Accounting
        The Accounting feature of Equity Evaluator can be used together with the Evaluation Studies, or can be used as a stand alone accounting program. This portion of the software is specifically designed  for use with direct Stock purchase plans, or any other plan where Shares are purchased periodically for an extend time. As a general note, the user is reminded to make use of 'Tool Tips', by pausing the cursor over a control or input item, a brief description of the item will appear.

Getting Started -
      The Data Entry page is the first page to appear when Equity Evaluator is first opened. To begin making use of the Accounting feature, either create a new file, by entering the Company's Stock Ticker in the box labeled - 'Enter Stock Ticker. . .', or click the arrow, then select an existing file from the drop down box. Although not essential when the first transaction is being recorded, 'Today's Stock Price' should also be entered once an Accounting file has been established. The data entry process can be continued if desired, but the Accounting function does not require any further input on the Data Entry page. To continue with the initial recording of a transaction, click 'Go To' on the Data Entry menu, illustrated above, then select 'Accounting' from the drop down box to proceed.
        When the Accounting view is first opened, the cursor is located on the bottom row, in the text box beneath the heading 'Description of Transaction', ready to begin the first transaction entry. Once the transaction description has been entered, press the tab key, near the upper left hand corner of the keyboard. The cursor will move right to the next entry point beneath the 'Date' heading. The transaction date must be entered using the 'mm/dd/yy format.  Continue tabbing over, entering values where appropriate under the column headings: 'Cash Invested', 'Dividends Invested', 'Fee', 'and 'Stock Price'. Once the transaction Stock price is entered, tabbing once more will enable and highlight the 'Record this Transaction' command button. When this button is clicked, the transaction just entered is saved while being relocated to the last row of the record section of the Accounting view, as shown below.

Maintaining Transaction Records -
        As additional transactions are added to the record, the maximum number appearing in the record section is limited to ten. If the number of transaction records exceeds ten when the Accounting page is opened, the transactions appearing in the record section are the ten must recent. To review an earlier transaction that is not initially displayed, click the Down arrow near the left edge of the Accounting view until the desired transaction comes into view. Regardless of the number of transactions displayed, the entire record is used in calculating the values used in the narrative reports near the bottom of the Accounting page.

        If the current Stock price was not entered on the Data Entry view, the Accounting page will open with the cursor positioned for entry of Today's Stock price . This value is necessary in calculating the values appearing in the lower of the two narrative reports. The uppermost of these two paragraphs simply reports the total; number of shares held, the amounts invested from cash or dividends, any fees paid, and the average cost per Share. The second paragraph is a bit more involved, reporting the simple return on the account, by comparing the current Stock price to the average cost per Share, while also calculating the annualized rate of return based on the average amount invested over time.

Correcting a Transaction Record
        If an error is discovered in a transaction after it has been saved, the record can be easily corrected. Using the down arrow on the Up/Down control at the left edge of the Accounting page, bring the incorrect entry into the bottom row normally used for entering a new transaction. Either tab over, or place the cursor in the text box containing the error. Once the mistake is corrected, pressing the tab key will enable the Record button. The label will change to 'Record this Correction'. Click this button and the corrected record will be saved and returned to the record portion of the table. Simultaneously the written reports at the bottom of the Accounting view will be refreshed.

Deleting a Transaction
        To Delete a transaction, click the down arrow until the record to be deleted occupies the bottom row normally used when entering a transaction. Then go to the menu near the top of the page and click 'Tools'. When 'Delete' is selected from the drop down box, a dialog will appear confirming the transaction to be Deleted and giving instruction on how to proceed with or cancel the Deletion process. If the user chooses to proceed with the deletion process by clicking the 'Yes' button in the dialog box, as the box closes, the Record button will be enabled and the label will change to - 'Delete this Transaction'. If the Record button is then clicked, the transaction chosen will be deleted, while the altered record will be saved to file, and the narrative reports at the bottom of the page will be brought up to date.

Inserting a Transaction
        To Insert a transaction that was missed, use the down arrow to bring the record that will follow the transaction to be inserted, into the bottom row on the Accounting page. Click the menu item - 'Tools' and choose 'Insert Transaction' from the drop down. A dialog box will appear confirming that the transaction to be inserted will be chronologically correct. If the positioning is correct and the user proceeds with the insertion process, the dialog box is closed and the bottom row is cleared ready for typing in the missing record. Once the entry is complete, the Record button will be highlighted and the label will change to - 'Insert this Transaction'. Clicking the Record button will insert the new transaction, save the changes, and update the reports at the bottom of the Accounting page.