← Back to all topics
Finance Concepts Explained
Capital Markets & Investments at Columbia Business School | Simon Oh

How Margin Calls Work (Buying on Margin)

What happens when your leveraged position loses value

1 / 8
1

Initial State

  • You have $100 in cash.
  • Your broker has $200 available to lend.
  • You want to buy $200 worth of KKR stock, so you decide to borrow $100 from your broker.
👤
You (Investor)
person
Balance Sheet
in $000s
Assets
Cash
100
Total100
Liabilities
Total0
Equity
Net Worth
100
Total100
🏦
Your Broker
institution
Balance Sheet
in $000s
Assets
Cash Available
200
Total200
Liabilities
Total0
Equity
Capital
200
Total200
Step 1 of 8