3 major types of financial statements comms pros should know

[Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from “Business Acumen for Strategic Communicators: A Primer.” You can purchase the book here and Ragan/PR Daily readers receive a 30% discount with the code BUSINESS30.]

Financial statements provide a snapshot in time look at an organization’s business performance and the financial health of an organization. In an effort to keep investors and other stakeholders informed, U.S. public companies are required to prepare and release their financial statements on a quarterly basis. It is important to keep in mind that the financial picture for a company can fluctuate and shift—sometimes substantially—in the 90 days in between these quarterly financial reports. Many companies choose to release supplemental financial and non-financial information and commentary to help contextualize the numbers found in the financial statements.