Total assets = Total liabilities + Equity. The balance sheet is one of the key elements in the financial statements, of which the other documents are the income statement and the statement of cash flows. A statement of retained earnings may sometimes be attached.
A variable interest rate is just what it sounds like: an interest rate that varies over time. Itâs the opposite of a fixed interest rate, which remains the same over time. Variable interest rates are generally used by financial institutions to move the rates on their products up and down as the market conditions change.
For any given interest rate and compounding frequency, an equivalent rate for any different compounding frequency exists. Compound interest may be contrasted with simple interest, where interest is not added to the principal (there is no compounding). Compound interest is standard in finance and economics, and simple interest is used infrequently (although certain financial products may contain elements of simple interest).