Margin of Safety vs. Break-even point in Excel
Posted by Chris Menard on 06/25/2021
Break-even point (BEP) is the level of sales where the total cost - fixed cost and variable cost - equals total revenues. Break-even is where Net Income is zero. There is no profit and no loss.
The Margin of Safety (MoS) is a difference between actual/budgeted sales and the level of breakeven sales.
The Rule of 72 explained using Excel and the NPER Function
Posted by Chris Menard on 04/29/2021
Need to know when your investment will double? In finance, the rule of 72 is an easy method for deterring when an investment will double. Take the number 72 and divide it by the interest rate, which gives you the number of years.
Excel: Combining Unique and Sort functions
Posted by Chris Menard on 04/14/2021
The UNIQUE function in Excel is one of my favorite functions. Unique returns a list of unique values in a range. The SORT function in Excel sorts the contents of a range or array.
Excel Charts - three methods for filtering Chart Data
Posted by Chris Menard on 02/26/2021
Filtering data in Excel charts is easy to do. The method you use should be based on the amount of data you have. In this video, I show three methods of filtering chart data. Method 1 is using Chart Filters. This is the easiest method.
Excel: Covert decimal hours Excel's hours & minutes (8.25 to 8:15)
Posted by Chris Menard on 02/17/2021
I'm frequently asked how do I change decimal hours to Excel's hour and minute format. A couple examples: 7.75 need to show as 7:45, and 30.25 needs to show as 30:15. The solution is to divide by 24 hours. The formula is hours/24.
Working with Time in Microsoft Excel | Time Functions and Conversion
Posted by Chris Menard on 02/05/2021
Do you need to add or subtract time in Excel? Some time calculations are easy, but depending on how the time is entered, you may need to use the TIME function or formula to add or subtract time. For example, if you have 9am in B2, and in cell C2, you have 3, for three hours, you can't add them with B2+C2 and get the correct answer without the TIME function.
Today Function in Excel
Posted by Chris Menard on 01/20/2021
The TODAY function is a date/time function that shows the current date based on your computer time. The TODAY function will update automatically.
Tax Brackets Explained using Excel's XLOOKUP function
Posted by Chris Menard on 01/06/2021
Tax brackets show you the tax rate you will pay on each portion of your income. There are seven tax brackets. The United States has a progressive tax system based on your Taxable income, not Gross income or Net Income. Your income is taxed at different rates with a progressive tax system.
Excel: College Decision Helper Template
Posted by Chris Menard on 08/13/2020
Whether you want to attend a large public university or a small private college, knowing all about the schools you're considering is essential to making a good decision.