Answer:
The balance is $18.
Step-by-step explanation:
You are in the negatives so you want to add so that your balance is positive.
1. -20 + 38 = x
x will be the variable that will be the final balance.
2. 18 = x
If you put this on a number line, you will see that when you add 38 to -20, your balance becomes 18. Therefore, your answer is 18.