Robert Coles Sun, Jan 13, 2013 @ 07:01 AM. If Internet memes have taught us anything, it's that there are plenty of ways to waste time, be it at work, at home on the couch, or on Facebook at a restaurant.
Retained earnings and stockholders' equity are decreased by a per-share cash dividend that is paid on common and preferred shares of stock, and not on shares of repurchased or treasury stock.
To arrive at the overall retained earnings, add the current period's retained earnings to the account's balance as of the end of the last accounting period. Let's assume that our company has retained $30,000 in earnings to date. The retained earnings account would now have a balance of $30,000 + $16,268 = $46,268.