A registration statement filed with the SEC includes audited financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows) for the previous three years. A prospectus contains the same information and must be supplied to all parties to whom offers are made. There is a twenty-day waiting period between the filing of the registration statement and the first sale of securities. During this period, preliminary ads and a "red herring" prospectus can be provided to offerees but must be clearly marked as preliminary.