ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

CAFR

Okay kiddo, so a CAFR is a report that some big organizations, like governments, put together to show all of their financial information. It’s like a big, fancy book full of numbers and charts that tells you how much money they have, how much they spend, and where all the money comes from. It’s kind of like a report card, but for money.

Think of it like this: remember when you had a piggy bank and you would put your allowance there? And then maybe you would take some money out to buy candy or a toy? Well, governments do the same thing, but on a much larger scale. They have a lot of money from taxes and other things, and they use that money to pay for things that help people, like schools, parks, and roads.

But they can’t just spend money all willy-nilly – they have to keep track of how much they have and how much they spend. That’s where the CAFR comes in. It’s a really important document that helps people understand how a government is managing its money.

So, while it might seem kind of boring, the CAFR is actually really important. It shows us how much money a government has, what it’s doing with that money, and if it’s doing a good job of managing it. It’s like a big, grown-up piggy bank report that shows us what’s going on with a lot of money.