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Accounting Equation

It is necessary to understand the accounting equation to know and understand the components of a balance sheet. The accounting equation is simply stated assets – liabilities = Shareholder equity and is necessary to balance the books of a company. The accounting equation is best understood in the balance sheet. The balance sheet essentially shows how much money the company has, how much it owes, and what is left for the stockholders. There are many ways that the accounting equation relates to the components of the balance sheet which can be explained more in depth. Examples will also provide more in-depth understand of how the components of the accounting equation affect each other and how transactions affect the accounting equation. Essentially, a balance sheet is created when one subtracts everything that is owed from everything that is owned to come up with a net worth. Just as an individual would put this information together as a balance sheet to evaluate one’s credit worthiness, companies are required to put their balance sheets together several times a year for shareholders. This also allows investors to gauge the company’s finances, and is usually the first report to look at when determining the value of a company. The balance sheet has three main parts which are the assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity. Every balance sheet must balance, and relates to the accounting equation in the sense that the balance sheet shows the total value of all assets that must equal to the combined value of all liabilities and shareholder equity. The accounting equation can be rewritten from above to show total assets equals liabilities plus shareholder equity, just as in the balance sheet which would show the detail of this information. The components of the accounting equation affect each other and must balance on both sides

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