MS Excel's Solver - Really Solves Real World Financial Problems

Greetings !!

Today I'll be throwing light over some important applications of Excel's Solver Tool with respect to real life financial problems. Here, we will see that how this magical tool executes following "Monsters" before they can even make note of that.

*Pls Note: This Intel is devoted to Solver tool only, detailed explanation of various calculations(like NPV etc.) is beyond the scope of this Intel.

Monster 1 - Complex Mathematical Problem.

Suppose, mathematical formula given by

Y = R*(N+R)+N*(1+R/X)*(X+N/X)+(N/X)*(1+R/N)/(N+4)

Subject to constraints :-

X greater than or equal to 5
R = 15
N = (1+R/X) and N smaller than or equal to 1.5

We have to find the value of X for which Y is minimum.

Killing Monster 1 - Refer to Figure 1

Variables Y, X, R, N are entered in cells A1 to A4
Enter formula as shown in the figure in B1 to calculate Y
Enter any arbitrary values in cells B2 & B3
Enter formula =(1+B3/B2) in cell B4

Go To Tools - Solver, It will open solver window as shown, Enter Solver parameters as shown in the figure and click Solve.

We will find that for value X = 30, Y is minimum i.e. 315
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Monster 2 - Cost of Capital (Cost of Debt Borrowing)

Simplest Formula for calculating Pre-Tax Cost of Debt is as Shown in Figure 2, Kd represents the pre-tax cost of Debt Borrowing.

Now I want to know minimum rate of return that Firm must earn from the raised capital through debt/bond whose current value is 1200 Euro, Maturity Value 2000 Euro, Annual Coupon rate is 10% and maturity period is 10 years.

Killing Monster 2 - Refer again to Figure 2

We can see the formula entered in cell B1, Enter solver parameter as shown and click solve.

We will find that, Firm must earn atleast 14% (i.e after-tax cost of debt) to maintain its value.
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Monster 3 - Capital Budgeting (Buy Vs Leasing)

Lessee has 2 Options, either to purchase an equipment or lease it. (Terms of above options are as given in the figure 3). Now it is required for lessor to find the maximum lease rate that will be accepted by Lessee.

Killing Monster 3- Refer to Figure 3

Firstly it is required to calculate the Net present Value (NPV) of cashflows from the two options. Lessee will accept any lease rate which is less than or equal to the rate at which NPV from both the options is equal.

So from figure, by using help of Solver Tool, we can find that Lessee will accept lease rate smaller than or equal to 10%, because at this lease rate, NPV from both options will be equal, so he/she will be interested in opting Lease option, in which he/she has to pay equal or less lease interest payments than 10%.
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List is very long, this can go on and on....

I think these three examples have given a good idea about Excel Solver tool.

See ya.... Don't forget to comment... Cheers !!

Original Article: http://www.qondio.com/ms-excels-solver-really-solves-real-world-financial-problems

Old DOS Games and Applications

I just found these old goodies and will be sharing with you. These applications are not playable on Windows Xp, vista or 7, so one need to install DOSBox 0.74 first to play/run these applications.

DOSBox 0.74 : DOSBox is a DOS-emulator that uses the SDL-library which makes DOSBox very easy to port to different platforms. DOSBox has already been ported to many different platforms, such as Windows, BeOS, Linux, MacOS X etc. It's a simple 32-bit installer.
Download DOSBox 0.74
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Dos Applications :-

1. Lotus 123 v2.2 : Lotus 1-2-3 is a spreadsheet program from Lotus Software (now part of IBM). It was the IBM PC's first "killer application"; its huge popularity in the mid-1980s contributed significantly to the success of the IBM PC in the corporate environment.
Download Lotus 123 v2.2


2. Turbo C++ v3.0 : This is a free C++ programing High level language compiler from Borland. It comes with an IDE and debugger. One of the mostly used program during my engineering study.
Download Turbo C++ v3.0


3. BASIC Compiler : BASIC is a family of high-level programming languages. Originally devised as a teaching tool, it became widespread on home microcomputers in the 1980s. BASIC is considered one of the easiest programming languages to learn, and simple programs can be quickly written on the fly.
Download BASIC Compiler
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DOS Games :-

1. BM-Bio Menace : Bio Menace is a 2D, side-scrolling, platform game both developed and published by Apogee Software in 1993 for DOS. One of my all time favorites.
Download BM-Bio Menace


2. Prince of Persia : Prince of Persia is one of the most memorable game, I've ever played on DOS. It has everything like kidnapped princess, evil magician, traps, poison pots, snakes, soldiers etc. Free your princess within 60 minutes or else start it all over again. Masterpiece!
Download Prince of Persia


3. Dangerous Dave : Dangerous Dave is a 1988 computer game by John Romero. It was developed for the Apple II and DOS. A very addictive and by far most simplest game, I've ever played.
Download Dangerous Dave


4. Alladin : Based on the Disney movie; converted from the 16-bit console arcade game. Finish the levels to save your princess Jasmine with the help from your friends (Abu and Genie). Collect apples to use as throwing weapons to defeat your enemies, and collect "genie icons" to give yourself more chances during the bonus rounds. Another addictive game on DOS.
Download Alladin


5. Mario : A top-ranking bestseller. What to say more about this, all time greatest game.
Download Mario
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Well, that's all I found in that cd about old DOS games and applications. Wish you all a very happy old playing days/memories. Take care.....

Original Article: http://www.qondio.com/old-dos-games-and-applications 

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PDF Files : Life Saver

Today is an era of internet, pdf files revolutionized the document sharing on internet but when it comes to play with pdf files, it's expensive and complex.

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Let me share my methods of playing with pdf files in an easy and absolutely free. Here comes....

- For reading pdf files, many free softwares/readers available on net like Adobe Reader 9.3 or Foxit Reader 3.2 are best among them.

- For converting any MS Office document into pdf file, CutePDF Writer 2.8, PDFCreator 0.9.9 or PrimoPDF 5.0.0.19 are best freeware/open source softwares available on net.

- Is it necessary to install any software on your hard drive to convert into pdf format, answer is simply No. Wonder How ! these online services offering free pdf conversion like pdfonline.com , doc2pdf.net , primopdf.com , freepdfconvert.com etc.

- Optical Character Recognition (OCR) of a pdf file can be done absolutely free & fast by visiting at free-ocr.com . This site also offers OCR of images like JPG, GIF, TIFF or BMP.

- Now, how to search for pdf files on google. When on google.com, click on Advanced Search, then select Adobe Acrobat PDF (.pdf) from drop down for "File type:" option given below. Alternatively, add " filetype:pdf" after your search term in the google search bar. You will get only pdf results.

- Freeware software like PDFTools 1.3, offers functions like encrypt, decrypt, join, split, stamp, create and rearrange a PDF file.

- There is one very cute feature of Adobe Reader that many may not know. It's called "Automatically Scroll". There is no need to manually scroll your file while reading. Goto "View", then select "Automatically Scroll". Using Up arrow and Down arrow, one can decrease/increase the scrolling speed respectively.

I hope these free and easy to use pdf tips/utilities will change you interaction with pdf files in more enjoyable way.

Speed up your pc/laptop

Hi friends,

I am sharing my cool, tried and absolutely free ways to speed up pc/laptop performance.

1. Install CCleaner, it's a freeware cleaning tool designed to remove unwanted startup entries, unwanted softwares, temporary files, form history, cookies, logs, recycle bin, recent documents, fake registry entries, remains of an uninstalled softwares etc. and much more. This tool is absolutely free to download and offers a great in removing garbage from laptop.

2. Defragment my hard drives once in a month.

3. Using AVG Antivirus free edition that includes both antivirus & antispyware services. Auto update is on and ensure scanning of laptop once every 15 days.

4. Using fastestfox 3.1 firefox plugin for enhanced browsing.

5. Using DownThemAll! 1.1 firefox plugin for speeding up download process. It includes inbuilt download manager which will extraordinarily speed up the download process.

6. When interacting with google sites like gmail, youtube, orkut, adsense etc., I prefer to use Google Chrome browser, it works faster on these sites than other browsers.

7. Always make sure that atleast 35% of the hard drive space remains free. I do take backup in DVDs regularly to remove unused data from pc/laptop.

8. Set up my virtual memory at exactly 1.5 to 2 times of my RAM. (From My Computer properties - Advanced - Performance Settings - Advanced - Virtual Memory)

9. Allocating just enough space to Recycle Bin(5% of hard drive), System Restore(5% of hard drive) etc. This gives me more space on hard drive to use.

10. Turning Automatic Window Update off but manually updating windows version once every 15 days.

11. Removed unnecessary startup entries (using CCleaner).

12. Don't delete OLD Prefetch Data, to make window startup and shutdown a bit faster. Uncheck this option in Ccleaner too.

These easy to use 12 ways are making my interaction with computer a comfortable and speedy experience.

Reliance : Make 1 minute free call anywhere in India

Reliance communication has come up with a promotional offer providing internet users to call 1 minute free anywhere in India. Hurry up grab this offer .....

Calls can be made from 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.

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Speed up your Internet Download

In Windows Xp, by default, 20% bandwidth is reserved by Microsoft for their own purposes (updates, interrogating your machine, etc.)

To eliminate this reserved bandwidth space, perform the following steps :-

1. Type gpedit.msc in Run, this will group policy editor.

2. Navigate to "Local Computer Policy" --> "Computer Configuration" --> "Administrative Templates" --> "Network" --> "QOS Packet Scheduler"

3. Double click "Limit Reservable Bandwidth"

4. Check "Enable" and set "Bandwidth limit[%]" to zero and click OK

Now you 20% more bandwidth for your internet work.....Enjoy Surfing........
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50states.com : All information about United States of America

This is an excellent information portal about all the states of U.S.A. This site has covered all the depth and crucial informations. There is a seperate link for each State, Commonwealths & Territories.

Informations covered at a glance :-

• State abbreviation and capital city name
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• Economy, Population, Media, Ancestry and Genealogy
  
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• Schools, Colleges, Business Schools Directory
• Real Estate, Hospitals, Internet Service providers
• Fast Facts & trivia, Current Events
• etc.

A must visit site, if you want to know United States of America better...
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AVG Antivirus Free Edition for Home Users

AVG Antivirus Free Edition is available free of charge to home users for the life of the product. Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy to use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements).

Highlights include automatic update functionality, the AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run, free virus database updates for the lifetime of the product; and AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files. Version 7.5 includes improved virus detection based on better heuristics and NTFS data stream scanning, smaller installation and update files, and an improved user interface. The newest version is also compatible with Windows Vista.

click on logo to download it ......
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OpenOffice.org : Excellent and free alternative to Ms Office

OpenOffice.org is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.


OpenOffice.org is the open source project through which Sun Microsystems is releasing the technology for the popular StarOffice productivity suite. It is an international office suite that will run on all major platforms and provide access to all functionality and data through open-component based APIs and an XML-based file format. It establishes the necessary facilities to make this open source technology available to the developer community.

OpenOffice is a free, Open Source alternative to MS Office with a Word compatible word processor, a complete Excel compatible spread sheet program and a Power Point like presentation software and drawing program and also allows to save to PDF file.

Click on image above to download it.......
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oRipa Screen Recorder : Record your windows desktop activities

oRipa Screen Recorder is a handy tool to record your Windows desktop activities in real time and save it as a video file. oRipa Screen Recorder also captures anything you can hear on your PC, such as, music and talking through the PC's microphone.

oRipa Screen Recorder is great for making all kinds of movies, including:
1. Make software, Web site and product introduction demos and tutorials.
2. Real time record audio narration to your captured videos.
3. Turn PowerPoint presentations into movies.
4. Enhance your online help documentation.

oRipa Screen Recorder is absolutely a free software and click on image above to download it.

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Free Screen Recorder : Record your all desktop screen activities

Free Screen Recorder is an easy-to-use screen recording program to capture screen activities and sounds to standard AVI video file. If you move the cursor, launch a program, type some text, click buttons, select some menus - anything you see on the screen - Free Screen Recorder will record all these, and sound from your system microphone.

It is an ideal tool to make software demonstrations, develop videos for training and tutoring.

A must have tool and guess what! it is absolutely free of cost. To download it, click on image above.....

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Screen Capture Utility : Capture any part of, or the full screen

The Screen Capture Utility allows you to capture any part of, or the full screen by using a mouse click, or a hot key combination.

You may also send a captured image to the clipboard if you want to pass it to another program without having to work with the file. It also offers different modes like "transparent mode" and "idle mode" that give you some unique options.

Click on image to download it, and guess what, it is absolutely free.

paint.net : Excellent, better and free replacement for windows paint

Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.

The programming language used to create Paint.NET is C#, with GDI+ extensions.

Paint.NET includes simple tools for drawing shapes, including an easy-to-use curve tool for drawing splines or Bezier curves. The Gradient tool, new for 3.0, has been cited as an innovative improvement over similar tools provided by other software. The facilities for creating and working with selections is powerful, yet still simple enough to be picked up quickly. Other powerful tools include the Magic Wand for selecting regions of similar color, and the Clone Stamp for copying or erasing portions of an image. There is also a simple text editor, a tool for zooming, and a Recolor tool.

and it is absolutely free..........

Download it here or click on image to download it.
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KartOO : Search Engine with visual search results

KartOO is a metasearch engine with visual display interfaces. When you click on OK, KartOO launches the query to a set of search engines, gathers the results, compiles them and represents them in a series of interactive maps through a proprietary algorithm.


KartOO uses FlashPlayer to draw interactive map.In this map, the found sites are represented by more or less important size pages, depending on their relevance. When you move the pointer over these pages, the concerned keywords are illuminated and a brief description of the site appears on the left side of the screen.

Don't know, will it be a successful attempt ?? It will very hard to drive visitors from major search engines like google, yahoo, msn etc.

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GetNetWise : Tips n Tools to be safe, constructive, and entertaining online

GetNetWise is a public service brought to you by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet users have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences.

It provides Internet users with valuable information and tools on the following topics.

• Keeping Children Safe Online
• Stopping Unwanted E-mail and Spam
• Protecting Your Computer
• Keeping Your Personal Info Private
• How-To Video Tutorials

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Lost your Software Product Keys !! Find them with these free softwares

Lost your Software Product Keys !! Find them with these free softwares.

These softwares are safe to use and can retrieve your lost product keys of softwares like Windows Xp, 2003, Vista, Office Xp, etc. in a second.

You can even change and backup the current product key through these softwares.

The only biggest disadvantage of these softwares is that they can be detected by your Anti-Virus programs as a malware or adware, but don't worry they are safe to use.

Here goes the list :-

1. Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder

The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder is a freeware open source utility that retrieves your Product Key (cd key) used to install Windows from your registry. It allows you to print or save your keys for safekeeping. It works on Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008, Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007 family of products. Current Version v2.0.1.



2. Winkeyfinder

Win keyfinder retrieves your Windows Xp, win 2000, Windows me, 98, 2003 and .NET Product keys from the registry and display it for you. Current Version 1.73 RC2.




3. Product Key Finder PRO

Product Key Finder PRO software utility allows you to recover your CD Product key for Windows or Office programs for the purposes of reinstalling / repairing your Windows or Office setup. Recover your lost key for (Windows) 2000, XP, 2003, Vista. (Office) XP, 2003, 2007. Current Version 2007.


4. RockXP

RockXP allows you to retrieve your XP product key that you used when you installed Windows XP, as well as keys for other Microsoft products. This can come very handy if you need to reinstall but have misplaced or lost the CD cover with the serial sticker. In addition, the program also lets you save the product activation to a file, recover usernames and passwords contained in the Windows Secure Storage, as well as MSN logins, Internet connection parameters and more. Current Version 4.0

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Instructables.com : Guides, Instructions, Slideshows and much more...

Instructables.com is an amalgam of various guides, instructions, slideshows, videos, suggestions etc.

It is basically an informative portal of how's the things can be done, shared by passionate people & artists who share their skills and knowledge about various fields like art, craft, food, games, life, music, science, sports, tech, etc.

A must visit site for everyone........

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Specially for Indians, Earn online from Surveys

Corp Scan Online is scion of Corp Scan Business Consultants offering solutions towards management of projects and business processes. Based in Delhi, India – our pursuits span across the globe.


Website has value added features to provide great earning experience through sharing of opinions and surveys. You get points to complete the survey, each point is worth Rs. 20. You can easily get 5 to 10 points per survey. Also you gets referral points, when you refer your friends to this site.

Payment Options ( once you reach 50 points ) :-

1. Direct payment through online bank transfer.

2. Through Gifts, delivered at your doorstep by courier etc.

3. Through paypal account.

Good site to get register on, if you really want to earn through surveys online. Specially for Indians, a must visit and register site ..........

Click logo or link above to register

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Nice Sites for Kids to learn Banking, Finance and Money Making Concepts

KidsBank.com is a tutorial website brought to you by Sovereign Bank that explains the fundamentals, importance and procedures of money savings and banking to children. There are five chapters Penny, Dollar Bill, Interest Ray, Checks, and lastly Mr. EFT. There is also a Game Room which offers 10 multiple choice quizzes based on information learned in the chapters. And much more..........






RBI has displayed following comics on its website ( Go to Financial Education ->For School Kids ) in order to educate students about its Financial Functioning in the easiest possible way.

• Basic Banking
• Money Kumar & The Monetary Policy
• Old Man Monetary
• Raju and The Skyladder

YoungInvestor.com explain the investment strategies from the perspective of Kids, Teens, Parents and Teachers. Lots of handy tools, calculators for making calculations easy and simple. Explains concepts like Different Investments for Different Goals etc. This a very big source of useful and well arranged financial information.







The Department of The Treasury, United States offers this great website for kids. Through this website kids can visit and learn about following organizations or entites :-

• White House
• U.S. Mint
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• USA.gov
• Savings Bonds
• The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
  

These websites are meant specially for kids but adults should also have a look at these informative reservoirs. There are so many things and so much of vital information in these websites that even a professional doesn't know about it.....a must visit links for everyone...

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