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1992-07-13
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FINANCIAL MANAGER with EZ Budget
This program has four files (FM.EXE, INSTR.DOC, README.BAT,
and TEST.DAT). The FM.EXE file contains the main program. It and
the TEST.DAT file should be copied to a floppy disk or hard drive.
To run the program, type FM [Enter]
To print the documentation, type COPY INSTR.DOC PRN [Enter]
This is a SHAREWARE program that you can use, copy and
distribute (unaltered). Please distribute all files in their
entirety (FM.EXE, INSTR.DOC, README.BAT, and TEST.DAT). Disk
dealers must get written permission from the author to distribute
copies of the disk. This will enable us to send the latest version
and future updates to the program.
DISCLAIMER: This software is provided "as is" without warranty of
any kind. In no event shall Day Computer Software or the Author be
held liable for any damages whatsoever arising from the use of or
inability to use this product.
Copyright 1991, 1992 Day Computer Software
1128 Maple Dr
Mountain Home ID 83647
FINANCIAL MANAGER with EZ Budget
Financial Manager is a personal and small business financial
program with features and ease of use that meets or exceeds the
best commercial or shareware programs. It maintains and balances a
checkbook, records payments and deposits by category codes of your
choice, and generates reports of monthly, year-to-date, and average
monthly payments. It reconciles bank statements, and summarizes
income and expense data for financial planning and income tax
preparation.
The EZ Budget part of the program provides a simple but
effective way to prepare monthly and yearly financial plans.
Estimated expenses and other payments are compared to anticipated
income so that adjustments can be made to meet financial goals.
Actual payments are later compared to the budget.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Practice sessions are available for new operators - a convenient
way to try and learn the program without updating files.
2. Test data is provided to test and review the program.
3. Checkbook entries are made to a familiar check or deposit slip
format.
4. Recurring payments can be saved for future use, then recalled
with only two keystrokes to print the entire check.
5. Has unique search capabilities to locate and list checkbook
transactions by Category Code, Payee, or Description. A partial
search name or search anywhere name can be used, uppercase or
lowercase.
6. Has a Bank Reconciliation option that identifies differences and
how to correct them.
7. Includes graphics with bar charts, showing percent and amount
paid by category.
8. Has detailed reports that summarize financial and budget data.
EASE OF OPERATION:
1. Financial Manager is easy to use, with automatic menus and on
screen prompts, as well as help messages available throughout the
program.
2. Help messages are specific to the operation being performed.
The beginner or experienced computer operator can get the help they
need when they need it. No lengthy operating instructions are
required.
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3. Suggested category codes are easy to recognize and remember.
They are the first three digits of each category, i.e. hou=housing,
uti=utilities, etc. However, any code up to four characters long
can be used.
4. Transactions can be quickly reviewed and changed by following
the on screen prompts. Simply press the direction keys for the
previous or next transaction.
6. Files are loaded and saved as needed without operator
intervention - the program is intuitive.
7. The program automatically adjusts the display for a color or
monochrome monitor. You can also specify a laptop computer, for
high resolution on a liquid crystal display (LCD).
8. The Budget is easy to prepare. Amounts can be repeated from
month to month so only the amounts that differ need be entered.
9. Minimum entries are required for each checkbook transaction.
The month and year are automatically entered in the date
field. Also, the last date is repeated and only needs entered
when the date changes.
Check numbers are incremented by one after each check is
entered, so that check numbers require entry only if used out
of sequence.
The program automatically selects a check format for payments
or a deposit slip for deposits.
GETTING STARTED
First make copies of the disk and file the original in a safe
place.
If you use a floppy drive, start the program by placing the
disk in the drive and typing FM (for Financial Manager) and press
Enter at the DOS prompt.
If you use a hard drive, either copy the program to an
existing directory or create a new directory such as FINMAN. To
create the directory, first log onto drive C (type C: and press
Enter, if necessary). Then type MD \FINMAN and press Enter. Next,
place the program disk in drive A and type COPY A:FM.EXE C:\FINMAN
and press Enter. Then type COPY A:TEST.DAT C:\FINMAN and press
Enter.
To start the program on a hard drive, first change to the
directory where the program was copied by typing CD FINMAN and
pressing Enter. Then type FM (for Financial Manager).
After an introductory screen, you can test and review the
program by selecting the sample transactions from the "Test" data
file. Simply follow the on screen prompts to load this file. You
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can then go through the menu items for a quick review of the
program. You can also add or change transactions and see the
effect on reports, including the detailed graphic bar charts.
Experiment with real or simulated entries. Any changes you make
are not added to disk.
If you do not select the test data, follow the on screen
prompts to load the data files. If no files are located, you will
be asked if this is the first input to the program. If it is, you
will be asked if you want a practice session. Though not
necessary, this is a good opportunity to become familiar with the
program without establishing or altering the data files. Make some
actual or simulated entries and use the various options in both the
main and budget menus. Be sure to use the help messages to guide
you through the program. You will see how easy the program is to
operate and how your transactions are processed into final reports.
After entering the bank name, account# and checkbook balance,
you will be asked if you are using a laptop computer with a liquid
crystal display (LCD). If you answer yes to this prompt, the
program will adjust the color combinations for the best contrast
and resolution. This selection is stored on disk with other
options in a "FINMAN.OPT" file. If you later change to or from a
laptop computer, you can change the type monitor by selecting
"Options" in the main menu and then selecting "Display Monitor" in
the sub-menu.
The next prompt will ask if you want to store the data files
in a different drive (A or B). This option, as explained in a help
message, can also be selected later from the options menu. With
two floppy drives, you can use this option to run the program from
drive A and save the data files on drive B. The choice is yours,
as a single floppy disk has plenty of room to hold both the program
and the data files for at least a year's transactions. With a hard
drive, you can keep the program on the hard disk and save the data
files on a floppy disk. This is a convenient way to separate
several checking accounts, as each account can be saved on it's own
floppy disk.
The first time you run Financial Manager, follow the on screen
prompts to select up to 40 payment and 8 deposit Category Codes.
These codes will be used during the year to accumulate checkbook
transactions and to establish budgets. The program will list the
following codes which you can use or replace with your own. They
are easy to recognize and remember since they consist of the first
three letters of the category they designate:
Payment Codes Deposit Codes
---------------------------------------- -------------------
hou housing gas gasoline inc1 income 1
uti utilities ent entertainment inc2 income 2
tel telephone res restaurant int interest
ins insurance clo clothing inv investment
sav savings don donation (3 blank codes)
cha charge accounts med medical oth other
cas cash equ equipment
gro groceries (23 blank codes)
aut automobile mis miscellaneous
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The program will accept codes up to four digits long, so you
can add a fourth character to further identify categories or to
identify tax deductible payments. For example, codes could be
established with an asterisk (*) or other symbol in the fourth
digit to identify tax deductible payments. Any combination of
alpha or numeric codes can be established.
You can change and add new codes when you first set up the
program and at the beginning of each year. You can also replace
unused codes, or add new codes later in the year, as needed. This
is accomplished by simply using the new code in a transaction and
by following the on screen prompts to replace unused codes or to
add new codes. The program will not print unused codes on reports.
PROGRAM OPERATION
After you've established the Category Codes, the main menu
appears, with nine options: Add Transactions, View/Change
Transactions, Check Register, Payment/Deposit Analysis, Search
Transactions, EZ Budget, Bank Reconciliation, New Month, and
Options.
Select the Add Transaction option to enter your checkbook
transactions, in the order they appear in your checkbook. As you
enter each transaction, your new balance appears on the screen, and
data is accumulated for monthly and year-to-date reports. While
entering the Category Code, you can press F1 for a list of
available codes. The input screen is a familiar check for payments
or a deposit slip for deposits. The program selects the proper
form to use based on the category code used - you don't have to
tell the computer which form to use.
Check numbers are incremented by one after each check is
entered. If a different check number is needed, use the cursor
keys to select the check number field and enter the new check
number. If no check number is used, such as for Automatic Teller
Machine transactions, delete the check number by pressing the space
bar in the check number field, or enter a symbol such as ATM for
Automatic Teller Machine. The check number for other bank
transfers or charges can likewise be left blank or replaced with
other appropriate symbols to identify the transaction.
After entries are made, follow the on screen prompts to return
to the main menu. Press ESC to save the transactions to disk and
return to the menu. If you do not wish to save the entries, press
F8 to exit. You will be given a chance to save them later when you
quit the program.
RECURRING PAYMENTS
While in the Add Transaction option, transactions can be
memorized and saved as recurring payments. They can then be
recalled to print the Code, Payee and Amount on future checks
(amount is optional). Use the on screen prompts to establish and
use these recurring payments. Specific procedures are as follows:
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When a check payment is completed, a prompt is printed to
press the F6 key to save the transaction as a recurring
payment. If you select this option, you will be asked if the
paid amount should be saved. Answer yes for fixed payments
such as insurance payments. The payment will then be saved in
a special file (RECURPMT.DAT).
To recall these payments, simply press F5 at the on screen
prompt. The recurring payments will be listed and can be
selected by the number beside each payee or by highlighting
the payee with the direction keys and pressing Enter. The
Category Code, Payee, and Amount (if previously saved) will
print on the check. If the amount was not included, the
cursor will be placed at the amount field so the amount can be
entered. After each recurring payment is selected, the
highlighted payee will move to the next payee. Thus, the next
recurring payment can be selected with only two keystrokes (F5
and Enter), when the payments are made in the same sequence as
the list of recurring payments. This is convenient feature
during bill paying time. The list of recurring payments can
even be used as a reminder of the bills to be paid.
You can also add, delete and change the recurring payments by
selecting Options in the main menu and then selecting the
Change Recurring Payments option. This will enable you to
keep this list current and in the best sequence for optimum
use.
Use the View/Change transaction option in the main menu to
review, change, insert or delete transactions. To insert or delete
transactions, follow the on screen prompts - F2 (insert tran) or F3
(delete tran). This feature is useful in keeping transactions in
their proper sequence. You can also review and make changes to
transactions while in the Add transactions option by pressing
direction keys for the previous or next transaction.
The Check Register option prints a list of checkbook
transactions for the month on the screen or printer. It replaces
the manual check register. A printed copy can be filed with the
bank statement or other file.
The Payment/Deposit Analysis option has a sub-menu with three
options: Monthly/YTD Report, Monthly Report - Graphics, and Yearly
Report - Graphics. The Monthly Report prints a summary of the
monthly, year-to-date and average monthly transactions by category.
The Monthly and Yearly Graphics Reports display a visual chart of
all payments by category and by percent of total payments for the
month or year-to-date. Cursor up or down to print the exact amount
paid by category.
To get a complete listing of each month's activity, select
these report options after the last checkbook transaction has been
entered for the month. You can always view and print these reports
at a later date, by specifying the proper month and year when the
program is started or by selecting the New Month option in the main
menu.
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SEARCH TRANSACTIONS
The Search Transactions option searches all transactions for a
specified category code, payee or description, and prints the
selected transactions on the screen or printer for the months
specified. Searches are made regardless of uppercase or lowercase.
A search for WASHINGTON will find Washington, etc. The search by
payee or description can end with an asterisk (*) for a wild card
search, or with an exclamation point (!) to search anywhere, as
explained in a help message. If you entered a search for Wash* all
transactions starting with Wash would be located and listed. If
you used a search for Wash! then all transactions with the letters
WASH, anywhere in the payee/description, would be located and
listed. The Search option can be used anytime to show payment
trends to a specific vendor, such as a utility company, and it's
useful at the end of the year to identify payments for income tax
or other purposes.
BANK RECONCILIATION
The Bank Reconciliation option provides a quick and easy way
to reconcile your bank statement. It asks you to enter the closing
date of the bank statement. This should be the closing date stated
on the bank statement or the date the last transaction was
processed by the bank. This establishes a reconciliation point
that the program uses to compute the outstanding checks and the
checkbook balance. The checks from Financial Manager are then
displayed on the screen and checked off according to the checks
cleared by the bank. This is easily accomplished by first sorting
the returned checks in numerical sequence or by using the presorted
list on the bank statement.
The program then computes the bank reconciliation, showing any
difference between the adjusted bank balance and the checkbook
balance. Suggestions on possible errors and how to correct them
are printed on the screen. The reconciliation can then be recycled
until the differences are identified and corrected. Any remarks
needed on the printed copy can be entered from the keyboard.
The new month option is handy for changing months without
restarting the program. An on screen prompt will remind you to
enter all current month's transactions before starting a new month.
Transaction files are stored on disk by month so any monthly file
can be recalled quickly for viewing or printing reports. Any
correction to an earlier file should be entered as a transaction in
the current month, so the checkbook balance and year-to-date totals
are properly updated, the same as adjustments to a manual check
register.
The Options selection has a sub-menu with four options:
Change Recurring Payments, Change Bank name or Acct#, Change drive
for data files, and Display Monitor. These options can be selected
anytime as changes are needed.
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The program has a feature to split payments between two or
more categories. Just enter the amount to be charged to the first
code and then type S, for split, at the Help prompt. The check
number, date, and payee are automatically placed in the next
transaction, so you have to enter only the amount for the next
category code. If you write checks for cash, this option is useful
for distributing cash payments to the proper category codes. To
account for the payments from cash, you should keep receipts or a
memo of cash payments. At the end of the month, summarize the
payments and enter the total as a minus payment to the cash
category, using a description such as "Distribution of cash" and
blanking out the check number. Then enter the amount for each
category code using the split-check technique.
EZ BUDGET
The menu for the Budget portion of Financial Manager has six
options: Prepare Budget, Revise Budget, Budget Analysis, New Month,
Print Budget, and Return to Main Menu. With Prepare Budget, you
can establish budgets for as many months of the year as you wish,
and later update them with the Revise Budget option. When you
select one of these options, the same category codes you have in
Financial Manager are listed on the screen, with instructions to
enter or change the budgeted amounts.
Next, enter the Estimated Income (anticipated deposits to your
checking account) for comparison to your estimated payments. If
the resulting balance doesn't please you, you can make changes to
your budget and immediately see the effects. Change the budget as
much as you want until it's balanced and best meets your financial
needs.
To prepare a budget for another month, you can start with the
one just finished, changing only the amounts that differ. By using
this option, you can quickly set up a realistic budget for the
entire year. As your income or financial obligations change, you
can use the change option to change the budget. As you accumulate
cost data and average costs from Financial Manager, and use them in
your budget estimates, you will find that your budget becomes more
accurate and beneficial.
The Budget Analysis option prepares monthly and year-to-date
reports that compare your actual income and expenditures to your
Budget. These reports can be used to detect any adverse spending
trends and provide information for future financial planning or
budget revision.
The Print Budget option prints the budget for the entire year
on your printer. The amounts for each month are listed by category
code, with total and percent columns. This shows a complete yearly
financial plan on one page that is easily reviewed and modified.
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Financial Manager with EZ Budget
by Day Computer Software
This program is placed in SHAREWARE for review by PC users. If you
like the program and decide to use it, please send us your payment
of $29.95 to:
Day Computer Software
1128 Maple Dr.
Mountain Home ID 83647
On receipt of your registration fee, we will:
(1) Send you the latest version of the program, plus a Yearly
Payment/Deposit report. This report prints all payments
and deposits by category for each month for the entire year.
It shows a complete summary of your financial transactions,
all on one page.
(2) Include a printed manual
(3) Place you on our mailing list for future program updates.
(4) Provide free technical support.
Registration Form
|-------------------------------------------------|
| Financial Manager with EZ Budget (version 3.2) |
| #20 |
| Name:_________________________________________|
| |
|Address:_________________________________________|
| |
| _________________________________________|
| |
|Telephone (optional):____________________________|
| |
| [] 3 1/2 disk [] 5 1/4 disk |
|-------------------------------------------------|
|Mail Shareware payment of $29.95 to: |
| Day Computer Software |
| 1128 Maple Dr. |
| Mountain Home ID 83647 |
|-------------------------------------------------|
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