At the end of the day, a company's success rides on the balance sheet. That's why auditors and accountants are regularly expected to prepare financial statements for management, stakeholders, and company employees.

But crunching the numbers doesn't have to mean crunch time. To simplify the business financial statement process, use the following comprehensive introduction to the trends and industry standards behind financial statement preparation, as well as templates that lay out the components of some of the most commonly required statements.

• Prepare financial statements (Article)
  Learn how to prepare financial reports that best meet the needs of users.
• Balance sheet with ratios and working capital (Template)
  Use this Excel balance sheet template to compare total assets and liabilities.
• Income statement 1 year (Template)
  Break down profit and loss over a one-year period.
• Consolidation report (Template)
  Consolidate the financial profiles of your company's various entities into one standard financial statement.