What does the General Ledger show?

The General Ledger serves as a central repository for all financial transactions of a business, and it provides a balance for each account, capturing the accumulated transactions and their resulting balances. While it indeed presents the current balance of an account, it does not delve into the detailed reasons behind each amount; rather, it organizes these figures for summarization.

This feature is essential for financial reporting and for understanding the company's financial position at any given time. While the General Ledger can provide insights into account balances, it does so without the narrative context that might explain why those balances exist. The purpose is to maintain an accurate record for financial statements while focusing on overall figures rather than individual transaction details.