Personal financial statement guide
Make your financial picture easy to understand.
A personal financial statement is a dated snapshot of what you own, what you owe, and often the income and expenses that explain your cash flow. Clear is better than complicated.
What normally belongs in a PFS
- Assets: cash, investments, real estate, vehicles, and other property you own.
- Liabilities: credit cards, loans, mortgages, and other current obligations.
- Income and expenses: recurring money in and money out, using one consistent period such as monthly or annual.
- Useful details: a creditor, institution, owner, maturity date, or note that lets a reviewer understand a number without guessing.
Use current, supportable values
Enter the best current information you have and use dates that make the statement easy to place in time. For a property or investment, a short note about the value source can help. For a debt, show the current balance rather than just the original amount whenever possible.
Keep the document readable
- Group similar accounts so cash, investments, property, and debt are easy to scan.
- Use details only where they add useful context.
- Review totals after changing a value or period.
- Choose compact view for a quick summary and detailed view when context needs to travel with the document.
Before you send or print
Confirm the statement date, names, requested applicant information, and signatures if the recipient asks for them. Your lender may request documents that support the information shown, and their requirements can differ by program and situation.