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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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$$$ Personal Finance Manager $$$
$$$ Version 5.02 $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ by John A. Mac Evoy $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ TELEWARE (tm) $$$
$$$ 301 N. Beauregard St. #1218 $$$
$$$ Alexandria, VA 22312 $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ Electronic Mail: 703-941-2386 $$$
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$$$ Copyright (c) May 10, 1985 $$$
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Page [i] Personal Finance Manager, Version 5.02 5/10/85
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 PLEASE READ THIS! 1
1.2 TELEWARE 1
1.3 Program Capabilities and New Features 2
1.4 License 3
1.5 Warranty 4
1.6 User Registration 4
1.7 Hardware Requirements 6
2.0 Operation 6
2.1 Getting Started 6
2.2 Data Entry 8
2.3 The menu Structure 12
2.4 The Checking Account 13
2.4.1 Entering New Checks, Deposits,
Cash Purchases, Etc. 14
2.4.2 Entering Unpaid Bills 17
2.4.3 Paying Bills 18
2.4.4 Changing Entries 19
2.4.5 Deleting Entries 20
2.4.6 Balancing the Checkbook 21
2.4.7 Printing Budget & Checking Account Reports 21
2.4.8 Changing & Renaming the Active
Checking Account 25
2.5 Savings & Investment Accounts 26
2.5.1 Entering Investments and Savings
Account Transactions 26
2.5.2 Changing Entries 28
2.5.3 Deleting Entries 28
2.5.4 Listing a Summary of Investments 28
2.5.5 Printing Investment Reports 29
2.5.6 Deleting All Entries Relating to
One Investment Account 29
2.6 Program Utilities 30
2.6.1 Sorting Files by Date 30
2.6.2 Packing the Unpaid Bills File 31
2.6.3 Adding, Changing, Deleting and Displaying
Investment Categories and Purchase Groups 31
2.6.4 Installing a New Owner's Name 32
2.6.5 Setting the Checking Account
Minimum Balance Warning 33
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
2.6.6 Starting New Data Files 33
2.6.7 File Descriptions 35
2.6.8 RAM Drives 36
2.6.9 Exiting The Program 37
3.0 Miscellaneous 37
3.1 Changing the Default Drive or data disk 37
3.2 Keeping Backup Copies of ╚╪Φé┤ 37
3.3 Making Additional Program Data Disks 38
3.4 Troubleshooting 38
3.4.1 Error Messages 38
¼Φ[lHÉ 3.4.2 Compatible Computers 39
3.5 Whimsy αé&2 40
4.0 Program Specifications 41
INDEX 43
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 PLEASE READ THIS!
New Users: Paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2 contain the basics for
starting program operation. The Personal Finance Manager
(PFM-5) won't store data until new data files are opened as
discussed in paragraph 2.1. However, don't be afraid to
experiment. Once the program is running it's almost
impossible to hurt anything.
Old Users (so to speak): There are several new features
described at the end of paragraph 1.3. Most are self
explanatory, but you should probably familiarize yourself
with:
* How to use the Unpaid Bill program
* How to start new files for Checking Accounts 6 through 10
and the Unpaid Bill file (see paragraph 2.6.6). If not
done correctly, the files will appear to be present, but
won't accept data.
Take a look at the User Registration section. The TELEWARE
Bulletin Board has returned.
1.2 TELEWARE
The Personal Finance Manager and its documentation program
(FINANCE5.EXE and FINANCE5.DOC) are being distributed using a
public domain software marketing concept that relies heavily on
computer bulletin board systems, hence the name TELEWARE
(TELEphone softWARE). The program and documentation are
confined to two files to facilitate easy data transmission.
Users may copy the FINANCE5.EXE and FINANCE5.DOC files and pass
them along to their friends, or post them on Bulletin Board
Systems (BBS) for general distribution. There is no restriction
on copying these files providing they are not changed. Please
do not change the file names, as the documentation will no
longer agree with the disk directory.
The companion graphing program and its documentation
(FINGRAF5.EXE and FINGRAF5.DOC) are NOT public domain. These
programs are licensed by the author for lease to registered
users only, and are not to be copied and distributed to non-
registered users without the express permission of the author.
Please see paragraph 1.4 for more detailed information.
Page [2] Personal Finance Manager, Version 5.02 5/10/85
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1.3 Program Capabilities and New Features
The Personal Finance Manager (PFM-5), Version 5.02 is an IBM
PC/XT/Jr program intended for use by the household budget
manager. The major functions are menu driven and require no
knowledge of commands. A cursory understanding of paragraph 2.1
of this manual is sufficient for most people to operate the
program effectively, but the rest of the manual contains a few
tricks worth knowing and should be read at some point, such as
when something doesn't work. If all else fails, read the
instructions!
PFM-5 provides several functions useful for controlling home
and small business finances, including:
* Ten separate Checking Accounts that record all purchases
(including major cash purchases), withdrawals, interest,
etc. Checking Accounts may also be assigned to credit
cards. PFM-5 will operate all 10 Checking Accounts on one
disk, and you may have many data disks.
* An Unpaid Bills function to store one-time-only, monthly,
or yearly recurring bills and nag when they fall due.
Bills are automatically entered in the checking file when
paid.
* An investment and savings account program that tracks
where your money is invested and how well those
investments are performing. Up to 99 separate accounts
may be stored on one disk.
* Budget reports to show how much was spent in any user
defined budget area such as food, movies, computer
equipment, or any other budget categories (Purchase
Groups) desired. Each of the 10 Checking Accounts may
have up to 99 different Purchase Groups.
* Tax-deductible purchase reports, available for any time
period, for coping with the IRS.
This version of the Personal Finance Manager, like all past
versions, is fully compatible with data files made with any
other version. Refer to paragraph 2.6.6 to find out how to
rename pre-version 3.0 files to run with PFM-5 and to add more
Checking Accounts to pre-version 4.7 programs.
New Features since Version 4.7:
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1. The Unpaid Bills program, mentioned above.
2. An account summary report for each checking and investment
report.
***************************************************************
* 3. Use the Esc key to escape from any data entry screen or *
* move from a lower menu to a higher menu. *
* *
* Most screens and menus no longer contain an option to *
* to move to the next higher menu. Remember to Esc! *
***************************************************************
4. Use the PgUp and PgDn keys to move back and forth through
reports.
[For those in the habit of using the *, -, and + keys,
they still work.]
5. A menu option to the forthcoming graphics program, to be
distributed about July 1, 1985.
6. For "100%" compatible computer owners, a feature to alter
the screen writing mode. (Still doesn't work on Zeniths)
7. Checking Account withdrawals may now be assigned to a
Purchase Group (for automatic withdrawals to pay bills,
etc.).
8. On Checking Account data entry, entry of non-existent
Purchase Group numbers is not permitted.
The remainder of this manual provides more detail on how each
of these functions operates. New Users: PLEASE READ PARAGRAPH
2.1 TO GET THE PROGRAM STARTED CORRECTLY.
1.4 License
This license applies to the TELEWARE Personal Finance Manager
program (FINANCE5.EXE, or PFM-5 in this manual) and its
documentation file (FINANCE5.DOC). PFM-5 and this documentation
are copyrighted by the author, and protected by trademark and
trade secret law. Users may copy the program and give it to
others but they may not:
* Modify the program or documentation in any way,
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* Sell or trade the program for money or any valuable
consideration, except for a nominal charge for postage,
handling, and materials,
* Remove reference to the author or TELEWARE (tm) in the
program or in this documentation.
This license does not apply to the TELEWARE graphing program
(FINGRAF5.EXE) and its documentation (FINGRAF5.DOC). These
programs are not public domain and may not be freely copied.
1.5 Warranty
This warranty statement applies only to the FINANCE5.EXE and
FINANCE5.DOC programs.
This software is provided AS IS with no warranties express or
implied including the warranties of:
M E R C H A N T A B I L I T Y
and
fitness for the purpose intended.
Users have the right to fully inspect the program prior to
making any payment.
1.6 User Registration
Registered users will be provided with:
* Program update notices for as long as updates are
distributed. To remain on the mailing list for updates,
users must return each update notification (but they need
not ask for a program update), or leave a note on the
TELEWARE BBS (see below).
* Program updates at a nominal cost (presently $5, but
subject to change) or by sending a formatted disk and
return mailer to the author.
* The PFM-5 graphing/utilities program and documentation.
This is a program update for registered users only, and
should be distributed around July 1, 1985.
* Access to the TELEWARE electronic bulletin board system.
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This is a 24 hour, 7 day per week electronic mail system
using Larry Jordan's new TCOMM program. Registered users
may call in and:
Leave messages for the author or other users, and read
replies in a private registered users mail section.
Copy the latest version of the following programs:
FINANCE5.EXE The basic program (available to all
callers)
FINANCE5.DOC Documentation (also available to all
callers)
FINGRAF5.EXE Graphing and utilities (available only
to registered users, after 7/1/85)
FINGRAF5.DOC Documentation (available only to
registered users, after 7/1/85)
Before access will be allowed to the proprietary files,
registered users must notify the author either by mail or
using the public portion of the BBS that they desire an
access code to the proprietary group.
Communication Parameters:
300 or 1200 baud
No parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit (IBM PC)
Even parity, 7 data bits, 1 stop bit (Non-PC)
FINANCE5.EXE transfer time is about 16 min. at 1200
baud using XMODEM, or 8 min. using Kermit.
Registered users may change to the proprietary group with
the Change function on the Main menu, then the Access
function on the Change menu. The name of the group is PFM.
The BBS will remain operational for as long as it proves
useful, but the author reserves the right to remove this
service if it proves unworkable.
At the present time, non-registered users have free access
to the public section of the BBS and may copy non-
proprietary software.
Other high quality public domain software will be posted on
the BBS as time and space permit.
Page [6] Personal Finance Manager, Version 5.02 5/10/85
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1.7 Hardware Requirements
PFM-5 is designed to run on an IBM PC, XT, or JR with at
least 192Kb RAM, one disk drive, either a color graphics or
monochrome display, and DOS 1.1 or higher. It will not run
properly on some "100%" compatible machines, but provisions have
been made to alter the screen handling so that it may run on
some previously incompatible machines. See paragraph 3.4.2.
An electronic disk "RAM drive" capability can greatly speed
data searches on this and just about any other program and is
recommended but not required.
2.0 OPERATION
2.1 Getting Started
The public domain version of PFM-5 consists of just one
compiled program, FINANCE5.EXE, and this documentation. Unlike
version 1.0, there is no need to also copy any data files. PFM-
5 generates its own data files on the either the default drive,
or any other specified drive. The default drive for data may be
changed from the PFM-5 Main menu.
If you have an older version of PFM with fewer than 10
Checking Accounts or no Unpaid Bills file, the new files MUST be
started as specified later in this paragraph, otherwise they
will not accept data.
To load and run the program:
1. Copy the file called FINANCE5.EXE to a disk formatted as a
"system" disk. There should be about 100k left for data.
Refer to your DOS manual for information about formatting
disks and copying files. Use the new disk, and save the
original as a backup copy.
2. Put the new disk with the program in the default drive
(usually A:). Following the DOS prompt "A>", type:
FINANCE5
The program will begin loading.
3. After reading the opening screen and suffering a minor
guilt attack for not sending any $$ to the author (who
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
spent many, many hours writing this program, sigh), strike
any key to go to the Main menu. (Instead of "any key,"
striking a "Z" will change the screen writing from screen-
at-a-time to line-by-line. Monochrome screens are always
printed line by line regardless of which key is pressed.)
4. If data is to be stored on the default drive, proceed to
step 5. If data is to be stored on another drive, select
the new drive using option 5 on the Main menu. Make sure
a formatted disk (with ample space available) is in that
drive.
5. Select option 4, "PROGRAM UTILITIES" from the Main menu
(see "DATA ENTRY" at paragraph 2.2 for an explanation of
cursor controls).
6. If you already have PFM data files on your disk, see
paragraph 2.6.6 for information on whether you need to
rename your files, or just add a few more files.
If you are starting new data files on a disk, select
option 8, "START NEW DATA FILES" from the Utilities menu.
This function starts new files to accept program data and
should only be run once for any given disk, unless you
want to erase any existing PFM-5 data files. The drive
will cycle for about 45 seconds while the new files are
being written.
*************************************************************
* These specially formatted files MUST be present on *
* the default (or specified data) drive or: *
* *
* DATA WILL NOT BE STORED! *
* MOST ATTEMPTS TO STORE DATA WILL RESULT IN ERRORS *
*************************************************************
The following files, if present, will be erased:
CHECK*.DAT
GROUP*.DAT
INVEST.DAT
INVCAT.DAT
UNPAID.DAT
(The * stands for any characters)
7. The program is now ready for operation. While you're in
the Utilities menu you should select option 6 and put
either your name or the name of your disk into the data
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file. This name will now appear at the top of most of the
menus and tell which PFM-5 data disk you are working with.
8. The next step is to select the various "Purchase Groups"
to be included in your budget such as Food or Mortgage,
etc. PFM-5 will keep track of items in each group and
report how much you've spent on each, within any time
frame. The Purchase Groups are entered from option 5 on
the Utilities menu. Conscientious budget managers may
want to include the monthly $ amount budgeted as part of
each name. That way the amount will print on each report
along with the name of the Purchase Group.
9. If you intend to use the Investment and Savings Account
programs, enter the name of each account using option 4 on
the Utilities menu.
2.2 Data Entry
1. A full screen of data is entered at one time. Use the
four cursor control (arrow) keys on the numeric keypad
control ALL cursor movement (the backspace key acts as a
cursor left key, and the delete key is not used). The up
and down arrows shift the cursor from data field to data
field. The left and right arrows move the cursor by one
character left and right or to a new field when the end of
a previous field is reached.
The F10 key toggles the cursor keys on and off. Each time
the F10 key is pressed, the current cursor key condition
switches from off to on to off, etc., and a status message
appears at the bottom left corner of the screen. This
remedies the cursor control interference between SIDEKICK
and PFM-5 and also allows use of the numeric keypad. See
paragraph 3.4 for a warning on the use of resident utility
programs.
*************************************************************
* Use the Esc key to quit from any data entry screen to *
* a menu, or to go from a lower menu to a higher menu. *
*************************************************************
Page [9] Personal Finance Manager, Version 5.02 5/10/85
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KEYPAD
Moves cursor up or to
the left by one field
/\
||
8
Moves cursor left <=== 4 5 6 ===> Moves cursor right
by one character by one character
(also done by the 2
backspace key) ||
\/
Moves cursor down or to
the right by one field
*** Don't forget that the F10 key turns off cursor control ***
At any point in the entry process the data may be entered to
the disk file by pushing the Enter Key. However, there are
some fields that must contain valid data before processing
will continue. If data entry is attempted with an invalid
mandatory field, a "DATA ERROR" message will appear at the
bottom of the screen and the cursor will return to the field
in error.
2. All data entry screens permit an escape from entering bad
data by either hitting the Esc key or by presenting a final
data field saying "Enter a 1 in this field to save the
transaction, or a 0 to cancel the transaction." Entry of a 0
causes the program to ignore the data entered to that point
and data entry starts over. Entry of a 1 does two things:
First the program verifies that all mandatory data has been
entered, and that it looks correct. Second, if the data
passes the tests, it is entered into the disk file. If the
data does not pass the tests, the cursor returns to the
incorrect field and the "DATA ERROR" message appears.
Note: Attempting to enter a screen full of data with a zero
or blank in some fields will call up a help subscreen. These
fields are indicated by an "*" on the screen or a prompt at
the bottom of the screen.
Example: You are using the Change function to change a check
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from one Purchase Group to another Purchase Group, but you
don't know which group you want.
Enter a 0 in the Purchase Group field.
Enter a 1 in the last field (as if you were trying to
enter the data to the disk).
Hit the ENTER key.
The Purchase Groups will print at the bottom of the page.
Press the Enter key again to scroll through the groups.
3. Do not enter negative numbers (the program takes care of
subtractions) or numbers with dollar signs or punctuation
other than a decimal point. A comma will make 12,543 be
entered as 12.
4. On the Checking Account Transaction entry screen, the date of
the last transaction entered is automatically reentered for
you. You may override this date with any other valid date by
typing over it.
The number of your next check is also automatically entered
on the screen, and is augmented by 1 for each subsequent
check. Like the date mentioned above, it may be overwritten.
The screen displays and reports are formatted to display
check numbers up to 9999. Higher numbers can result by
letting the program automatically augment the check number
from 9999 to 10000. To prevent loss of valid data, these
numbers are accepted and displayed, but they disrupt the
format of the display.
5. The reports are not formatted to display dollar values
greater than $999,999.00, but if you do have that much money
the numbers will still print without being truncated or
rounded. However, like the check numbers discussed above,
they will disrupt the report formats and will be preceded by
a "%" to indicate that the display fields have been exceeded.
If this happens, simply correct the transaction using the
Change program.
6. Deleted transactions will remain in the data files until you
run the Sort routine (see paragraph 2.6.1) for that file.
Note that the new high-speed sort routine does not sort any
records unless some are out of order, therefore deleted
records are not removed unless an actual reshuffling is done.
To force the file to pack, enter a record out of order.
Deleted records may be reused until that time by searching
for them using the Change routines. Find them by their
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hidden record numbers (as indicated by non-consecutive
numbers in the reports), make any changes, and they're as
good as new. After sorting that data file though, any
remaining deleted records will be removed.
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2.3 The menu Structure
The following chart shows the relationship of all the major
menus:
MAIN MENU SUBMENU SUBMENU
========= ======= =======
| 1. Enter Data | 1. Check
| 2. Pay Bills | Register
| 3. Change Entries | 2. Tax Deduction
1. Checking Account ----| 4. Delete Entries | 3. Purch Summary
| 5. Balance Checkbook | 4. Purch Details
| 6. Print Reports ---------| 5. Deposits
| 7. Change Account | 6. Unpaid Bills
Number/Name | - Account Summary
| (Not on menu)
| 1. Enter Data
| 2. Change Entries
| 3. Delete Entries
2. Savings/Investment --| 4. List Summary of Investments
Accounts | 5. Print Reports
| 6. Delete all Entries for One Investment
| 1. Graph Checking Account Data } These are not
3. Graphing and Addi- | 2. Graph Investment Account Data } public domain
tional Utilities-----| 3. Pack Purchase Group File } and are avail-
| 4. Pack Investment Category File } able to regis-
| 5. Change Group Numbers } tered users
| 6. Change Category Numbers } only.
| 1. Sort Investment File by Date
| 2. Sort Checking File by Date/Type/Check Number
| 3. Pack Unpaid Bills File
4. Program Utilities----| 4. Add/Change/Delete/Display Investment Categories
| 5. Add/Change/Delete/Display Purchase Groups
| 6. Install New Owner's Name
| 7. Set Checking Account Minimum Balance Flag
| 8. Start New Data Files
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5. Change the Default Drive
6. Exit the Program
Function Keys: F10 Toggles Cursor Keys On and Off
F1 Online help (Graphics only)
************************************************************
* Use the Esc key to jump from lower menus to higher menus *
************************************************************
2.4 The Checking Account
The Checking Account keeps a running list of all checks,
deposits, withdrawals, and interest in your account.
It also keeps a record of major cash purchases should you
decide to enter them. [Cash purchases are recorded in the
Checking Account, but do not affect the account balance. These
purchases are available to the Detailed and Summary reports, and
provide an accurate description of what was spent in each budget
area.]
The Checking Account Unpaid Bills file stores pertinent
information on all outstanding bills. Bills are automatically
removed from this file and placed in the Checking Account when
paid. The due date on monthly and yearly recurring bills is
automatically updated and the bill is reentered in the Unpaid
Bills file.
Ten separate Checking Accounts may be operated on one disk.
There is also no limit to the amount of data disks that may be
used with the program. The Active Account is selected or
renamed from option 7 on the Checking Account menu.
************************************************************
* Once an account is selected ALL TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING *
* CHECKING ACCOUNTS APPLY ONLY TO THAT ACCOUNT! *
************************************************************
If you have (for example) Checking Account #3 selected:
* The Checking Account Sort routine only operates on Account
#3.
* Adding, Changing, Deleting, or Displaying Purchase Groups
only affects the Purchase Groups associated with Account
#3.
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* Adding, Changing, or Deleting Checking Account records
only affects Account #3.
* Printed reports will only select data from Account #3.
* For each of the functions listed above, the name of the
active Checking Account will print at the upper left of
each menu screen (rather than the "Owner's Name").
* The Minimum Balance Warning applies only to Account #3.
(i.e., it may be set to a different value for each
account).
* Only Unpaid Bills for Account #3 will be called for
payment.
EXCEPTION: Most Unpaid Bill functions
-The Unpaid Bills Report displays bills for all accounts,
regardless of the account selected.
-The Unpaid Bills Warning (on the Checking Account menu)
flashes when a bill is overdue in any account.
-The Change and Delete functions for one Checking Account
operate on Unpaid Bills for all accounts.
As mentioned, the Active Account is selected using option 8
on the Checking Account menu. Note that each account may also
be named from within option 8.
2.4.1 Entering New Checks, Deposits, Cash Purchases, etc.
Option 1 from the Checking Account menu provides the data
input screen for the Checking Account. The kinds of records
that may be entered include:
1. Checks. Mandatory data fields are:
CHECK NUMBER must be greater than 0
DATE must be a valid date
AMOUNT must be greater than 0
PURCHASE GROUP must be the number of an
existing Purchase Group
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Other fields:
TO defaults to blank
TAX DEDUCTIBLE always No unless Y is entered
ACTION DESIRED 0 to discard data
1 to save on disk and
clear screen
2 to save on disk and
not clear screen
2. Deposits. Mandatory data fields are:
DATE must be a valid date
AMOUNT must be greater than 0
Other fields:
TO defaults to blank
ACTION DESIRED 0 to discard data
1 to save on disk and
clear screen
2 to save on disk and
not clear screen
3. Interest. Mandatory data fields are:
DATE must be a valid date
AMOUNT must be greater than 0
Other fields:
TO defaults to blank
ACTION DESIRED 0 to discard data
1 to save on disk and
clear screen
2 to save on disk and
not clear screen
4. cash Purchases. Mandatory data fields are:
DATE must be a valid date
AMOUNT must be greater than 0
PURCHASE GROUP must be the number of an
existing Purchase Group
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Other fields:
TO defaults to blank
TAX DEDUCTIBLE always No unless Y is entered
ACTION DESIRED 0 to discard data
1 to save on disk and
clear screen
2 to save on disk and
not clear screen
5. Withdrawals. Mandatory data fields are:
DATE must be a valid date
AMOUNT must be greater than 0
Purchase Group must be the number of an
existing Purchase Group
Other fields:
TO defaults to blank
TAX DEDUCTIBLE always No unless Y is entered
ACTION DESIRED 0 to discard data
1 to save on disk and
clear screen
2 to save on disk and
not clear screen
6. Unpaid Bills. Mandatory data fields are:
DATE no invalid dates. This is the
due date of the bill
AMOUNT must be greater than 0
Other fields:
TO defaults to blank
RECURRING Enter:
Y for a yearly recurring bill
M for a monthly recurring bill
N (or any other character) for
a one time only bill.
CHECK NUMBER ignored regardless of entry
PURCHASE GROUP ignored regardless of entry
ACTION DESIRED 0 to discard data
1 to save on disk and
clear screen
2 to save on disk and
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not clear screen
7. Use Esc key to quit
The general data requirements are that numbers may not be
less than zero, dates must be "real" (no month 13, or day 45).
A Purchase Group (budget group) number must be entered for each
check, cash purchase, or withdrawal. All expenditures are
assigned to a group, and this group is used to print special
reports of expenditures (see paragraph 2.4.7). Attempting to
enter the screen full of data with a Purchase Group equal to 0
or blank will result in the displayed Groups at the bottom of
the screen scrolling to allow the display of more groups. [The
final data input field (ACTION DESIRED) must have a 1 or 2 in it
when you press the ENTER key. At this point the scrolling will
occur.] Checking Account data may not be entered for a Purchase
Group that does not exist.
Note, in the ACTION DESIRED field, a 0 cancels the entire
transaction, and a 1 or a 2 enters the data on the disk.
However using a 2 leaves the data on the screen for copying into
the next entry, whereas a 1 erases it. Data is validated when
either a 1 or 2 is used, and the cursor will return to the field
in error.
To enter torn-up checks with a $0.00 value (for record
keeping purposes), use $0.00001 as the dollar amount to bypass
the edit feature. The program will not allow a zero dollar
entry, but it will accept teensy little numbers.
Each expenditure (cash or check) may be marked as a tax
deductible. Tax deductions are displayed by the Tax Deductions
report.
2.4.2 Entering Unpaid Bills
Paragraph 2.4.1 above describes the general data requirements
for Unpaid Bill entry. An Unpaid Bill resides in a special file
(which must be created on the data disk using the "Start New
Data Files" function. See paragraph 2.6.6 if you are not a new
user of PFM.).
Unpaid Bills may be either Non-recurring, Monthly Recurring,
or Yearly Recurring. When a bill must be paid at some time in
the future, enter the particular information (such as DATE DUE,
TO, and AMOUNT) via the Checking Account Data Entry Screen, but
select a "U" as the Transaction Type. This sends the entry to
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the Unpaid Bill File. If the bill is a one time only event,
enter it as a non-recurring bill. If the bill will repeat every
month or year on the same day, enter it as monthly or yearly
recurring bill. When the bill is paid (see Pay Bills paragraph
below) the information is retrieved from Unpaid Bills file and
displayed on the Checking Account Data Entry screen for
additions or changes. The transaction is then automatically
entered into the Checking Account without retyping, and is
deleted from the Unpaid Bills file. If it's a recurring bill,
the date will be incremented by one month or one year, and it
will be returned to the Unpaid Bill file to wreak havoc on your
financial security another day.
[Honestly, I couldn't think of a good financial reason for
including a yearly recurring bill, but I found it to be an
invaluable birthday and anniversary reminder.]
PFM-5 nags you, with a flashing reminder on the Checking
Account menu, that bills (birthdays?) are overdue. The flasher
comes on:
-When a bill is overdue in any Checking Account, regardless
of which account you are in or the bill is in.
-When overdue bills have been paid, but the Unpaid Bills file
should be packed to rearrange records or remove deleted
records.
Packing the file may be done for the Utilities menu or with
the Pay Bills function (next paragraph).
2.4.3 Paying Bills
Bills entered according to the procedures in the two
paragraphs above may be paid using option 2 on the Checking
Account menu.
Once selected, the Pay Bills function asks for the "due date"
for selecting bills. In other words, only bills falling due on
or before that date will be selected. Bills due at any point in
the future may therefore be paid on the present day.
The second option allows you to select first bill to be paid,
selected by the bill number (record number) on the Unpaid Bills
report. Leave this number equal to 1 and PFM selects the first
due bill (according to the date selected) in the current
Checking Account, regardless of the bill number.
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The second option also causes a "pack" of the Unpaid Bills
file if record 9999 is entered. Packing removes deleted bills
(which do not display on the report, but nevertheless are still
in the file) and reorders the remaining bills according to date.
Once the Unpaid Bills Nag-Flag (on the Checking menu) starts
flashing, packing the file shuts it off. [Would that some
people could so easily be controlled.] If the flag does not
shut off, Unpaid Bills remain overdue, or your computer is
looking for attention. Either way, it's not good.
When paying bills, the Action Desired field on the data entry
screen takes on new meaning. As before, a 0 cancels the
transaction and returns everything to the way it was, but now:
-A "1" pays the bill (enters it into the Checking Account,
and does whatever it must in the Unpaid Bills file),
then returns to the Date and Bill Number selection screen.
Press the Enter key to pay the next due bill in the file or
select a different bill.
-A "2" pays the bill but skips the Date and Bill Number
selection screen. The next bill is automatically called up.
2.4.4 Changing Entries
All data entered into the Checking or Unpaid Bills files may
be retrieved, displayed, and changed using the change function,
option 3 on the Checking menu. The Change Screen requests the
characteristics of the record being sought. Enter the type of
transaction (as requested) and either:
-The Record Number of the transaction (the number in the left
column of the various reports). A search by record number
is fast, and it really doesn't matter what transaction type
was entered.
- or -
-One or more (preferably more) of the following:
Check number (for checks only)
Transaction date
Transaction amount
PFM-5 will search for records having ALL characteristics
specified, but any blank or zero fields are ignored. Since
there is no reason why two checks can't have the same number (a
certainty if you change banks) or two transaction amounts can't
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be the same, the search must specify as much information as
possible to insure finding the correct record.
Except for record number searches, the program searches the
entire file for the record in question (time consuming for large
files). If the record is near the end of the file, do a
backwards search from end to beginning by putting a B, left
justified, in the record number field.
Note, backwards searches take more time to search the ENTIRE
file (floppy disk drives don't like to scan a file backwards)
but they find records near the end of the file very quickly.
Once found, any data in the record may be changed to any
other valid value. The same rules apply to changes that apply
to new entries. Dates must be valid; no negative numbers; some
fields may not be left blank. See the above Checking Account
entry information for a description of the mandatory fields.
No transaction type may be changed to an Unpaid Bill, nor may
an Unpaid Bill be changed to any other transaction type.
Entry fields marked with an "*" will cause a help subscreen
to be displayed if entry of the record is attempted with a 0 in
that field. [This means that the final field on the screen
(that asks for a 0 or 1 to complete data entry) must have a 1 in
it when you press the ENTER key, and the unknown field must have
a 0 in it. At this point the help screen will appear.]
Entering a 0 in the final field cancels the changes and ignores
any data errors.
2.4.5 Deleting Entries
Any record in the Checking file may be searched for,
displayed, and deleted using the Delete function, option 4 on
the Checking menu. Use the search method described in paragraph
2.4.4. Note that deleted records remain in the file (but don't
display or affect the balance) until the Sort routine is run
(see paragraph 2.6.2).
To delete all entries from one Checking Account (i.e., delete
the entire account):
* Exit to the operating system (DOS)
* Copy any empty Checking Account data file from the same or
another disk into the one to be erased, using the
following steps.
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* Assume the account to be erased is account #3, and the
empty Checking Account to be copied is account #10. Type:
COPY CHECK10.DAT CHECK3.DAT
* To also erase the Purchase Groups associated with that
account, type:
COPY GROUP10.DAT GROUP3.DAT
2.4.6 Balancing the Checking Account
Now that all your checking transactions and cash purchases
are in the Checking file, PFM-5 will help balance your account.
[The cash purchases have no effect on the account balance.]
Option 5 on the Checking menu runs the Balance program. The
date the account was last balanced will be displayed (if it was
balanced) followed by a request for the ending balance from the
new bank statement.
Note: When using data files from an older version of PFM,
this date may be incorrect the first time the account is
balanced using PFM-5. It will straighten itself out though.
After entry of that information, each transaction (except for
cash purchases) displays on the screen with a request as to
whether this transaction has been reported in the latest bank
statement. Answer Y or N as appropriate. The program does the
math. After all entries have been "yessed or noed" the balance
that your checkbook SHOULD display is shown next to the ACTUAL
balance in your PFM-5 account. This reflects the information
you entered (Garbage In = Garbage Out). [Mine usually balances
to the penny. Of course that's also the usual balance.] The
account may now be considered balanced or you may return to the
Checking menu to verify entries against the bank statement. [If
you're like me, it's sometimes too much trouble to find where I
made an error, so I enter a dummy check or deposit under the
date 04/05/06 or some other low number, but not 01/01/01, to
cancel out the error.]
2.4.7 Printing Reports
PFM-5 prints reports on the screen or a printer. The print
screen capability is also available to copy single screens
(SHIFT-PrtSc).
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Use the PgUp and PgDn keys to page back and forth through the
screen reports and Esc to return to the Report menu.
Seven different reports are available by selecting option 6
on the Checking Account menu. They are:
* Check Register:
Lists all transactions in the Checking file
Displays a running balance for each transaction
(Cash Purchases do not affect the balance)
May be limited to the transactions between any two
dates, but the balance is calculated from the first
entry
Prints the Account Summary Report automatically at the
end
Transactions that lower the balance below a minimum
level are highlighted (see the section on setting the
minimum balance warning flag)
Limited to the active Checking Account.
The report displays the following fields:
RECORD NUMBER (use this number for fast searches).
If the record numbers are not consecutive, there are
non-displayed, deleted records lurking on the disk.
The sort routine purges them.
TRANSACTION DATE
CHECK NUMBER/TRANSACTION TYPE
TAX DEDUCTIBLE (TX), yes or no
VERIFIED ON BANK STATEMENT (V?), yes or no
PURCHASE GROUP
REMARKS
AMOUNT
BALANCE (computed from the first account entry,
regardless of the report dates selected)
* Tax Deduction List:
Lists all tax deductible checks, cash purchases, and
withdrawals
The records may be selected between any two dates
Limited to the active Checking Account.
The report displays the following fields:
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RECORD NUMBER
If the record numbers are not consecutive, there are
non-displayed, deleted records lurking on the disk.
The sort routine purges them.
TRANSACTION DATE
CHECK NUMBER/TRANSACTION TYPE
PURCHASE GROUP
REMARKS
AMOUNT
[Remember, if you didn't enter the cash purchase, check,
or withdrawal as a tax deduction, it won't print as a tax
deduction.]
* Summary of Purchases:
Summarizes all the expenditures (cash, check, or
withdrawal) in all active Purchase Groups.
May be limited to expenditures occurring between any two
dates
A Grand Total of expenditures within the selected time
frame prints at the end of the report
Limited to the active Checking Account.
[Hint: To make the most use of this report as a budgeting
tool, enter the $ limit for each Purchase Group as part of
the Group name.]
* Detail of One Group:
Lists a detailed accounting of each expenditure (cash,
check, or withdrawal) to occur in a selected purchase
group.
May be limited to expenditures within any selected time
frame
Limited to the active Checking Account.
The report displays the following fields:
RECORD NUMBER
TRANSACTION DATE
CHECK NUMBER/TRANSACTION TYPE
TAX DEDUCTIBLE (Y or N)
REMARKS
AMOUNT
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TOTAL (within the selected time frame)
* List of Deposits:
This report is the Check Register report described above,
but prints only deposits.
May be limited to deposits within any time frame.
Shows the account balance resulting after each deposit.
Limited to the active Checking Account.
* Unpaid Bills Report:
Lists each Unpaid Bill for all Checking Accounts
May be limited to bills within any time frame.
The report displays the following fields:
RECORD NUMBER
TRANSACTION DATE
RECURRING (Y, M, or N) This indicates whether the bill
is yearly recurring, monthly
recurring, or non-recurring.
CHECKING ACCOUNT NUMBER
REMARKS
AMOUNT
* Account Summary Report:
Appears at the end of the Check Register and List of
Deposits
Lists the amount of money deposited, withdrawn, etc. for
the entire account and within the specified time frame.
To print this report by itself, select the Check Register
report, but select "S" on the date selection screen (see
Date Selection, below).
The bottom line, CREDITS-DEBITS does not include cash
purchases.
* Date Selection:
After selecting a report, the next screen requests the
beginning and ending dates for the records to be printed.
Pick the dates (or leave them as they are), then indicate
whether:
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- The report is to be on the printer (Enter "P"),
- Only the Account Summary Report is required (Enter "S")
Note: This only works when asking for the Check
Register or the Deposit reports. The "S" is ignored at
all other times.
- The report is to be on the screen only (Leave blank).
The records displayed on the subsequent reports will be
limited to those falling within the dates selected.
Account balances are computed from the first to the last
record in the file regardless of the dates selected.
Remember, these reports provide information only on the
active Checking Account (exception: Unpaid Bills report). To
see what's happening in the other accounts it is necessary to
return to the Checking Account menu and change the active
account using option 7, as discussed below.
2.4.8 Changing and Renaming the Active Checking Account
PFM-5 will, on one disk, track 10 separate Checking Accounts.
Each account has its own name, Purchase Groups, data, etc.
Also, any PFM-5 function that works on a Checking Account record
or a Purchase Group record works only on the active Checking
Account and its own Purchase Groups file. Functions limited to
the active account include:
* Adding, changing, or deleting Checking Account
transactions,
* Printing any of the Checking Account reports except the
Unpaid Bills report,
* Adding, changing, displaying, or deleting Purchase Groups,
* Setting the minimum balance warnings,
* Sorting the Checking Account file from the Utilities menu,
* Balancing the account.
* Paying or adding Unpaid Bills.
* Changing, deleting, and printing Unpaid Bills may be done
from any account.
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*************************************************************
* Note, however, that Starting New Data Files (option 8 on *
* the Utilities menu) will erase ALL(!) PFM-5 data files, *
* not just the active Checking Account. *
*************************************************************
The active Checking Account is changed using option 7 on the
Checking Account menu by selecting the number of the account
desired. The name of the account, which prints in the upper
left hand corner of all Checking Account-related menu screens
may also be changed from here.
For example: To change from account #1 to account #4, enter
a 4 in the brackets. To change the NAME of account 4, enter
a 14 in the brackets. Confusing, eh what? It really isn't.
Just take a look at the menu. Selecting an account involves
typing the account number. Changing the name involves typing
10 plus the account number.
The Esc key does not allow exiting from this screen.
2.5 The Savings and Investment Accounts
This section of PFM-5 is designed to keep track of accounts
that are primarily used for investments, such as savings
accounts, money markets, treasury bills, stock purchases, etc.
Up to 99 separate accounts may be followed. The name of each
account is entered in the Investment Categories routine, option
4 on the Utilities menu. This program is designed to follow the
cash transactions on each of these accounts, such as purchases,
sales, broker fees, cash dividends (paid directly to you), and
rollover interest (interest paid to the account). The
information saved and reported tells where your money is
invested, how much money is invested, how well that investment
is performing, and will provide a handy summary for preparing
income tax forms. However, PFM-5 is not an investment analyzer
that computes expected returns on bonds, or helps follow stock
market trends, etc.
2.5.1 Entering Investments and Savings Account Transactions
Option 1 from the Investments menu provides the data input
screen for this file. Some general requirements are that
numbers may not be less than zero, and dates must be "real" (no
month 13, or day 45). Unlike the Checking data entry screen,
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all entries are applicable and none are skipped over, however
the FOR field is optional. The rest are mandatory. No data may
be assigned to an Investment Category that does not exist.
The types of transactions that may be entered are:
* PURCHASES, for example, a stock purchase. Use this also
for savings account deposits or maintenance on a rental
home. It indicates that dollars went out of your pocket
into an investment/asset.
* SALES, for example the sale of a stock. The Sale may also
be used for a withdrawal from a savings account. It
indicates that money came out of the balance of the
investment and into your pocket [for some reason it always
seems to go into someone else's pocket].
* INCOME, for example the payment of a stock dividend check
that you cashed, or a rent payment from a tenant. It did
not add to or subtract from the value of your investment
but put cash in your pocket (or another account). Income
transactions do not affect the balance of the account, but
are summarized at the end of the account report.
* ROLLOVER DIVIDENDS & INTEREST, for example interest on a
savings account that remains in the account and compounds
or otherwise increases the value of your investment.
* FEES, such as the broker's fee on any number of
transactions, as with a stock sale or real property
rental. This is for use where the fee does not decrease
the value of your investment/asset. It does not affect
the balance of the account.
Since a Purchase is the same as a deposit, and a Sale is the
same as a withdrawal, the same data entry screen can be used for
both investments or savings accounts. Also notice that, like
the Checking Account, a 2 in the last field allows the data to
remain on the screen for copying into the next record.
An Investment Category (the number that stands for the name
of the investment or savings account) must be entered for each
transaction so the program knows where to file it. This
Category is used to print the individual reports on each
investment (see paragraphs 2.5.4 and 2.5.5). Attempting to
enter the screen full of data with an Investment Category equal
to 0 or blank will result in the displayed Categories scrolling
to allow the display of more Categories. A data error will
result from trying to add a Category that doesn't exist.
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2.5.2 Changing Entries
All data entered in the Investment file may be retrieved,
displayed, and changed using the change function, option 2 on
the Investment menu. Some characteristics of the record being
sought must be specified. These are all requested on the Change
screen. The fastest way to find a record is with the record
number, which is displayed on most of the reports. To use any
other method requires that the Type of record be specified
(i.e., Purchase, Fee, etc.) as well as at least one or more
other characteristics such as the Date or $ Amount. Because
there could be more than one record with a given date or $
amount, the more information specified the better the chance of
finding the desired record. See paragraph 2.4.4 for "backwards
searches."
Once found, any data in the record may be changed to any
other valid value. The same rules apply to changes that apply
to new entries. Dates must be valid; no negative numbers; some
fields may not be left blank. Entry fields marked with an "*"
will cause a help subscreen to be displayed if entry of the
record is attempted with a 0 or blank in the field.
2.5.3 Deleting Entries
Any Record in the Investment file may be searched for,
displayed, and deleted using the Delete function, option 3 on
the Investment menu. Use the search method described in
paragraph 2.5.2. Note that deleted records remain in the file
(but don't display or affect the balance) until the Sort routine
is run AND records are shuffled around (see paragraph 2.6.1).
2.5.4 Listing A Summary of Investments
This report prints, on the screen or printer, the balance in
each investment account, and at the end, a grand total of
dollars invested. It is not limited to transactions occurring
between any two dates, but rather shows the current status of
each account.
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2.5.5 Printing Reports
All reports produced by this program are available on the
screen or the printer. For a paper copy of just one screen, use
the print screen capability (SHIFT-PrtSc). Two different
reports are available. The first is a list of all transactions
in each Investment file displayed with the running account
balance. The report may be limited to the transactions between
any two dates. When option 5 from the Investment menu is
selected, the next screen requests the account number (to scroll
through the account numbers/Purchase Categories, enter a 0, then
press the Enter key).
The next screen is for selection of the beginning and ending
dates for the transactions to be considered. After picking the
dates, indicate whether the report is to print on the printer.
Another option allows selection of only the Account Summary
report (an "S" in the appropriate field). Press Enter and the
report prints. This report prints the balance in the account
for each transaction starting from record 1 (even though some
records may not be printed because of the date limits). If no
dates are selected, the program automatically selects and prints
all records for this investment.
The Account Summary prints at the end of each report showing
the total fees, purchases, etc. on the account. Note that sale
of an investment for a greater value than the purchase price
correctly causes a negative account balance but a positive
profit. The bottom line, PROFIT, on the Account Summary report
reflects Sales+Income minus Purchases+fees. Interest is covered
under Sales when the asset is sold (or the account emptied).
2.5.6 Deleting All Entries For One Investment Category
When done with an investment, if there is no longer a need
for a record of the transactions, they may all be deleted with
this option. As with all other deleted records, they will not
be purged from the files until you run the Sort routine (see
paragraph 2.6.1). [If the IRS suspects you of fraud, there is
no statute of limitations and they may look at any past
financial information.] It is a wise idea to at least keep
paper records (i.e., a printout of the data file) if the file is
to be deleted.
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2.6 Program Utilities
2.6.1 Sorting Files by Date
Use option 1 on the Utilities menu to rearrange the
Investment File transactions, and option 2 to rearrange the
Checking file transactions, in order of transaction date.
Checking Files receive a three level sort in order of
transaction date, then by the type of transaction (Cash
Purchases followed by Deposits, then Interest, Withdrawals, and
finally Checks), and last, the checks are rearranged in order of
check number on the given day. Remember, only the active
Checking Account is sorted.
The FINANCE5.EXE program can sort 3,000 transactions in each
file. This requires a total memory of 192Kb RAM. This number
of transactions is about 5 years' worth for most people. (Note
that the data files will store up to 65,500 records, but the
sort routine won't operate once the file increases beyond 3000
records.) The sort routine will check to see if the file needs
to be sorted. If not, a rather brief message flashes on the
screen and the Utilities menu is displayed.
Note: Deleted records are not purged from the files until
records are actually rearranged. To force the sort, put in a
record out of order.
If sorting is required, only the out of place data is
rearranged; previously sorted data is untouched, greatly
reducing sort times on large files. The program rewrites the
file in sorted order. Having a properly ordered file to work
with speeds up report writing, saves cycles on the disk drives,
reduces memory required for index files, etc, but unfortunately
slows down the sort while the rewrite takes place. Floppy disks
are not too good at locating data scattered all over a disk, so
this technique speeds up program operation for the average user.
It can be changed if a majority of the users have hard disks and
ask for a change.
Since an entirely new file is written during the sort, you'll
need enough empty space on the disk for the new sorted file and
the old file. Old files are automatically erased after the new
sorted file has been successfully written. The program takes
care of all file maintenance and will not lose data if the sort
routine fails because of a full disk or excessively large data
file. If the sort routine crashes because of a full disk, a
file named SORT.DAT will remain on the data disk. This file may
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be erased, or the program will erase it the next time a sort is
run.
Once the disk becomes so full that the sort routine can not
work, the file may be sorted by copying it to a new disk and
running the sort again.
Always copy the Checking Account and its Purchase Group file
to a new disk together, since these files share some data. The
same is true for the investment file. The names of the files,
if you should decide to copy them, are:
CHECK1.DAT GROUP1.DAT Checking Account #1
.. .. . . .
.. .. . . .
CHECK10.DAT GROUP10.DAT Checking Account #10
INVEST.DAT INVCAT.DAT Investment file
2.6.2 Packing the Unpaid Bills File
After bills are paid, records may be out of order (because of
date changes to recurring bills) or deleted (paid) bills may be
hiding unseen in the file. Use the Pack function to rearrange
the file by date and remove deleted records. Unlike the sort
routines above, the pack function always removes deleted
records, regardless of whether the records are out of order.
This function may be run from either the Pay Bills option on
the Checking menu, or from the Pack option (3) on the Utilities
menu.
The Pack function requires more than one unpaid bill in the
file to do a pack.
2.6.3 Adding, Changing, Deleting, and Displaying Investment
Categories and Purchase Groups
Use options 4 and 5 to do whatever is required with the
Purchase Groups and Investment Categories. The menus and input
screens are essentially self explanatory. Purchase Groups are
the same as budget items, such as food, clothing, insurance,
gasoline, etc. Investment Categories are the names of your
investment and savings accounts, such as Beneficial Theft and
Trust, or G.F. Mutton.
You may specify up to 99 Purchase Groups (for each Checking
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Account) and 99 Investment Categories. Purchase Groups are
entered only for the active Checking Account. Thus account #1
may have one set of Purchase Groups, account #2 may have a
different set, and so on. To use one set of Purchase Groups on
more than one account without retyping them, do the following:
* Enter all the Purchase Groups for one account
* Exit the program to the operating system
* Copy the Purchase Groups from the first file into the
second by using the DOS copy command. For example, to
copy the Purchase Groups from account #4 to account #3,
type:
COPY GROUP4.DAT GROUP3.DAT
The Purchase Group files will now be duplicates.
* Return to operating the program.
The delete function does not delete a group or category from
the disk, but only replaces it with the word "DELETED." The
additional utilities in the FINGRAF5.EXE program will pack the
file and purge deleted records.
2.6.4 Installing a New Owner's Name
The Owner's Name displays at the top left corner of most
menus and serves to identify which the current data disk being
processed. You may use your name, or you may have a separate
name for each PFM-5 data disk. By naming each set of disk files
you may have several different copies of PFM-5 in use at any one
time, and be able to readily identify which one is in the
machine at any given time. When the functions of a menu apply
only to the active Checking Account, the owner's name is
replaced by the active account name.
If you use more than one set of data files, they may each be
on different disks, or they may all be on one disk in different
directories.
*************************************************************
* When changing data disks, ALWAYS return to the main menu *
* to close the old data files before using the new disk. *
*************************************************************
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This closes the old files and prevents the file buffer in
memory from messing up the data on the new files. The default
drive may be changed from the Main menu, but if you want to
change the subdirectories on one disk, exit the program to
change default directories then restart the program. Using
subdirectories tends to slow down data access times considerably
and increases the number of cycles on the disk drives for each
record accessed. But if you like 'em, use 'em.
2.6.5 Set Checking Account Minimum Balance Warning
Use option 7 on the Utilities menu to select a dollar value
that causes your Checking Account balance to display with dark
letters on a bright background (reverse video) when it drops
below the selected value. Any number greater than zero may be
used. If you lose your interest when the bank balance falls
below $100, then use $100 as the entry here. The minimum
balance warning may be set to a different value for each active
Checking Account. To set the warning for a different account,
change the active account, then return here to set the new
warning.
2.6.6 Starting New Data Files
PFM-5 requires files to be initialized (prior to the first
use of the data disk only!) using option 8 before they can be
used. PFM-5 uses random access data files and puts some key
numbers in the first few records of the files (nothing
exciting), but the program will not accept data, the sort
routines won't work, and the reports will not run until this is
done.
*************************************************************
* DON'T run this routine twice on one disk except *
* to erase the existing PFM data files and start over. *
*************************************************************
The following files, if present, will be erased:
CHECK*.DAT INVEST.DAT GROUP*.DAT INVCAT.DAT UNPAID.DAT
(The * stands for any characters)
To use data files from some previous versions of PFM with
version 5 requires only a name change of two files, but done in
the following manner:
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* Look to see if your Checking Account data file is named
CHECKING.DAT (i.e., run a directory on the data disk).
If it is, then continue. If it is called CHECK1.DAT, the
file need not be renamed, but additonal files should be
added as discussed later in this paragraph).
* Put FINANCE5.EXE on a blank, formatted disk (preferably a
system disk)
* Load and run the new FINANCE5 program
* Open new PFM-5 data files as instructed above in this
paragraph
* Exit the PFM-5 program
* Assuming you have your old data files on drive A: and the
new PFM-5 disk in drive B:, copy the existing CHECKING.DAT
file onto the new PFM-5 disk as follows:
COPY A:CHECKING.DAT B:CHECK1.DAT
The old data file on the new PFM-5 disk will now be named
CHECK1.DAT and will occupy Checking Account number 1 (of
10)
* Now copy the Purchase Group files to the new disk as
follows:
COPY A:PURGRP.DAT B:GROUP1.DAT
The old Purchase Groups will now be included in Checking
Account number 1. They may also be copied into
GROUP2.DAT, etc., to use them in more than one account.
* Copy the old Investment Data and Investment Category file
to the new disk without a name change as follows:
COPY A:INVEST.DAT B:
COPY A:INVCAT.DAT B:
That's it. You're ready to roll. Just be aware that the
Date Last Balanced will be incorrect (and probably written in
the PC's unique Grecco-Martian style) the first time you run a
Checking Account balance. This will correct itself. It happens
because the balance date location on the first record in the
data file is used for the Checking Account name (a new feature
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on later versions of PFM), and the balance date is moved to a
different field.
To add an Unpaid Bills file and Checking Accounts 6 through
10 to a pre-version 5.02 program disk :
* Put the PFM-5 program disk in the A drive,
* Put a blank, formatted disk in drive B,
* Load the FINANCE5.EXE program as usual,
* Using option 5 from the Main menu, change the default
drive to B:,
* Using option 8 on the Utilities menu, start new data files
on the B drive (NOT THE A: DRIVE!),
* The drive will crank away for about 45 sec. When done,
exit from the FINANCE5 program,
* Copy files:
CHECK6.DAT through CHECK10.DAT
GROUP6.DAT through GROUP10.DAT
UNPAID.DAT
from the B drive to the PFM-5 disk containing your working
data files.
*************************************************************
* Be careful not to copy CHECK1.DAT . . . CHECK5.DAT onto *
* your existing data disk, as these will be empty files *
* and will overwrite your existing data. *
*************************************************************
NOTE: Unless you put files on your data disk that were
started using the "Start New Data Files" option, the program
will not be able to store data in those accounts. The
program will otherwise function normally without the new
accounts should you decide not to add them.
2.6.7 File Descriptions
After new data files have been started, there should be 23
data files on the data disk:
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CHECK1.DAT Checking Account number 1 data
CHECK2.DAT " " " 2 "
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
CHECK10.DAT " " " 10 "
GROUP1.DAT Checking Account number 1 Purchase Group names
GROUP2.DAT Checking Account number 1 Purchase Group names
" " " " " " "
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
GROUP10.DAT " " " " " " "
INVEST.DAT Investment data
INVCAT.DAT Investment Category Names
UNPAID.DAT Unpaid Bills file.
These are standard random access files, but the first record
is a scratch pad for the program and contains required data for
operation. This is why files must be started by PFM-5 prior to
use. The files may be read with a text editor, but much of the
data consists of unreadable characters, and most editors will
not be able to digest the data.
***********************************************************
* Do not attempt to change and rewrite these files using *
* an editor. All the data may be lost! *
***********************************************************
Files may be copied into each other, for example if you need
to duplicate a group file or want to change all Checking Account
#5 data to account #1, but remember to only use files started by
PFM-5. Use only the DOS Copy command. Reading the file into a
word processor/editor and writing it into another file may
result in a wrecked file!
2.6.8 RAM Drives
An electronic RAM drive will speed up program operation
tremendously because electronic disks greatly reduce disk access
times. Keep in mind that the PFM-5 data files must be copied to
the RAM drive prior to loading the program, and they must be
copied back to the floppy or hard disk after ending the program.
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2.6.9 Exiting the Program
ALWAYS use the EXIT routine when leaving this program.
Reason: Data is stored in buffers prior to being written on the
disk file. Buffers accumulate data until they are full and
then, when good and ready, they write to the disk. If you exit
by removing the disk and turning off the computer or by
rebooting, there will be unwritten data in the buffers that will
be lost. If you exit via the Exit routine, the buffers will
first be emptied, then the program will quit.
3.0 Miscellaneous
3.1 Changing the Default Drive or Data Disk
The drive where PFM-5 looks to find its data files may be
changed using option 4 on the Main menu. Thus you can have data
in one or both drives, and use this feature to shift between
them. Changing subdirectory names, if you use them, must be
done through the Operating System. Note that unless the program
is told otherwise, it always looks for its data on the default
drive. (Remember, data files must be initiated originally from
option 8 in the Utilities menu).
*************************************************************
* When changing data disks, ALWAYS return to the main menu *
* to close the old data files before using the new disk. *
*************************************************************
3.2 Keeping Backups
After a few months you'll have sizable data files. Think
about keeping an original and two backups of your data; an "odd
day" backup and an "even day" backup. When backing up data on
an odd-numbered day, use the odd day backup disk, and when
backing up data on an even numbered day use the "even" disk.
This way if the disk goes bad (as some of the less reputable
disks are wont to do) and you unwittingly back up bad data on
your backup disk, you'll have a bad original and a perfect
backup of the bad data. With two backup disks, and only one in
use every other time you backup data, there will always be a
second disk to use to restore both the original and the bad
backup.
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3.3 Making Additional Data Disks
Any number of data disks may be used with the program. To
make a new data disk without having to rewrite all the Purchase
Groups and investment categories, make a new system disk as in
paragraph 2.1.
Then:
* Load PFM-5 from drive A:
* Remove the old PFM-5 disk and insert the new formatted
disk in drive A:
* Open new data files using option 8 from the Utilities menu
* Exit to DOS
* Put the old disk in B: and copy INVCAT.DAT (for
investment categories) and GROUP*.DAT (for the Purchase
Groups) to the new disk. Don't do this if you want to
start naming Groups and Categories from scratch.
3.4 Troubleshooting
3.4.1 Error Messages
PFM-5 contains extensive error handling and correcting
routines that:
- Correct the error and continue operation with nary a word.
For example, if a file is not found, the program creates it
and continues. (However the dummy file will not accept
data.)
- Notify you of what the error is so you can fix it. For
example, when you leave a drive door open, or when a disk
is full. The message and instructions about how to
continue are printed on the screen.
In no case (except for a hardware failure) does the program
stop operation because of errors. If the error is one that the
program does not recognize, execution pauses and the error
number is displayed (with the line number where the error
occurred). The number corresponds to the same number and
description in Appendix A of the IBM BASIC Operating Manual.
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Control is then passed back to the Main menu for a retry, a
different function, or exit. Disk media errors, or unformatted
disks are the prime candidates for this type of response.
Please notify the author of numbered errors other than bad
disk errors.
Occasionally the sort routine acts up when resident utility
programs (SIDEKICK, PROKEYS) are present in memory along with
PFM-5 when data is entered. The resulting error message is
"START DATA FILES/BAD RECORD." (It's the same error that
results from attempting to enter data to an uninitialized data
file.) If you get this error while sorting, add a dummy record
with an out of order date (not 01/01/01) and try again. The
problem should correct itself
For those who care, a lower case "e" on the Main menu turns
on the error trap test.
3.4.2 Compatible Computers
The Zenith-150 blues: "There's something wrong with your
program, Mr. MacEvoy. I have a 100% IBM PC compatible and the
program doesn't run." Fact of life: There is no such thing as
a 100% IBM PC compatible except another PC/XT. The Zenith
apparently uses a different screen buffer location in memory
which is not compatible with the Microsoft BASIC compiler. PFM-
5 will eventually be converted to "C" which will eliminate the
problem, but not for another year. So far, the following
computers run PFM-5:
Columbia
Compaq
Sanyo (cursor controls do not work)
Eagle (PFM-5 acts like it's on a monochrome PC)
Leading Edge (PFM-5 acts like it's on a monochrome PC)
Sperry (Leading Edge in sheep's clothing)
PC Jr (must have MORE than 128K memory)
If your machine runs the program, but is not on the list,
please send me a note. [No, I won't be upset that you didn't
send me any money, but feel just a tiny bit guilty, OK?] If the
program won't run on your computer, several notes have probably
already preceded yours [unless it's on the list above, then I'd
appreciate hearing about it].
If all else fails, enter a "Z" on the first screen (the
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"Please Register" screen with the columns.) when it says "Press
any key to continue." This changes the screen writing mode and
may cure your problem, but it doesn't seem to help the Zenith
150.
3.5 Whimsy
there Waits a magic word
beyond The realm of ascii
yet the Board still holds the key
to the locks not found on any menu.
Happy hunting! The word gains access to a private group on
the TELEWARE BBS.
Good Luck. If you're a registered user you'll be hearing
from me again. The graphing and utilities program should be
available to registered users by July 1, 1985. If you have any
functions you would like to see added, please send a me a note
at the address on the first page, or call the TELEWARE BBS at
703-941-2386. Ditto if you have any problems.
-John MacEvoy
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4.0 Program Specifications
Minimum Hardware Requirements
Computer IBM PC/XT/Jr
Disk Drives 1 DS DD floppy
Monitor Color/Composite or
Monochrome
Memory 192 Kb
Program Capabilities
Checking Account
# of Checking Accounts 10
# of Budget Categories per Account 99
# of Records per Account 65,500
Sort Routine Capacity 3,000 records
Checking Account Reports Check Register.
Summary of All
Purchases.
Detail of Each
Budget Category.
Tax Deduction
Report.
Deposit Report.
Account Summary.
Unpaid Bills.
Unpaid Bills Functions Yearly Recurring
Monthly Recurring
Non-Recurring
Automatic transfer
to check file
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Investment Accounts
# of Investment Accounts 99
Total # of Investment Records 65,500
Sort Routine Capacity 3,000 records
Investment Account Reports Detailed Report for
Each Investment.
Summary of
Investments.
Transaction Summary
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INDEX
account summary report (checking) 24
account summary report, (investments) 29
active account, changing 26
active account, functions affected 13
active account, selecting 13
adding checking & unpaid bills files 35
adding data files 7
adding investment categories or purchase groups 31
backpaging through reports 22
backup data 37
backward data searches (checking) 20
balance, current (checking) 22
balancing the checkbook 21
budget group number 17
bulletin board registration 5
bulletin board system 5
cancelled checks, entry 17
cancelling transaction, checking data entry 17
capabilities, general 2
cash purchases 13
cash purchases, data requirements 15
changing investment categories or investment groups 31
changing investment entries 28
changing records, cancel 20
changing records, checking account 19
changing the active checking account 25
changing the default drive 37
check number, automatic entry 10
check number, valid values 10
check register report 22
checkbook balancing 21
checkbook balancing with dummy entry 21
checking account description 13
checking account running balance 22
checking account, changing 25
checking account, data entry 14
checking account, delete all entries 20
checking account, selecting active account 13
checking file, sorting 30
checks, data requirements 14
communication parameters 5
computers, compatible 39
converting older pfm data files 34
copy restriction 4
copy restriction, finance5 1
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INDEX
copy restriction, fingraf5 1
copying the program 38
copyright 3
cursor control, on/off 8
cursor controls 8
data backups 37
data disk 7
data disk name, changing 32
data duplication, checking data entry 17
data entry, general considerations 8
data entry, investment accounts 26
data entry, negative numbers 10
data entry, punctuation 10
data entry, savings account 26
data error message 9
data files, adding 7
data files, from ancient versions 34
data files, starting new ones 7
data searches, backward (checking) 20
data validation 9
date last balanced 21
date selection for reports 24
date, automatic entry 10
default drive, changing 37
deleted records, finding 11
deleted records, reuse 10
deleting all checking account entries 20
deleting all entries for one investment 29
deleting checking account records 20
deleting investment categories or purchase groups 31
deleting investment records 28
deposit report 24
deposits, data requirements 15
deposits, investment account 27
detailed purchase group report 23
disk drives required 6
displaying investment categories or purchase groups 31
dividends, investment 27
dollar amounts, valid value 10
dos required 6
drive emulators 36
dummy entry to balance checking account 21
duplicating data, checking account 17
duplicating files 36
duplicating investment categories or purchase groups 32
emulated drives 36
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INDEX
error messages 38
exiting the program 37
f10 key (cursor toggle) 8
fees, investment 27
file descriptions 35
files erased while starting 7
files, duplicating 36
function summary 2
guilt 6
hardware required 6
help subscreen, purchase group, on data entry 17
help subscreens 9
income, investment account 27
initial operation 6
interest (checking), data requirements 15
interest, investment 27
investment account, data entry 26
investment categories, duplicating on more than one disk 32
investment categories, scrolling 27
investment categories: add, change, delete, display 31
investment category help 27
investment file, sorting 30
investment records, changing 28
investment records, deleting 28
investment reports 29
investment summary 28
license 3
loading and running program 6
memory required 6
menu structure (the big picture) 12
minimum balance warning, setting 33
modification, program or documentation 3
name, checking account 26
negative numbers 10
operation, initial 6
owner's name, changing 32
packing the unpaid bills file 31
parameters, communication 5
paying unpaid bills 18
printing reports on printer 25
printing reports on screen only 25
printing screens 29
program disks, making new ones 38
punctuation, in numeric data 10
purchase group number 17
purchase groups, duplicating 32
purchase groups, scrolling 17
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INDEX
purchase groups: add, change, delete, or display 31
purchase, investment account 27
quitting 37
ram drives 36
record number, search for 20
registered users 4
renaming checking accounts 26
report, account summary (checking) 24
report, account summary (investment) 29
report, check register 22
report, detail of one purchase group 23
report, investment summary 28
report, list of deposits 24
report, summary of purchases 23
report, tax deduction 22
report, unpaid bills 24
reports, backpaging 22
reports, date selection 24
reports, investment 29
rollover dividends & interest 27
running the program 6
sales, investment account 27
savings account, data entry 26
savings accounts 27
scrolling investment categories 27
scrolling purchase groups, on data entry 17
searches, backward (checking) 20
sidekick, cursor control 8
sort capacity 30
sorting investment and checking files 30
starting new data files 33
starting the program 6
subscreen, help 9
summary of investments 28
summary of purchases report 23
tax deductible purchases, entry 17
tax deduction report 22
teleware explained 1
trademark 3
unpaid bills file, adding to disk 35
unpaid bills file, packing 31
unpaid bills function 13
unpaid bills report 24
unpaid bills, data requirements 16
unpaid bills, entering 17
unpaid bills, monthly recurring 17
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INDEX
unpaid bills, non-recurring 17
unpaid bills, packing file 19
unpaid bills, payment 18
unpaid bills, warning 18
unpaid bills, yearly recurring 17
updates 4
validation, data 9
warning message, unpaid bills 18
warranty 4
withdrawal, investment account 27
withdrawals, data requirements 16
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TELEWARE
(tm)
Personal Finance Manager, Version 5.02
User Registration Form
(please print)
Return of this form with a check or money order of $35 entitles the user
to the privileges described in paragraph 1.5 of the PFM-5.02
documentation. Currently registered users may use the bottom half of
this form for BBS registration.
Please provide the following information:
First Name: _______________ Last Name: ________________________
Company Name: ____________________________________________________
Street: ____________________________________________________
City: ____________________________ State: ___ Zip: _______
Home Phone: ( )-____-_______ Bus. Phone: ( )-____-______
Where did you get this program? __________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Please fill in the following information if you would like to be added
immediately to the TELEWARE BBS registered user list.
Your first and last name exactly as you plan to sign in:
|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
Your password (don't use your name, initials, TELEWARE, IBM PC or
obvious stuff):
|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
Please don't request to be added to the BBS unless you plan to use it
soon.
You may call the public portion of the BBS at any time (or write a
letter) and request that your registration be activated for subsequent
calls if you don't want to be entered now.
Inactive users are removed from the system after 3 months, but may be
reactivated by calling or writing.
========================================================================
reactivated by ca