The balance sheet describes the company's assets at the end of the fiscal year. On the one hand you will find the property or the "assets" of a company. The latter for instance encompass the buildings, the vehicles, the stocks (raw materials and auxiliary materials, commodities), claims on customers, liquidities, etc. On the other hand there are the sources of finance or the "liabilities" of the company. Liabilities for instance refer to the capital contributed by the shareholders, the debts to credit institutions, suppliers, provisions built up in view of the anticipated expenses.