. Unlike business finance, you do not have to create financial reports for personal finance management. Producing financial reports that are valuable to investors, partners and other interested parties is no simple task. Thankfully, once you know how to create a financial report, you can easily replicate the process year after year. If you own a business and need help writing financial reports to inform interested stakeholders of your business performance, find out what to include below.

Statement of Financial Position

All financial reports should have a statement of financial position. This is also sometimes called a balance sheet. This section should show information about your company’s net worth, liquidity and liabilities. Make certain to include this section in any and all financial reports you create for business.

Cash Flow Statement

Cash flow statements are another must-have feature when producing financial reports for your business. Your figures in this section do not actually indicate business performance as a whole. Both successful businesses and failing businesses alike can have cash flow problems. However, this financial information gives interested parties an idea of your financial management abilities. Cash flow statements are a must have feature of business financial reports to help stakeholders understand your company’s cash flow position.

Income Statement

Income statements are a must-have element when compiling financial reports for business. They are sometimes referred to as profit and loss statements or statements of revenue and expense. These statements include information about business sales performance. An income statement should always include information about net profit or loss within a particular accounting window. It should also include a summary of how your revenues and expenses are incurred, including both operating and non-operating processes. Be sure to include an income statement in any financial report you create.

Operations

Operational figures should also be accounted for in your business financial reporting process. Information about costs per unit of service and other relevant information should be included in this section. This helps to inform interested parties of what they can expect from your business both now and in years to come. It gives them an idea of typical operating costs for business and what kind of fixed expense figures they can expect each month. This is important information to include in any and all financial statements you create for interested stakeholders.

Analysis

The analysis section is the most important of all financial reports. The analysis section helps readers to understand what all this financial data actually means for a business and its stakeholders. It addresses the relationship of debt to equity and its impacts on potential business growth. This section can also help stakeholders better understand how operations are funded and what results they produce. This is the information stakeholders will be most interested. That is why an analysis should be included in all financial reports created for business.

If you are a business owner, you know that financial reporting for business is a complicated process, regardless of whether you are doing it for a trucking business or a hair salon. There is a lot of financial information about your business that you must include when creating financial reports. Make sure to include these five sections mentioned above in any financial report you create going forward. This way, you can give interested parties the insight into your business that they truly value.

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