FIN301 / CHAPTER 3

Financial Statements

Build your first statement, review the summary, then practice on your own.
Income statement

How much profit did the business earn?

Measures sales, expenses, and profit over a period.

01 / FIRST EXERCISE

Build your first income statement

10 guided lines

Follow the pulsing words and matching blanks from sales to net income. Get a short explanation and feedback at each step.

Go to summary ↓
02 / SUMMARY

What to remember

Use the income statement tool ↗

Income Statement (IS): what it tells investors

The income statement measures profitability over a period. It explains how revenue turns into operating profit and net income.
Structure (typical)
  • Revenue
  • COGS = Gross Profit (product economics)
  • Operating Expenses (SG&A, R&D, etc.) = Operating Income
  • ± other items = EBIT (operating performance, before financing/taxes)
  • − Interest = EBT
  • − Taxes = Net Income
Why EBIT is often more useful than Net Income
  • EBIT removes interest and income tax effects. Net income includes capital structure (interest) and tax effects.
  • Two firms can have similar operations but different interest expense → different net income.
  • Analysts compare operating performance using EBIT margin or operating margin.

Quick checks + common mistakes (IS)

Check #1 — Percent margins
Always convert to percentages: gross margin, operating margin, net margin. Dollars mislead when firm sizes differ.
Check #2 — One-time items
One-time items can affect both net income and EBIT. Identify unusual gains or expenses before comparing performance across years.

Mini practice (concept)

If revenue is flat but net income rises, what could be happening? (Hint: cost reductions, lower interest, lower taxes, fewer one-time expenses, etc. Fewer shares can raise EPS, but do not directly raise total net income.)

Exam Review — Practice Quiz

Income Statement Quiz

EBIT, EBITDA, net income, taxes, and retained earnings. 10 True/False questions with instant feedback.

Finished this statement?

Choose another statement above, or continue below to connect all three and complete the homework.

ALL THREE STATEMENTS

Read the three statements together

Big idea
Profit and cash measure different things. A company can earn revenue before collecting cash or buy an asset before recognizing the full cost as an expense. Investors read the three statements together to judge:
  • Profitability (IS)
  • Liquidity + solvency (BS)
  • Cash generation and use (CF)
One rule for Chapter 3
Never trust one statement alone.
Example: a firm can show net income but have negative CFO (cash stress), or rising cash only because it borrowed (financing inflow).
What you should be able to do
  • Explain why the balance sheet balances (A = L + E).
  • Explain when EBIT helps compare operating performance.
  • Explain sources vs uses of cash and why CFO quality matters.
  • Build an income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement using the guided first exercises.
Next: Homework ↓
HOMEWORK / INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

Practice on your own — Homework

Show work. Label steps. Use statement structure.
How to use Homework Hints: Try the question first. If you need help, place your mouse over Hint to reveal the equation or relationship. The hint does not show the final answer. Keyboard users can press Tab to focus on Hint.
Homework Questions (no answers)
  1. Firm AAA: Sales 2,000; COGS 1,000; Depreciation 200; Admin 180; Interest 30; Marketing 50; Taxes 200. Prepare an income statement.
    HintSales → COGS → GP → (Admin+Marketing+Dep) → EBIT → (−Interest) → EBT → (−Taxes) → NI.
  2. Current assets 2,000; fixed assets 3,000; A/R 300; A/P 300; cash 800. Inventory?
    HintCA = cash + A/R + inventory (+ other CA if any).
  3. NWC 1,000; LTD 5,000; total assets 8,000; fixed assets 5,000. Total equity?
    HintCA = TA − FA. CL = CA − NWC. Equity = TA − (CL + LTD).
  4. Andre’s Bakery: Sales 100,000; costs 50,000; interest 20,000; depreciation 10,000; tax rate 35%. Taxes paid?
    HintTaxable income = (Sales − costs − dep) − interest. Taxes = 0.35 × taxable income.
  5. Same Andre’s Bakery + dividends 3,000. Retained earnings (change)?
    HintΔRE = Net income − Dividends.
  6. Blue Bonnet: NFA 2.2m → 2.6m; depreciation 1,000,000. Net capital spending?
    HintNet cap spending = (End NFA − Begin NFA) + Dep.
  7. Inventory 500; fixed assets 1,860; A/R 190; A/P 210; cash 70. Current assets?
    HintCA = cash + A/R + inventory (+ other CA if any).
  8. NWC 640; total liabilities 5,860; total assets 6,230; fixed assets 3,910. Long-term debt?
    HintCA = TA − FA. CL = CA − NWC. LTD = Total liabilities − CL.
  9. Which is a use of cash?
    A. decrease A/R • B. decrease A/P • C. increase common stock • D. decrease inventory
    HintDecrease in liabilities = use. Decrease in assets = source.
  10. Net income 878; depreciation 40; dividends 25; A/P ↓13; A/R ↑20; inventory ↓14; NFA ↓8. Net cash flow from operations?
    HintCFO = NI + Dep − ΔAR − ΔInv + ΔAP (A/P ↓ ⇒ ΔAP negative).
  11. Teddy’s Pillows: beginning NFA 480; ending NFA 530; assets valued 300 sold; depreciation 40. Capital spending?
    HintEnd NFA = Begin NFA + Capex − BV_sold − Dep.
  12. Art’s Boutique: Sales 640,000; costs 480,000; interest 40,000; depreciation 60,000; tax 34%. Net income?
    HintEBIT = Sales − costs − dep. EBT = EBIT − interest. Taxes = 0.34×EBT. NI = EBT − Taxes.