What is Form 10-K?

Form 10-K is a corporation’s annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Form 10-K is required for U.S. corporations whose stock is publicly traded.

Form 10-K contains a wealth of information on the corporation in general such as its products, sales, markets, risks, officers, directors, and more. A significant portion of the Form 10-K is entitled Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation. Another major section is Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. You will learn much about the corporation and about accounting by reading a corporation’s entire Form 10-K. (In other words, don’t skip the notes to the financial statements.)

A corporation’s Form 10-K is a usually available from each corporation’s website (usually under Investor Relations). You can also access and download the SEC reports at no cost from http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers.htm.