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1996-01-10
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The
Annuity
Ace
Lite
A Financial Tool
for
Deferred
and
Immediate
Annuities
Copyright 1993 Insight Software Solutions
ANNUITY ACE LITE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
About Insight Software Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Contents of Distribution Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Program Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Getting Started With The Annuity Ace . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Running the Annuity Ace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Screen Layout In The Annuity Ace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Common Screen Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Menu Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Data Input Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Data View Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Moving Around In The Annuity Ace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Menu System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Moving Field to Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Editing Within a Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Special Fixed Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Special Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Deferred Annuity Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Basic Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Special Option Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Immediate Annuity Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Basic Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Special Option Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Illustration Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Quick Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Financial Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Page 1
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Four Function Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
On-line User Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Color Attribute Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Printer Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Filing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Answers To Common Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Page 2
ANNUITY ACE LITE
General Information
Disclaimer
Insight Software Solutions makes no warranties or representations
of any kind, expressed or implied, including any implied
warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular
purpose. Insight Software Solutions shall not be liable for any
errors contained herein or for any loss of profit or for
incidental or consequential damages or for any other damages.
About Insight Software Solutions
Insight Software Solutions is located in Bountiful Utah. Please
send any inquiries, questions, suggestions or comments to the
following address:
INSIGHT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS Tel: (801) 295-1890
P.O. BOX 354 Fax: (801) 299-1781
BOUNTIFUL, UT 84011-0354 BBS: (801) 963-8721
CIS: [71672,3464]
Contents of Distribution Disk
The Annuity Ace diskette contains several files which are needed
for optimal performance. Their name and function are listed
below.
ACE.EXE This is the main executable program.
ACE.CFG This contains program configuration information
such as screen color and printer selections. This
file is automatically created if not found.
ACE.PTR This contains printer definitions for a variety of
printers.
ACE.DOC This is the User Manual for the Annuity Ace.
ACE.BAT This is a start up batch file for hard disks.
INSTALL.EXE This copies the program to a hard disk.
ANNUITY.INF This contains saved information.
Page 3
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Program Support
Once registered, you will receive notification of major updates
and new products. Registration includes a 90 day support policy
where free updates will be provided for major problems. If a
problem cannot be resolved, then a refund of money will be made.
Insight Software Solutions offers support through the mail,
phone, fax, BBS and CIS. Please refer to the address and phone
numbers on the previous page. Our official support BBS is the
Rocky Mountain Software BBS (RMS). RMS can be reached 24 hours a
day at (801) 963-8721 where a conference dedicated to us can be
found. Our latest software products and versions, bulletins, news
and message system are located on RMS under conference #4. RMS
accepts modem baud rates of 1200 to 38400.
Insight Software Solutions is a member of
the Association of Shareware Professionals
(ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principal works for you. If you
are unable to resolve a shareware related
problem with an ASP member by contacting
the member directly, ASP may be able to
help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP
member, but does not provide technical
support for members' products. Please write
to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road,
Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe
message via CompuServe Mail to ASP
Ombudsman 70007.3536.
Page 4
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Getting Started With The Annuity Ace
System Requirements
The Annuity Ace is almost hardware independent. It will run on
most PC systems. The minimum requirements are as follows:
IBM type PC, XT, AT or PS/2 (or compatible)
512K Ram
Dos 2.0 or higher
any monochrome, color, or composite monitor
virtually any printer that supports condensed printing
Installation
The Annuity Ace may be run from either a floppy or hard disk. An
installation program called INSTALL.EXE is provided to assist you
in the installation of the program on a hard drive. From the A>
prompt, simply type in "INSTALL". This will prompt you through
the installation process. Alternatively, you may simply copy the
contents of the floppy diskette onto the hard disk. We recommend
that it be placed into its own subdirectory.
Running the Annuity Ace
To run the Annuity Ace, simply type "ACE". This can be done from
the floppy disk or from a hard drive if you used the provided
installation procedure.
Page 5
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Screen Layout In The Annuity Ace
Common Screen Lines
There are several common screen lines found in the Annuity Ace.
This includes the first, second, twenty third, twenty fourth, and
twenty fifth lines. The first line contains the current date and
time as specified by DOS. It also contains the copyright notice
of INSIGHT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS. The second line is part of the box
surrounding the user work area. It generally contains a centered
title describing the function of the current screen. The twenty
third line is the status line. It shows the status of the Help,
Caps, Scroll Lock, Num Lock, and Insert keys. The twenty fourth
line is the prompt line. It indicates what you are supposed to do
for a given input field. The twenty fifth line is the Function
Keys Status line. It shows what Function Keys (F1, F2, ...) are
available for use and what their particular functions are.
Menu Screens
Menu Screens appear as a list of numbered items. There is also a
movable highlight bar indicating the current menu selection.
Data Input Screens
Data Input Screens contain fields or areas which can be changed
by you. These fields are generally preceded by a label indicating
what type of value is desired for the field.
Data View Screens
Data View Screens contain scrollable text for your viewing.
Generally, the text can be scrolled up and down and left and
right. Indications of the current location in the text are given
on the left side of the status line.
Page 6
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Moving Around In The Annuity Ace
Menu System
Menus appear as a list of numbered options. To select the option
desired, you may press the associated number. An alternate method
is to use the arrow keys along with the <Enter> key. One option
is always highlighted and indicates the current option. To change
the current option, you may press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to
move the highlight bar. Once the desired option is highlighted,
pressing the <Enter> key selects it.
Moving Field to Field
Moving from one field to another field can be accomplished by
many different keystrokes. Listed below is a summary of the
keystrokes available and the function they perform.
ENTER KEY: Moves you to the next logical field.
RIGHT ARROW KEY: If the cursor is on the last editing character
of the field, this key moves the cursor to the right of the
current field.
LEFT ARROW KEY: If the cursor is on the first character of the
field, this key moves the cursor to the field to the left of the
current field.
DOWN ARROW KEY: Moves the cursor to the field below the current
field.
UP ARROW KEY: Moves the cursor to the field above the current
field.
PAGE DOWN KEY: Moves the cursor to the last field on the screen.
PAGE UP KEY: Moves the cursor to the first field on the screen.
TAB KEY: Moves the cursor to the next logical field.
TAB LEFT KEY: Moves the cursor to the previous logical field.
<CTRL> RIGHT ARROW KEY: Moves the cursor to the field to the
right of the current field.
<CTRL> LEFT ARROW KEY: Moves the cursor to the field to the left
of the current field.
Page 7
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Editing Within a Field
Editing within a field can be accomplished with many different
keystrokes. Listed below is a summary of the keystrokes available
and the functions they perform.
RIGHT ARROW KEY: Moves the cursor one character to the right.
LEFT ARROW KEY: Moves the cursor one character to the left.
HOME KEY: Moves the cursor to the beginning of the field.
END KEY: Moves the cursor to the last character in the field.
BACKSPACE KEY: Moves the cursor to the left one character and
erases that character and shifts all trailing characters to the
left one space.
INSERT KEY: Toggles between insert mode and typeover mode.
DELETE KEY: Erases the character under the cursor and shifts all
trailing characters to the left one space.
ALPHA/NUMERIC KEY: Outputs the character where the cursor is and
moves the cursor over to the right, one space. If insert mode is
on, then all trailing characters are moved to the right, one
space.
Special Fixed Fields
There are certain fields which have fixed values. When the cursor
is moved to these fields, a window of choices appears. Each
choice has either an associated number or letter next to it.
Pressing the associated number or letter automatically makes the
desired selection and moves the choice into the input field.
Special Function Keys
There are a number of special function keys which perform a
variety of tasks. These keys are as follows.
<ESC> KEY: This key always takes you back one level from where
ever you are. For example: if you enter a screen from a menu,
then the <Esc> key will take you back to that menu.
<F1> KEY: This key is the help key. It toggles off and on
whether help messages should be shown with each input.
Page 8
ANNUITY ACE LITE
<F2>..<F10> KEYS: These other function keys may or may not be
active and have different functions in different parts of the
program. Brief explanations of what these keys do are displayed
on the screen in the Function Key line. Detailed information is
given under the documentation of each particular screen as to
which Function Keys are active and what their function is.
Page 9
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Deferred Annuity Illustrations
Description
A deferred annuity is simply a savings vehicle that accumulates
cash due to interest earned. Many modern day savings plans can
be considered an annuity. These can include savings accounts,
IRA accounts, 401K accounts and others.
Basic Inputs
TITLE: A title line printed on the top of the report. This uses
a line on the report only if something is entered; therefore, you
can fit more of the report on a page if the title is left blank.
DEPOSIT METHOD: The frequency of deposits to be made. This may
be on a weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly,
semi-annual or annual basis.
COMPOUND METHOD: The frequency at which the interest rate is
compounded. This may be on a daily (360 or 365 days), monthly,
quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis.
DURATION IN MONTHS: The number of months to compute and run the
illustration. The maximum number of months allowable is 696 or 58
years. If the "deposit mode" has been specified as a period
greater than a month, then the months are automatically truncated
to the nearest specified period. For example, an annual deposit
mode would change an input of 123 to 120.
INTEREST RATE: The rate at which to compound the money. Three
decimal places are allowed. A notation to the right of the
interest rate will say either "flat rate" or "variable rate".
"Flat rate" means that the interest rate shown is for every
single period during the term of the illustration. "Variable
rate" means that it has been specified at some point to use a
different rate. Variable interest rates are made possible through
the F3 (INTEREST) function key.
ORIGINATION DATE: The date at which the money is first deposited
and the illustration starts. The printed illustration keeps track
of each payment period based upon the origination date.
BEGINNING BALANCE AMOUNT: The beginning balance or a lump sum
amount that the interest calculation starts out with above and
beyond the first monthly or yearly deposit.
BEGINING BALANCE LOAD: The load, if any, that is to be placed
Page 10
ANNUITY ACE LITE
upon the initial deposit. A load is another name for a sales
charge. It is expressed as a percentage with 3 decimal places
allowed.
MONTHLY DEPOSIT AMOUNT: The amount of money that is to be
deposited every month. Depending on the "deposit method", this
may be "weekly deposit", "bi-weekly deposit", etc. in which case
it is the amount of money to be deposited for the given period.
Deposits are assumed made at the beginning of each period. A
notation to the right of the deposit will say either "flat
deposits" or "variable deposits". "Flat deposits" means that the
monthly deposit shown is for every single period during the term
of the illustration. "Variable deposits" means that it has been
specified at some point to use a different deposit. Variable
deposits are made possible through the F2 (DEPOSITS) function
key.
MONTHLY DEPOSIT LOAD: The load, if any, that is to be placed
upon the monthly deposit amount. A load is another name for a
sales charge. It is expressed as a percentage with 3 decimal
places allowed. Depending on the "deposit method", this may apply
to a "weekly deposit", "bi-weekly deposit", etc. in which case it
simply applies to the specified deposit amount.
Special Option Inputs
SPECIAL OPTIONS: Consists of seven choices which are as follows:
None, Tax Sheltered Comparison, Cost of Waiting, Cost of Lower
Interest Rate, Inflationary Adjusted Rate, No Load vs. Load, and
Accumulate To Given Age.
None is for producing a basic interest accumulation illustration.
Tax Sheltered Comparison compares the basic illustration along
side one that has been adjusted by a given tax bracket. It
shows the real return on money for non tax-sheltered savings.
It also shows the difference in savings using non-taxed
investments.
Cost of Waiting compares the basic illustration along side one
that has been offset by a given number of months. It shows the
difference in savings over the years that you can make by
starting to save now instead of later.
Cost of Lower Interest Rate uses two different interest rates on
the same deposits for the same duration to show the potential
difference in earnings. This illustrates the difference in
savings that can be made by obtaining higher interest rates.
Inflationary Adjusted Rate allows entry of an estimated inflation
rate. An additional column is added to the basic illustration
which shows what the current balance is worth in today's
dollars. This shows what your money will be worth in the future
Page 11
ANNUITY ACE LITE
based on the estimated inflation rate.
No Load vs. Load compares the an annuity which has a load to the
same annuity without a load. The difference in earnings is also
shown. This illustrates the impact a small sales charge can
have on your future earnings.
Accumulate To Given Age allows you to specify a target age and a
target savings amount. The needed payment amount is
automatically calculated. The resulting illustration runs from
the origination date and ending when the target age is
attained. The ending balance is that of the desired savings
amount.
TAX BRACKET: The estimated tax bracket of the person for whom
the illustration is for. It is in a percentage form. This only
appears when the special option "Tax Sheltered Comparison" is
selected.
MONTHS TO WAIT: Specifies the number of months to wait before
doing the comparison. This only appears when the special option
"Cost of Waiting" is selected.
ALT. INT. RATE: A second interest rate for interest rate
comparisons. This only appears when the special option "Cost of
Lower Interest Rate" is selected.
INFLATION RATE: The estimated inflation rate for the future. This
only appears when the special option "Inflationary Adjusted Rate"
is selected.
BIRTH DATE: The birth date of the person for whom the
illustration is for. This is needed to determine how many years
and months there are before reaching the person's "Target Age".
This only appears when the special option "Accumulate To Given
Age" is selected.
TARGET AGE: The desired age by when a desired "Future Value" will
be obtained. This only appears when the special option
"Inflationary Adjusted Rate" is selected.
FUTURE VALUE: The desired amount that is to be obtained by a
given age. This only appears when the special option
"Inflationary Adjusted Rate" is selected.
Function Keys
F2 KEY (DEPOSITS): Pops up another screen which allows up to 100
deposit or withdrawal inputs. Negative numbers may be entered
which indicate a withdrawal. Each deposit is numbered. New
Page 12
ANNUITY ACE LITE
function keys appear indicating how to change deposits above 100.
There will be enough inputs and function keys to cover the
duration specified for the illustration. By this fashion you may
enter in different deposits for the entire span of the
illustration. The new F2 key (DUP) will duplicate the previous
value and advance the cursor. This allows easy duplication of
deposits without having to rekey them all in. The new F10 key
(COLA) allows for easy Cost of Living Adjustments to the deposits
or withdrawals. Please see the section on using COLA.
F3 KEY (INTEREST): Pops up another screen which allows up to 120
interest rate inputs. Each interest rate is numbered. New
function keys appear indicating how to change interest rates
above 120. There will be enough inputs and function keys to cover
the duration specified for the illustration. By this fashion you
may enter in different interest rates for the entire span of the
illustration. The new F2 key (DUP) will duplicate the previous
value and advance the cursor. This allows easy duplication of
interest rates without having to rekey them all in.
F4 KEY (VIEW/PRINT): Pops up another screen containing all the
Illustration Printing options. Please refer to the section on
"Illustration Printing".
F9 KEY (QUICK CALC): Pops up the quick calculator. See the
documentation about the quick calculator for usage.
Page 13
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Immediate Annuity Illustrations
Description
An immediate annuity is where periodic payments are made from a
deposit of money. As payments are made, the remaining balance
accrues interest and is added back into the balance. So while
payments are depleting the original deposit, accrued interest
helps build it back up so that the payments can continue for a
longer period. Immediate annuities are generally used as
retirement vehicles.
Basic Inputs
TITLE: A title line printed on the top of the report. This uses
a line on the report only if something is entered; therefore, you
can fit more of the report on a page if the title is left blank.
BEGINNING BALANCE: A beginning balance that the annuity starts
out with.
PAYOUT: The desired periodic payout. It will be calculated based
on the other values. Entering a desired payout will adjust the
beginning balance to indicate the amount of money required.
PAYOUT METHOD: The frequency at which payouts are made. This may
be on a weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly,
semi-annual or annual basis.
DURATION IN MONTHS: The number of months to compute and run the
illustration. The maximum number of months allowable is 480 or 40
years. If the "payout method" has been specified as a period
greater than a month, then the months are automatically truncated
to the nearest specified period. For example, an annual payout
mode would change an input of 123 to 120.
INTEREST RATE: The rate at which to compound the money. Three
decimal places are allowed.
COMPOUND METHOD: The frequency at which the interest rate is
compounded. This may be on a daily (360 or 365 days), monthly,
quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis.
ORIGINATION DATE: The date at which the money is first deposited
and the illustration starts. The printed illustration keeps track
of each payment period based upon the origination date.
Special Option Inputs
Page 14
ANNUITY ACE LITE
SPECIAL OPTIONS: Consists of two choices which are as follows:
None and Split Annuity.
None is for producing a basic immediate annuity illustration.
Split Annuity is a combination of an immediate annuity and a
deferred annuity. The immediate annuity pays out while the
deferred annuity builds back up to the original amount. So when
it is all done you have the same amount of money you started
with plus the payouts you received.
INTEREST RATE: The interest rate for the deferred annuity.
COMPOUND METHOD: The compound method for the deferred annuity.
This along with the interest rate produces the true effective
interest rate.
Function Keys
F4 KEY (VIEW/PRINT): Pops up another screen containing all the
Illustration Printing options. Please refer to the section on
"Illustration Printing". Please note that only part of the
printing options are applicable and available for the immediate
annuities.
F9 KEY (QUICK CALC): Pops up the quick calculator. See the
documentation about the quick calculator for usage.
Page 15
ANNUITY ACE LITE
COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments)
COLA, Cost of Living Adjustments is the ability to increment
deposits on a yearly basis based on an estimated inflation
factor. The Annuity Ace provides a very powerful, yet easy to use
method of allowing complete flexibility over any cost of living
adjustments that you may want to apply to your deferred
annuities. The COLA option is the F10 Key (COLA) found inside the
deposits entry screen. Pressing F10 brings up the following entry
screen:
╔╡ COLA ╞═════════════════════════════╗
║ First Deposit Amount: 300 ║
║ Starting Deposit Num: 1 ║
║ Ending Deposit Num : 240 ║
║ Annual COLA Rate : 4.00 ║
║ Transaction Type : Deposit ║
║ Round To The Dollar : N ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════╝
The best way to illustrate the use of COLA is with some examples.
The following examples assume you are working with Monthly
Deposits.
Example 1: You put 10% of your pay into a 401K which currently is
$300. You plan to retire in 20 years and you estimate a 4% cost
of living adjustment (salary increase) each year. So you would
enter 300 for "First Deposit Amount", 1 for "Starting Deposit
Num", 240 for "Ending Deposit Num", 4 for "Annual COLA Rate"
and "Deposit" for "Transaction Type". Press F2.
Example 2: The same principal works for withdrawals. You may
decide to take out $500 a month for the 10 years after you
retire with an inflation factor of 4%. In this case, you would
enter 500 for "First Deposit Amount", 241 for "Starting Deposit
Num", 360 for "Ending Deposit Num", 4 for "Annual COLA Rate"
and "Withdrawal" for "Transaction Type". Press F2 and values
are filled in for you.
Page 16
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Illustration Printing
Inputs
The Illustration Printing screen allows for a variety of options
which affect the way the illustration is to be printed. The
fields are listed below with their respective functions.
PRINT DESTINATION: This function allows you to specify where the
illustration is to be sent--it can be sent to the screen, printer
or a file. The illustration appears on the screen as it will
appear when it is printed. When viewing the illustration on the
screen, function keys are available to send the illustration
directly to the printer without having to come back and change
the print destination to the printer.
ILLUSTRATION DETAIL: Determines whether to print every month,
quarter, half year or year of detail on the illustration. The
illustration detail cannot be a smaller period than that
specified in the deposit mode. For example, you cannot illustrate
monthly values for an illustration which has only annual
deposits. Deposit Methods of weekly, bi-weekly and semi-monthly
are always illustrated on an annual basis.
YEARLY BASIS: Allows you to select how the cumulative totals of
the illustration are to be displayed. They can be displayed on
either a calendar or fiscal year basis. A fiscal year basis
displays the totals at exact yearly intervals. For example, a
loan paid monthly which starts in March would show totals each
March. If a calendar basis is chosen, totals would be shown at
the end of each calendar year. For example, a loan which starts
in April would show totals each December or end of the year.
CUMULATIVE VALUES: Shows each line of values as cumulative
totals from all previous years or months in the illustration.
CUMULATIVE TOTALS: Only applies if you are using a monthly
illustration and you are not using cumulative values. Selecting
"Yes" here will show the totals after each year as a cumulative
total. Selecting "No" will show the totals for each individual
year.
DOLLAR VALUES: Specifies the use of dollar values in the
illustration. If "no" is selected, cents appear in the figures.
You would normally use dollar values if you prefer working with
whole numbers or if you are working with a very large mortgage
where the numbers start to merge when showing the cents.
Page 17
ANNUITY ACE LITE
DATE FORMAT: This specifies the format in which the dates will
appear in a report. For example, a date of October 23, 1992 would
appear as follows:
MM/DD/YY = 10/23/92 DD/MM/YYYY = 23/10/1992
MM-DD-YY = 10-23-92 DD-MM-YYYY = 23-10-1992
MM.DD.YY = 10.23.92 DD.MM.YYYY = 23.10.1992
MM/DD/YYYY = 10/23/1992 YY-MM-DD = 92-10-23
MM-DD-YYYY = 10-23-1992 YY.MM.DD = 92.10.23
MM.DD.YYYY = 10.23.1992 YYYY-MM-DD = 1992-10-23
DD/MM/YY = 23/10/92 YYYY.MM.DD = 1992.10.23
DD-MM-YY = 23-10-92 MMM YYYY = Oct 1992
DD.MM.YY = 23.10.92 DD MMM YY = 23 Oct 92
SEQUENCE COLUMN: This allows you to specify the left column of
the illustration. The options produce the following columns:
"Date Only" "Payment Number Only" "Date & Payment Number"
PMT PMT
DATE NUM NUM DATE
-------- --- --- --------
10/25/94 1 1 10/25/94
11/25/94 2 2 11/25/94
Function Keys
F4 KEY (START PRINT): This function starts the actual printing
of the schedule or summary. Based on the print destination, it
either sends the illustration to the screen, printer or ascii
file.
Page 18
ANNUITY ACE LITE
Quick Calculator
The Quick Calculator can be selected as option three from the
main menu or by the F9 (QCALC) Key from one of the input screens.
The Quick Calculator option is used to calculate a variety of
financial calculations and for simple math functions. Selecting
the Quick Calculator pops up a window which contains its own
menu. You can select a financial value to solve for or a four
function calculator.
Financial Calculator
The financial calculator consists of two parts. One is for
calculating present values and future values and the other is for
calculating loans. The first consists of five solve for values
and the second consists of four solve for values. By selecting
one of these values to solve for, inputs appear which you must
enter to solve for the selected value. These values and inputs
are listed below.
Present/Future Values
PRESENT VALUE: This lets you solve for a lump sum amount (or
present value) given the future value, interest rate, number of
months, and any period deposits.
DEPOSITS: This lets you solve for a periodic deposit given the
future value, interest rate, number of periods, and a lump sum
amount (present value).
DURATION: This lets you solve for the number of periods it takes
to reach a future value given the future value, interest rate,
periodic deposit, and a lump sum deposit.
INTEREST RATE: This allows you to solve for an interest rate
based on the present value, the number of periods, the number of
deposits and the future value.
FUTURE VALUE: This allows you to solve for a future value given
a lump sum amount (present value), a periodic deposit, an
interest rate, and the number of periods.
Loans
PRINCIPAL: This allows you to solve for the principal amount of
a loan given the periodic payment, duration and interest rate.
PAYMENT: This allows you to solve for the periodic payment of a
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loan given the principal amount, duration and interest rate.
DURATION: This allows you to solve for the duration of a loan
given the principal amount, periodic payment and interest rate.
INTEREST RATE: This allows you to solve for the interest rate of
a loan given the principal amount, periodic payment and duration.
Four Function Calculator
The four function calculator simply allows you to type in numbers
and add, subtract, multiply, and divide them. It displays the
result. The result can then be used as one of the next numbers in
a calculation.
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On-line User Manual
The Annuity Ace provides the capability to review this manual on-
line. Option number five from the main menu allows this. Once
option five is selected, the user manual is loaded into memory
and displayed on the screen. You can scroll through it at will by
use of the arrow keys and PgUp and PgDn keys. The manual can be
printed by your printer by simply pressing the F2 Key. The file
"ACE.DOC" contains the user manual. It is in standard ascii
format and can be read in by virtually any editor or word
processor. It can be printed by simply using the Dos Print
command.
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Configuration
The configuration section allows you to configure the program to
work with the printer of your choice and to work with the colors
of your choice. Selecting Main Menu Item #5 (Configuration Menu)
brings up this menu.
Color Attribute Selection
Selecting the color attribute option brings up a screen with a
list of all the different areas where different colors are used
and a displayed list of color to choose from. These are listed
below with a brief description of what areas are effected by the
specified color attribute names. Listed below the attribute names
is a list of active Function Keys which can help in setting up
your colors.
SCREEN ATTRIBUTE: The color that the screen uses everywhere
except for the following special areas. This is the most common
color.
FIELD ATTRIBUTE: The color that input fields appear in while
they are not being edited. This distinguishes them from normal
text on the screen.
EDIT ATTRIBUTE: The color of an input field while it is being
edited. This helps identify where you are at on the screen.
FKEY ATTRIBUTE: The color that the FKey line appears in at the
bottom of the screen.
ERROR ATTRIBUTE: The color that error messages pop up in.
MENU NORMAL ATTRIBUTE: The color that pop up scrollable
selection windows appear in.
MENU HIGHLIGHT ATTRIBUTE: The color that the highlighted
selection of menus and pop up scrollable selections appear in.
STATUS ATTRIBUTE: The color that the screen title appears in.
Also the color of the Caps Lock, Num Lock, Insert, Scroll, and
Help status.
F2 KEY (SHOW COLOR): Displays the current color specified in the
field where the cursor is located. The color is displayed in a
window in the bottom right corner.
F3 KEY (OTHER COLORS): There are 256 colors available, but only
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128 of them are displayed on the screen at one time. The F3 Key
toggles between displaying the different sets of 128 colors.
F4 KEY (DEFAULT MONO): Automatically sets all the fields to the
default colors selected by Insight Software Solutions for a
monochrome monitor.
F5 KEY (DEFAULT COLOR): Automatically sets all the fields to the
default colors selected by Insight Software Solutions for a color
monitor.
Printer Selection
The printer selection brings up a menu which has several options.
The options are to Select A Printer, Delete A Printer, Add A
Printer, Modify A Printer, and to Alter Line Spacing and Margins.
Below the menu items is a list of the current printer
specifications.
Selecting a printer brings up a list of printers. Simply use the
arrow keys to highlight your printer type and press the <Enter>
key. If your printer is not listed, you may try several of the
printers listed to see if your printer is compatible with one of
those listed. If it is not, then you may enter your own printer
definition for your exact printer.
Deleting a printer definition should not be used very often.
Simply use the arrow keys to select the printer definition to be
deleted and press the <Enter> Key. You will be prompted to verify
that you really want to delete the printer definition.
Adding a printer definition can be difficult if you are not
familiar with printer control sequences. Selecting this option
brings up a printer input screen; it asks for a printer name
along with many different printer control sequences. The printer
control sequences need to be entered in hexadecimal notation.
Modifying a printer definition brings up the same screen as
Adding A Printer definition, you may then change any of the
fields desired. If the printer name is changed, the changed
definition will not be overwritten but will appear as a new
printer definition--this allows you to create a similar printer
definition without rekeying all the control sequences back in.
Miscellaneous Printer Options allows you to specify several
different items. These items are as follows:
Use 8 Lines Per Inch allows for more information to be put on a
page. The default lines per inch is 6 which allows for 60 lines
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per page. By selecting 8 lines per inch, you increase your
lines per page to 80.
Top Margin allows for a top margin on your reports. The reports
normally start printing on the first line of the page. PLEASE
NOTE that laser printers and some ink jet printers should leave
the top margin at zero.
Left Margin allows a larger left margin. The reports are centered
on the page. However, if a larger left margin is desired (for
punched holes, etc) then it can be specified.
Pause After Each Page allows you to insert new pieces of paper if
your printer does not have continuous form paper.
Use IBM Graphics instructs the program to use the IBM graphic
characters for producing solid lines and boxes. If your printer
does not directly support these characters, then an "N" should
be entered here.
Printer Port allows your printed output go to either LPT1, LPT2
or LPT3; this is helpful if you have more than one printer
connected to your computer.
Bypass Printer Check allows you to bypass all printer error
checking. There are rare cases where the printer error checking
can cause an error message to display even though there really
is not an error. Certain hardware like an automatic printer
switching box or some software spoolers may cause this. You may
turn the error checking off by selecting "Y" here to avoid this
rare problem. CAUTION: If your system works with the error
checking on, then DO NOT turn it off. If there is a real
printer problem, the computer could get hung and require a
reboot.
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Filing System
The Annuity Ace provides the capability to save and retrieve all
information that has been entered in the Deferred and Immediate
Annuity Input Screens. To invoke this option, select option 4
from the main menu--this will bring up another menu. The menu
allows you to load the information or save it out.
Answers To Common Problems
Problem: The reports do not print out correctly on my printer.
Solution: Make sure that the correct printer driver has been
selected. To select a printer driver, you enter the
configuration menu. Select "Printer Selection", then select
"Select A New Printer Default". Choose the appropriate printer.
If your printer is not listed, then it is more than likely
compatible with another printer listed. Almost all printers fall
under one of the following printers: Epson, IBM Graphics Printer
or HP LaserJet II.
Problem: Every time I try to print, the program tells me that my
printer is either off-line or out of paper.
Solution: The program attempts to make sure the printer is okay.
Some networks, spoolers and hardware fool the program into
thinking that the printer is not okay. There is an option in the
program to bypass this printer error checking. You must turn it
on. To turn it on, do the following: Enter the configuration
menu, Select "Printer Selection", then select "Miscellaneous
Printer Options". This brings up an entry screen. Change the
"Bypass Printer Check" to a "Y".
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