From where does the information for a company's financial statement originate?

The information for a company's financial statement primarily originates from the summary of accounts in the general ledger. The general ledger is a comprehensive record that includes all financial transactions made by the company during a specific period. It serves as the foundational component in the accounting process, where all revenues, expenses, assets, and liabilities are recorded and categorized.

When preparing financial statements, accountants extract and summarize data from the general ledger to create the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. This ensures that the statements accurately reflect the company's financial position and performance based on actual transactional data. Thus, the general ledger is essential for the accurate compilation of financial statements, making it the correct source of information for them.

Other options, while relevant to the overall context of financial reporting, do not directly originate the information found in financial statements. Annual reports provide a broader narrative that includes, but is not limited to, financial statements compiled from the general ledger. Cash flow statements are part of the financial statements themselves, and external audits examine the accuracy and compliance of financial statements but do not create the financial data used within them.