Use this tool to compare the “cost per million Btu” for various fuels. The user can update various fuel costs (like $/gal or $/ton of fuel) to keep the tool updated. The fuel cost calculator provides a tabular comparison of various fuels for for purpose of heating. The user can explore the fuel cost of home heating with a wood stove, propane, electric resistance heating, and a heat pump. You’ll be amazed at the cost variability of these heat sources.
Dow Jones Index Explorer
This Excel file provides a SHOWCASE for graphical summary of lots of data. The Dow Jones Index and the S&P 500 Index are tabulated for each business day, starting in 1985. You can use the data and update it to continue to track performance. Time-trends for the index are presented. The correlation between the two data sets are demonstrated and quantified.
How can you apply the graphical approaches demonstrated in this tool to YOUR OWN APPLICATIONS? Use “Save As…” so you don’t have to start from scratch.
Rate of Return Demo
Learn how to determine the internal rate of return for a proposed investment, coupled with a set of revenues. This tool provides working example problems that illustrate personal finance and industrial situations. The file is a macro-enabled (xlsm) file because it incorporates the Excel VBA environment of automating repetitive (solution-guessing) functions. The approach for determining rate-of-return is to set the present value of a set of expenditures and revenues equal to zero. The interest rate associated with a zero present value is the rate-of-return.