Financial statement preparation refers to the process of creating financial reports that provide a snapshot of a company's financial performance over a specific period of time. These reports typically include the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, which summarize a company's revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities, and cash flows. The preparation of financial statements involves gathering and organizing financial data from a company's accounting records, analyzing the data to ensure accuracy and completeness, and presenting the information in a format that is consistent with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) or other relevant accounting standards. The purpose of financial statement preparation is to provide investors, creditors, and other stakeholders with useful information about a company's financial health and performance. This information is used to make informed decisions about investing in or doing business with the company.