Figure · FIG:foundational/what-moves-the-residual

What changes equity

Owner transactions and business performance change equity; borrowing does not.

Updated Aug 26, 2026 Review due Nov 9, 2026
A loan increases assets and liabilities by the same amount, so it does not change equity when the company borrows.
Detailed visual description

Three nested rectangles show equity and the two sources that change it. Owner investments increase equity, and owner distributions decrease it. Revenue increases equity, and expenses decrease it. Borrowing increases assets and liabilities by equal amounts, so it does not change equity when the loan begins.

Review apparatus

Visual provenance and review

Technique
deterministic svg
Role
structural
Review state
candidate
Rights
CC0-1.0 · Project-authored teaching diagram

Review notes

  • Borrowing is named in the caption rather than shown as a layer, because it does not move the residual and a layer would imply that it does.