What is 10K?
Imagine a company is like a lemonade stand. The 10K is like a report card at the end of the year. It tells you how much lemonade they sold, how much it cost to make, and how much money they made overall for the entire year.
What is 10Q?
The 10Q is like getting a report card every few months. It tells you how the lemonade stand is doing every three months (called a quarter). It shows if they're selling more or less lemonade than before.
Key Differences
- How Often: The 10K comes out once a year, while the 10Q comes out four times a year.
- How Detailed: The 10K is very detailed, like a long story. The 10Q is shorter and gives you the main points.
- What It Shows: The 10K shows the big picture for the whole year. The 10Q shows how things are changing from one quarter to the next.
- Think of it Like This: 10K is like a yearly family vacation photo album. 10Q is like getting snapshots every few weeks of what the family is up to.
When to Use Each One
If you want to know if a company is doing well in general, look at their 10K. For example, if you want to buy stock in a candy company, check their 10K to see if they made a profit last year. If you want to see if a company is improving quickly, look at their 10Q. For example, if a video game company just released a new game, check their next 10Q to see if the game is selling well.
The Bottom Line
Both 10K and 10Q are important for understanding how companies are doing. 10K gives you the whole story, and 10Q gives you updates. Use them together to become a super-smart investor!