3 statement question - multiple transactions

Can someone please walk me through this 3 statement accounting question - a company buys 10 of inventory in cash, and sells it for 20 in the same period on account. Assume 40% tax rate. How does it flow through the three statements?

Thanks in advance

9 Comments
 
I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

If we don't do buying the inventory and selling the inventory as diff changes, I would think

IS: Revenue is up 20, COGS up 10 --> Pretax Inc up 10/ N.I up 6

CFS: N.I up 6 and no other change bc Inventory was bought and sold, so overall cash is up 6

BS: Cash is up 6, NC in Inventory : Assets are up 6 and under SE: retained earnings is up 6 as well

Not sure tho, if someone can confirm

 

This is an atypical question since it has you buying and selling the inventory in one fowl swoop.

But if that’s the case, this answer is correct.

“When you pull on that jersey, the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back"
 

You ended up getting the right answer still, but I do believe you forgot to account for accounts receivable. The inventory was sold on account, so the CFS would need to be adjusted for the change in accounts receivable and hence current assets. Rest of your answer is correct though.

 
Most Helpful

IS: Pre-tax income goes up by $10 because of the $20 revenue from selling inventory and the COGS expense of $10. With 40% marginal tax rate, net income goes up by $6.

CFS: Net income flows into CFO, which is up by $6. We then have to adjust for changes in net working capital. The inventory doesn't actually increase or decrease in this scenario because it is bought and then sold immediately. However, accounts receivable goes up by $20 because the inventory was sold on account. Increases in current assets decrease CFO. CFO goes down by $14 (6-20). No other changes to CFS, so net change in cash is down by $14.

B/S: Cash is down by $14, and accounts receivable is up by $20. Net result is assets are up by $6. Net income flows into retained earnings, which is now up by $6. Retained earnings is an SE account. Assets are up by $6 and SE is up by $6, so we are balanced.

 

Repellat voluptatem est quod omnis voluptas. Eos sint et cum veritatis eum error veritatis qui. Ea harum et provident quia et dolor et.

Quos libero doloribus magni ut aut alias pariatur. Cumque aperiam non dolore quia ex autem rerum ut. Consequuntur minima quia reiciendis quisquam quam tempore. Qui et vel dolores voluptates maxime. At fuga quod recusandae quasi saepe rem quia ullam.

Ea beatae qui repudiandae. Qui explicabo neque reiciendis ex. Veritatis qui quis neque in voluptatem ad. Sit voluptatem tempore illum. Sed totam aliquam iste laboriosam.

Consequuntur sapiente aliquid fuga earum. Maxime et eos harum recusandae. Fugiat corporis veritatis odit qui ipsa voluptas cumque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”