A consolidated balance sheet reports the financial position of two or more legal entities just as if they were one reporting unit. Explain why all the individual items appearing on the separate balance sheets of each of the affiliated companies cannot be added together to arrive at a consolidated total for each item.

Consolidated Balance Sheet

A financial statement that aggregates the financial position of a parent company and its subsidiaries, presenting the assets, liabilities, and equity of the entire group as if it were a single entity.

Affiliated Companies

Affiliated companies are those that are connected or associated with each other through common ownership, control, or influence, but are not fully integrated as a single entity.

Consolidated Total

Combined total figures that merge the financial statements of a parent company and its subsidiaries into one comprehensive financial statement.