{"id":45297,"date":"2023-06-21T12:42:10","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T10:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.captrader.com\/glossar\/bilanzsumme\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T12:42:10","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T10:42:10","slug":"balance-sheet-total","status":"publish","type":"glossar","link":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/glossar\/bilanzsumme\/","title":{"rendered":"Balance sheet total"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are you interested in finance and would like to invest in exciting companies? You have probably already come across the term \"balance sheet total\". In this article, we explain exactly what this term means and how you can calculate this key figure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Balance sheet total definition: What does it mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The balance sheet total, also known as total assets, is an important part of a company's annual financial statements. It provides information on what assets a company has at a certain point in time. But it also shows how many debts are still outstanding that the company has to repay.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The importance of the balance sheet total lies in the fact that it obliges a company to present its own financial situation transparently. A high balance sheet total can indicate that a company is well capitalized and able to pay its liabilities. However, a low balance sheet total can indicate that a company is having difficulties paying its liabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to calculate the balance sheet total of companies&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The balance sheet total is calculated by adding up all of the company's assets and subtracting the outstanding liabilities. In addition to the money available in the account, assets also include other values such as buildings, machinery, stock, vehicle fleet, trademark or license rights and receivables from customers. Liabilities include all financial obligations that are still outstanding. These include loans and unpaid invoices, for example from suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A company can determine its balance sheet total by listing its assets and liabilities in a balance sheet and adding the two values together. It is important to note that the balance sheet total is not necessarily related to the company's turnover. A company can have a high turnover but also high debts, which can lead to a low balance sheet total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note: An example of a balance sheet total would be: Assets of \u20ac 500,000 and liabilities of \u20ac 300,000 result in a balance sheet total of \u20ac 200,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Risk of confusion: total capital vs. total assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Newcomers often confuse the terms total capital and total assets. Both key figures indicate how valuable or profitable a company is, but there is an important difference:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The total capital of a company consists of equity and debt. Equity comprises all funds that the company can raise from its own resources, such as the money in the bank account that has been generated through profitable activities. Debt capital includes all funds that the company receives from third parties, such as banks or investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note: Debt or liabilities are not generally bad. Debt capital can be useful if the company uses it wisely to increase sales and profits.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What role the balance sheet total plays in the annual financial statements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The balance sheet total plays an important role in a company's annual financial statements, as it provides an overview of the company's financial position. It is very important and also useful to look at the balance sheet total in conjunction with other key financial figures, such as profit and turnover. This gives you a more comprehensive understanding of the company's financial situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Companies should regularly calculate their balance sheet total to ensure that they have their finances under control and are able to meet their liabilities. It is also advisable to look at the balance sheet total in comparison to other companies in the same industry to get an idea of how well the company is performing in comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, the balance sheet total provides important information about the financial situation of a company and is an important indicator of its health and growth potential.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">These key figures play a major role in relation to the balance sheet total&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this section, you will learn more about the other relevant key figures that you should always consider together with the balance sheet total.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The equity ratio<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another important aspect of the balance sheet total is determining the equity ratio. The equity ratio indicates how much equity a company has in relation to its debt capital. A high equity ratio is generally a positive sign that the company is well capitalized.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The higher the equity ratio, the better the chances that the company will be able to meet its liabilities. However, a low equity ratio may indicate that the company has low financial strength. This means that it may not always be able to pay its outstanding liabilities on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Liquidity&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another important financial indicator based on the balance sheet total is liquidity. Liquidity indicates how high the availability of capital is. A company with high liquidity generally has sufficient financial resources. Such companies not only enjoy a high reputation on the market, but are also better able to deal with crises.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Companies with low liquidity may find it difficult to obtain loans, if at all, at a very high interest rate. They are also very susceptible to financial challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The return on investment (ROI)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another important key figure in relation to the balance sheet total is the return on assets (ROA), also known as return on investment (ROI). ROI indicates how profitably a company is using its assets. A higher ROI means that the company is using its assets more effectively and generating more profit, compared to a lower ROI. Companies can calculate their ROI by dividing their profit by total assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Concluding notes on the balance sheet total<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is important to note that total assets are not always a reliable indicator of a company's financial position. For example, a company may have high assets but also high liabilities, which can lead to a higher balance sheet total. In such cases, it may be useful to look at other financial ratios, such as the debt to equity ratio, to get a better understanding of the company's financial situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You should also note that the balance sheet total is only a small section of a company's financial position at any given time. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the company's financial position, it is important to look at the balance sheet total over a longer period of time. You should also compare it with other key financial figures in order to identify trends and developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion: Understanding total assets and relevant key figures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Total assets are an important indicator of a company's financial position, but it is important to look at them in conjunction with other financial ratios to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the company's financial position. Companies should regularly calculate and monitor their balance sheet total. This is the only way to ensure that they have their finances under control and can reliably meet their liabilities at all times.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-45297","glossar","type-glossar","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"blog_summary":"","blog_faq_schalter":"nein","faq_uberschrift":"","blog_faq_loop":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossar\/45297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossar"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/glossar"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}