Countless journalists and bloggers have commented on the who/what/when/why of the financial crisis we find ourselves in these days. In trying to make sense of it all, I stumbled upon a compelling series of 3 videos that actually makes things easier to understand.

The videos may seem a bit long at six to ten minutes each, but the presentation doesn’t get bogged down in wonky terms or over-simplify things.  Also explained are collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps in similarly easy to grasp fashion.  So sit back with that adult beverage that I have a feeling is already in your hand and relax; you’re in good hands!

Crisis explainer: Uncorking CDOs from Marketplace on Vimeo.

Untangling credit default swaps from Marketplace on Vimeo.

The credit crisis as Antarctic expedition from Marketplace on Vimeo.

When using named ranges for pivot tables (among other things), I find myself constantly having to update the area of the spreadsheet referred to by the named range. This renaming occurs as a result of my adding new raw data to the table, or editing the table’s Column/Row layout. When researching possible solutions, I came across this article at Ozgrid. The gist of it is to utilize the “OFFSET” function to select the range’s dynamic limits. By managing the Column and Row Count with the OFFSET function, each change to the data or the table is reflected in the range. Here is the formula to enter into the “Refers To” box of the named range setup:

=OFFSET($A$1,0,0,COUNTA($A:$A),COUNTA($1:$1))

A few things to keep in mind when using this approach;

• Make sure your data is anchored at cell A1. Adjust the formula as needed if the anchoring (the upper left corner of your range) is located elsewhere.
• Make sure your data range is “clean” meaning that each cell in the Header ROW and the Header COLUMN (first column) has data in it. Blank cells will result in the “COUNTA” function used above to return an erroneous number.
• Delete any extraneous data below and to the left of the intended range.
• The Named Range will NOT appear in the Dropdown Box right above the A1 cell that gives us quick access to select named ranges; its primary use will simply be in formulas.

Excel may be asking you to update links when you do not even know you have any. Below is a strategy to detect links you may not be aware of:

1. Unhide any hidden Worksheets first. Then right click on any sheet name tab and select “Select all sheets“. Now go to Edit>Find and in the Find What: box type: [*] also select Formulas from the Look in: box and click Find Next. This will find any formulae referring to another Workbook.
2. Go to Insert>Name>Define and scroll through the list to ensure no named ranges are referring to another Workbook.
3. Go to each sheet and ensure you have no linked Pictures, Charts or Controls.
4. Go to Edit>Links and select the file name under Source file, now click Change Source… In the “Change Links” dialog locate the Active workbook, ie the one you are in now, select it and click OK. This will force the Link to refer back to itself. If you get an error go to step 5!
5. Open a new Workbook, save it as any name. Create a real link to it from you problem Workbook. Now go to Edit>Links and select the file name (not the newly created file!) under Source file, again click the Change Source… button but this time select the newly created Workbook from the “Change Links” dialog and click OK. Now Save the Workbook and delete the real link you created and save

If this strategy does not work, go to HERE and download the: Download Dellinks.exe. This article is a reproduction of the information found here at www.ozgrid.com.

My new keyboard from Microsoft, the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, while very useful and easy to type with has one big flaw. The function keys (F1 – F12) displayed along the top of the device lose their base functionality by default. The old functionality is replaced with “new” functions as assigned by Microsoft. Instead of getting in to how to deal with the issue here, I’ll let the cat out of the bad and just send you to what I found to be the best article on how to deal with the issue at Udolpho.com.

So as to not leave you on complete suspense and save you the time of reading the article, the quick solution is to use the “F Lock” key located just to the right of the F12 key (on mine anyway). Using this is equivalent to the”Caps Lock” for letters. Activating the F Lock key restores the original functionality of the “F” keys that we’ve all come to know and love. Click HERE or on the Keyboard photo above to enlarge it.

The rub on this is that each time the computer is turned off/restarted, or the Keyboard is unplugged, the F Lock key must be pressed again to initiate its use.

Here is a list of useful Excel websites and blogs. from my Del.icio.us account. They have been tremendously resourceful over the years. Once on Del.icio.us you can use the tags “Access”, “Visio”, “Word” and “Windows” for other useful sites related to those programs.  Enjoy!

Below are two Excel spreadsheets which will calculate the amortization of a loan after manual entry of Purchase Price, Down Payment (nets with Purchase Price to obtain Loan amount), Interest Rate, Loan Period and Loan Start Date.

The resulting table details the amortization of the entire loan for each month of the loan’s life. Also provided, is a summary table highlighting the total cost of the loan and the cost of the purchased item (including the down payment). When you open the document using the link below, make sure you save a copy first, as the file will be “Read Only”.

The first file uses named ranges and named formulas to calculate the resulting table. Its quite interesting to review the Conditional Formating that produces the borders and cells.

Download the Loan Amortization Schedule Here

The second spreadsheet is essentially the same with the exception that no named ranges were used to create it. One added feature is a summary table that presents, by year, the loan’s activity.

Download the Loan Amortization Schedule with Summary Here

Try them both out if you are unsure what you want. Enjoy!

]]> http://www.fatluci.com/loan-amortization-calculator-2/feed/ 0 http://www.fatluci.com/resolution-flowchart/ http://www.fatluci.com/resolution-flowchart/#comments Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:30:08 +0000 admin http://heygaston.com/archives/178

Here is a Flowchart that provides a “Visual” approach to tackling and resolving  those annoying “ankle-biter” decisions we all have to make every day.  Enjoy!!