Next point the mouse cursor to the NAME BOX, close to upper-left hand corner of sheet.

Now, scroll down to, and click on, TRENDTABLE. Notice that your computer found and highlighted your four-period trend table. Set print area, print and review.

Resave this file (PROACTIVE). Now close this file.

Reopen the identical file that you received from us and saved to your hard disk.

Go to YOUR NUMBERS.

Now PAGE DOWN until you get to PERD 13, just for familiarity. This is the sheet you will use for inputting your numbers, but you will begin with PERD 1.

If you ever use PERD 13, you will then need to begin a brand new file for inputting any more info. Incidentally, each file you create is totally independent.

But first, go to sheet called WELCOME and speed read this sheet.

Then speed read all other SHEETS with text, until you reach the sheet called YOUR NUMBERS.

Again go to PERD 1. Now you are at a decision point: what will your beginning date be?

For simplicity, you could gather your last three years of audited financial statements. Now be sure that the first year has a beginning and ending balance sheet. Verify that your balance sheet information has the separate details of both Gross Fixed Assets (possibly called by some other title like Gross Property, Plant and Equipment) and Accumulated Depreciation.

Also, verify that your Income Statement has Depreciation separately stated, or that you have this dollar amount handy so that you can pull it out of COGS for manufacturing companies; or out of MSGA for service companies. (If you have only one amount that combines both Depreciation and Amortization Expense, you will probably just have to assume that this is all Depreciation Expense.)

Now that you have made this decision, you are ready to begin loading header input (input characters are always shown in blue).

But first SAVE AS to a filename of your choice. And next you need to make another decision about rounding. (Humans generally have difficulty working with numbers that are larger than six digits.)

Now input into the first line with blue characters at top of PERD ONE. Enter company name as you wish, by reentering on top of information shown in blue. Then enter the same file name you just used when you did SAVE AS. Double check DAYS; if you are inputting in years, leave DAYS stay at default of 365; if you are inputting monthly change this to 30, or if quarterly, change to 90. (Always keep this entry a simple 30 or 90 or 365.)