Shareholders’ equity represents the net assets owned by the owners (the shareholders). Net assets are assets minus liabilities. For example, in Big Dog’s January 31 balance sheet, net assets are $12,000, calculated as total assets of $22,100 minus total liabilities of $10,100. This means that although there are $22,100 of assets, only $12,000 are owned by the shareholders and the balance, $10,100, are financed by debt. Notice that net assets and total shareholders’ equity are the same value; both are $12,000. Shareholders’ equity consists of share capital and retained earnings. Share capital represents how much the shareholders have invested in the business. Retained earnings are the sum of all net incomes earned by a corporation over its life, less any dividends distributed to shareholders. Shareholders have a right to these accumulated earnings because they own the corporation.
In summary, the balance sheet is represented by the equation:
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Assets = Liabilities + Shareholders’ equity |
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