Within financial statements, names for some items vary from one company to another. (Heck, even the names of the financial statements themselves vary sometimes!) Don't let this confuse you. If you're looking for "Revenues," for example, just know that the same thing might also be called "Sales."
Below is a list of some alternative wording. Note that the list is by no means comprehensive. It'll just give you an idea of the variation you'll likely run across as you study various firms' balance sheets and income statements.
| Term | Alternative Wordings | |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Payable | = | Payables |
| Accounts Receivable | = | Trade Receivables |
| = | Receivables | |
| Additional Paid-in Capital | = | Capital in Excess of Stated Value |
| = | Capital Surplus | |
| = | Paid-In Capital | |
| Balance Sheet | = | Statement of Financial Condition |
| = | Consolidated Balance Sheets | |
| Cost of Goods Sold | = | Costs of Sales |
| = | Cost of Revenue | |
| = | Cost of Products Sold | |
| = | Costs, Materials, and Production | |
| Earnings | = | Net Income |
| = | Net Profit | |
| Income Statement | = | Earnings Statement |
| = | Statement of Operations | |
| = | Profit-and-Loss Statement | |
| = | Consolidated Statement of Income | |
| Inventories | = | Merchandise Inventories |
| Earnings Before Income Taxes | = | Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes |
| = | Earnings Before Provision for Income Taxes | |
| Earnings Per Share | = | Net Income Per Share |
| = | Net Income Per Common Share | |
| Net Income | = | Net Profit |
| = | Net Earnings | |
| Revenues | = | Sales |
| = | Net Sales | |
| Shareholder Equity | = | Shareholders' Investment |
| = | Stockholders' Equity | |
| Short-Term Debt | = | Debt Payable Within One Year |
| = | Current Portion of Long-term Debt | |
| = | Notes Payable | |
| = | (sometimes, it's a combination of some of the above) |
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