Software of the Month Club 1998 July

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Text File | 1997-12-27 | 17.7 KB | 352 lines

----------------------------------------------------------------------- FINREAD.TXT--Read me text for the "FINCALC" demo program. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [CONTACT INFORMATION] THANK YOU FOR TRYING FINCALC ! by Joe Piedimonte 3609 S. 10th Street Ct. Blue Springs, Missouri 64015 FAX: (816) 224-3517 Compuserve ID: 71573,235 AOL: PIEDIMONTE INTERNET: 71573.235@compuserve.com PIEDIMONTE@aol.com COMPUSERV USERS: You can register this product through the Compuserv Registration Database. If you do, I will forward the final version of the software. To purchase by this method do the following: GO SWREG the registration ID is 3807 VISA & MASTERCARD Purchasing is available!!!! Just call NORTHSTAR SOLUTIONS 1-800-699-6395 from 10:00am to 10:00pm EST. Have ready this Program Name, Version, Card Number, Expiration, and desired diskette size. I will forward the final copy upon your registration with them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [VERSION NUMBER] 3.01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [COPYRIGHT NOTICE] All rights reserved by Joe Piedimonte ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [PROGRAM DESCRIPTION] "FINCALC" is a Windows program designed to handle differing financial calculations related to investments and lending. Businesses, Financial Institutions, Government Agencies, and Consumers will find this program useful. If you are involved in analyzing, acquiring, and recommending investments or loans you will like using "FINCALC". The program acts like a loan calculator. It will display and print loan amortization schedules. The loan calculator portion computes the scheduled payment, the number of payments, or the proper loan payout, if the other two input items are given. The loan calculator optionally considers four types of insurance and real estate taxes on the amortization schedule. Estimated annual insurance charges can be entered for homeowners, or one other type of miscellaneous insurance. A provision is made for both disability and life where the insurance is calculated on the outstanding loan balance and allows user definable insurance rates, terms, and repayment frequencies. The same features are offered for balloon loans, with a user definable amortization period and term. All loan calculations can be based on a 360 or 365 day interest year. The program allows for multiple repayment frequencies and will calculate the maturity date based upon leap years. The investment portion of the program handles annuities and figures both present and future values of deposits based upon user input for APR, interest periods, investment term, and optional recurring investment contributions. An effective APR based upon input for the number of compounding periods can be performed. General business calculations including, markup over cost and price, percent of total cost, and price based upon a markup percent, are also available. The program provides context sensitive on-line help with examples and hypertext links. Also included with the Investment portion of the program is a complete system for recording and analyzing stocks and mutual fund investments called "Investment Tracker". This feature offers a fund summary data entry screen where new funds can be setup and viewed with the latest yield analysis information. The yield can be based on an entered value, or the most recent transaction. If a value is entered it can be used to do a "what-if" type profitability analysis, or to establish a more current value for the fund. The system will calculate continuosly by fund, the current value in dollars, the gain/ loss dollars, the gain/loss percent, the book value, the total number of shares and the average cost per share. Reports giving the current value of all funds and a transaction recap are available. All trans- actions for each fund can be entered, or viewed on screen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [REGISTRATION INFORMATION] This program is shareware. If you find it useful, please send me $20.00 plus $3.00 for shipping and handling. The user is granted a limited license to evaluate the program. If you wish to continue using the program, please register is by completing the registration form (which can be printed from the HELP menu item called registration form). Please send the completed form with the $20.00 registration fee (plus $3.00 S/H) to: Joe Piedimonte 3609 S. 10th Street Ct. Blue Springs, Missouri 64015 VISA & MASTERCARD Purchasing is available!!!! Just call NORTHSTAR SOLUTIONS 1-800-699-6395 from 10:00am to 10:00pm EST. Have ready this Program Name, Version, Card Number, Expiration, and desired diskette size. I will forward the final copy upon your registration with them. Registration will entitle you to a licensed copy of the latest version and special upgrade prices on future releases of the program. The user is granted permission to make unlimited copies of the demo program and distribute those copies as long as all files are copied intact and no fee is charged for the program. "FINCALC" is written by Joe Piedimonte and all rights are reserved. No warranties are made, either expressed or implied, with respect to the software, its fitness for any particular purpose, or its documen- tation. The product is sold "as is". ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [INSTALLATION] If downloading "FINCALC.ZIP", unzip this file. The following program files can be placed in any directory you wish. 1. FINCALC.EXE--The main program file. 2. LNPAYOUT.DLL--Library required by FINCALC.EXE. 3. BLPAYOUT.DLL--Library required by FINCALC.EXE. 4. MARKP.DLL--Library required by FINCALC.EXE. 5. MARKC.DLL--Library required by FINCALC.EXE. 6. FINCALC.HLP--The online help file. 7. FINCALC.ICO--ICON for use with FINCALC.EXE. 8. FINREAD.TXT--The file which you are viewing that contains installation and product information. 9. INVEST.EXE--The main program for investment tracker. (Compressed on diskette installation) 10. HISTOREP.EXE--Report program for investment tracker. (Compressed on diskette installation) 11. FUNDSREP.EXE--Report program for investment tracker. (Compressed on diskette installation) 12. INVEST.HLP--The online help file for investment tracker. 13. LINEITEM.DBF--Database fields and definitions for the fund history file in investment tracker. 14. FUND.DBF--Database records and definitions for the fund summary data file in investment tracker. 15. LINEITEM.KBF--Database definitions for the fund history file in investment tracker. 16. FUND.KBF--Database definitions for the fund summary file in investment tracker. 17. KTABLE.DLL--Library required for INVEST.EXE. 18. CALL.DLL--Library required for INVEST.EXE. 19. PRINT1.DLL--Library required for FINCALC.EXE that handles print functions for non-balloon amoritzations. 20. FINCALC.DGB--A file required by FINCALC.EXE. 21. LINEITEM.TBL--Screen definitions for the fund history input screen. 22. FUND.1--Fund Summary demonstration data file pointers. 23. FUND.4--Fund Summary demonstration data file pointers. 24. FUND000.INC--Fund Summary data file index. 25. LINEITEM.1--Lineitem demonstation data file pointers. The above files are the required configuration for those not interested in using the setup program. The "FINCALC.ZIP" file can be unziped in any directory and installed with use of the setup program included in the ZIP file. Please Note: Three of the above files were compressed with the MICROSOFT COMPRESS utility. You must decompress them, or use the setup program that decompresses them, or the investment tracker will not work. The setup progam will place all files in a directory called "C:\FINCALC". Do not change this directory when running setup.exe, or the investment tracker will not work. The fincalc executable looks for the investment tracker program in "C:\FINCALC" directory, so it should not be changed. If installing under WIN 3.1 or WIN 95 the install program will do the following: 1. Create a program group on your windows desktop called "FINANCIAL", or the START MENU (WIN 95). 2. Create an ICON within the program group called "FINCALC". 3. Create an ICON within the program group called "FINCALC HELP" 4. Create an ICON within the program group called "FINCALC INVESTMENT TRACKER HELP" 5. Create an ICON within the program group called "FINCALC'S TEXT FILE" that will launch what you you are reading with NOTEPAD.EXE. 6. Copy all files to the C:\FINCALC directory. WINDOWS 3.1 USERS: To run the install program, select from the Program Manager in Windows 3.1, the FILE|RUN option. On the command line key in: [drive]:\dir\setup.exe. (As an example: C:\FIN\SETUP.EXE). The "dir" is the directory or path, where you placed FINCALC.ZIP and unziped the file. When the program asks if you want to update your path in the AUTOEXEC.BAT, just answer "NO". When the program asks if you want to reboot your machine because it found an active DLL, just answer "NO". OS/2 USERS: This product will run under OS/2 if WIN OS/2 is installed. Use of the install program may not work depending on the OS/2 version used. Try the install from WIN OS/2 and if it fails you can copy the 25 files mentioned above to the C:\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2 directory. You can create your own program item under the WINOS2 Program Manager, or select FILE|RUN for FINCALC.EXE and launch the program. WINDOWS 95 USERS: To run the setup program, select from the desktop START|RUN then enter [drive]:\dir\setup.exe. (As an example: C:\FIN\SETUP.EXE). The "dir" is the directory or path, where you placed FINCALC.ZIP and unzipped the file. When the program asks whether you want to update your path in the AUTOEXEC.BAT, just answer "NO". When the program asks if you want to reboot your machine because it found an active DLL, just answer "NO". ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [HOW TO RUN] You have two options depending upon how you installed "FINCALC". A. Windows 3.1: If the setup program was used, double click on the group item called "FINANCIAL" and then double click on the program item called "FINCALC" while in the Program Manager. This will launch the program. B. Windows 3.1: If the setup program was not used, either create your own program item using FINCALC.ICO and launch the program from it, or start from the Program Manager using the FILE|RUN option and key in the following for the command line: [drive]:\dir\fincalc.exe "dir" is the path or directory where you unzipped FINCALC.EXE. As an example, (C:\FIN\FINCALC.EXE) would work if you had created a directory called C:\FIN and unzipped FINCALC.ZIP in that directory. You may also have copied the 25 files shown above under [INSTALLATION], to a special directory or path and this directory would be used in that case, where the "dir" is shown above. C. Windows 95: If the setup program was used, just click on the icon called "FINCALC" created under the "FINANCIAL" Start Menu choice. In other words, on the Windows 95 desktop click on START, then FINANCIAL, then FINCALC. D. Windows 95: If the setup program was not used, create your own shortcut and launch the program from it, or start from the Windows 95 Desktop using the START|RUN option and key in the following for the command line: [drive]:\dir\fincalc.exe "dir" is the path or directory where you unzipped FINCALC.EXE. As an example, (C:\FIN\FINCALC.EXE) would work if you had created a directory called C:\FIN and unzipped FINCALC.ZIP in that directory. You may also have copied the 25 files shown above under [INSTALLATION], to a special directory or path and this directory would be used in that case, where the "dir" is shown above. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [REQUIREMENTS] Windows 3.1, Windows 95, PKZIP/UNZIP, 4MB RAM (8MB Recommended), 4.2MB Free Disk Space. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [KNOWN INCOMPATABILITIES] Incompatible with windows versions prior to 3.0. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [VERSION HISTORY] Version 3.01 offers new features for interest computation. A 360/365 interest calc method was added. This means the daily rate represents the APR divided by 360 days and the interest collection period represents 365 days. A 10% loan becomes an effective 10.14% using this method. To use the feature just declare the interest flag as a "2". A new feature was added to compute variable first payment interest from the loan date to the first due date. The loan date input field was added on regular loans and balloon loans. Several bugs were fixed on single payment loans. This involved the print function, list function, and some payout totals. An error about, "Scheduled payment exceeds loan amount" for single payment loans was also corrected. The scheduled payment now considers variable first payment interest on single payment loans. Version 3.0 offered the additon of new features for Homeowners Insurance and Miscellaneous Insurance for all loan amortizations and payment calculations. The Loan Input screen was redesigned to be more intuitive and a "COMPUTE" button was added to it. The printed amortization schedule now gives totals for all categories by year. A bug was fixed having to do with insurance payments computing incorrectly when the repayment frequency was not monthly. A bug was fixed making the scheduled payment more level when the interest base is 365 days. A bug was fixed with the maturity date when the number of payments is given with or without the payment amount. A bug was fixed with the computed number of payments when disability and life insurance are figured with a specified payment. A bug was fixed with the loan payout totals not matching the screen listing of totals at the bottom of the amortization. A new price based upon a user definable markup percent was added to the Business Menu of the program. In general modifications were made to make the program more intuitive over version 1.1. The most recent addition to FINCALC is the investment tracker. This will record and analyze investments or mutual funds. This feature was a major change over version 2.0. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** PLEASE NOTE ***** This software is provided "as is". The author claims no responsibility for any damages you may experience as a result of using this software. Any comments, questions, or suggestions are welcomed. Joe Piedimonte 3609 S. 10th Street Ct. Blue Springs, MO 64015 FAX: (816) 224-3517 Compuserv ID: 71573,235 AOL: PIEDIMONTE INTERNET: 71573.235@compuserve.com PIEDIMONTE@aol.com COMPUSERV USERS: You can register this product through the Compuserv Registration Database. If you do, I will forward the final version of the software. To purchase by this method do the following: GO SWREG the registration ID is 3807 VISA & MASTERCARD Purchasing is available!!!! Just call NORTHSTAR SOLUTIONS 1-800-699-6395 from 10:00am to 10:00pm EST. Have ready the Program Name, Version, Card Number, Expiration, and desired diskette size. I will forward the final copy upon your registration with them.