
                             * * *  My Little Realm  * * *

                                  -  Savings v/2.5  -
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                                  General Information
          ____________________________________________________________________

                                       Important

          Savings is protected by copyright.  It is not freeware, and it is
          not in the public domain.

          This is the evaluation version of My Little Realm's Savings.  It 
          is a full-featured, fully functional program.  You are welcome to 
          try it on your computer to ensure that it functions on your system 
          as it should, and that it meets your individual needs.  If after 
          30 days you decide to keep using Savings, you must pay for the 
          program.  To print an order form, press <$> in the Options Window.

          Bonus!  Get one MLR stand-alone program free with your order.
          Read DESCRIBE.TXT for details.  This offer ends 12/31/94.

          My Little Realm Enterprises stands behind all of its products with
          a 90-day money back guarantee.

          Thank you for trying Savings!
          ____________________________________________________________________

                                     Introduction

          Savings is a financial recorder that helps you to keep track of 
          all your savings instruments; their values, account numbers, where 
          the legal documents are kept, and any other pertinent information.  
          It can also print the net worth of your total savings portfolio 
          (option <5>).  

          Savings is ideal for the long term investments that you might be 
          holding for your retirement, for example, or for your children's 
          education.  (You may find this hard to believe now, if you're just 
          starting out, but it isn't all that difficult to forget what you 
          have in the way of savings instruments and where you've stored all 
          of the appropriate records after a span of 15 or 20 years.)

          If you're planning to apply for a home loan or if you're attempting 
          to refinance the mortgage on your present home, update all of the 
          records in your Savings file and invoke option <5> to print out a 
          listing of your savings portfolio.  The mortgage company's 
          representative will want to know much of what you have in the 
          listing (how much you have in CD's, mutual funds, etc., and with 
          which banks you are presently doing business).

                                     ----------

               Please note that Savings is a financial recorder.  It 
               is not a financial planner or an investment tool.  It 
               cannot help you make buy and sell decisions for stocks 
               and bonds.

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                                    The Interface

          Windows.
          Savings's screen consists of three types of windows:  a Working 
          Window, a Viewing Window, and an Options Window.  If you are using 
          a color monitor the Viewing Window is always green, the Working 
          Window red and the Options Window blue.

          You select processes (like adding a record) in the Options Window.
          You create and view your records in the Working Window, and you 
          find your Quickeys in the Viewing Window.

                             ----------------------------

          Extended processing options.
          Several processing tasks, called extended processing options or 
          EPO's, are not listed in the Options Windows, because they are 
          functions that only occasionally need to be performed.  EPO's are
          used to "extend" a program's power and functionality.

          To find out what EPO commands are employed by Savings, enter <?> 
          (the question mark) in the Options Window.  The EPO's of Savings 
          are defined at the end of this document.

                             ----------------------------

          Quickeys.
          The Quickeys in Savings give you single key access to the types 
          of savings instruments you can invest in.  Enter them once, and 
          you'll never have to enter them again.  See the section "Extended 
          Processing Options" for full information on adding your own
          savings instruments to the Quickey list.  [Note:  You cannot change
          the instruments that come with Savings.]
          ____________________________________________________________________

                                  Program Information
          ____________________________________________________________________

          The Options Window.

                   __________________________________________________
                  |                                                  |
                  |    1  Add          3  View                       |
                  |    2  Update/      4  Delete       Choice:  _    |
                  |        Change      5  Print                      |
                  |__________________________________________________|


          There are several extended processing options available, as well.
          See the section Extended Processing Options described at the end of 
          this document.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 1, adding records.

          To add new savings instruments to your savings file, select 1, and 
          Savings will put your cursor in the Working Window on the 
          Instrument line.  Choose one of the Quickeys and press <enter>.  If
          you decide to enter an instrument category manually, be sure to 
          keep it short and memorable, because you'll have to spell it the 
          same way when you want Savings to find it for you later on.  

                    Note:  If, by chance, you lose one of your 
                    instrument records, use the <+> EPO to find it.

          Pressing <esc> anywhere in the Working Window will return you to 
          the Options Window without creating a record.  To end an input 
          session, press <esc> when the cursor is in the Instrument field.
                                   ____________________

                                  ~ Field Definitions ~

          - Instrument field (20, required).
                                                  __________________________
          Here Savings asks for the type         |         Quickeys         |
          of instrument you are entering.        |                          |
          This is a required entry, and          |     - Instruments -      |
          it is also where you make use of       |                          |
          the Quickeys.  Please refer to         |   A  Passbook Savings    |
          the Viewing Window on the right        |   B  Cert. of Deposit    |
          side of the Savings screen.  It        |   C  IRA                 |
          should look similar to the one         |   D  Keough              |
          here --->                              |   E  Savings Bond        |
                                                 |   F  General Bond        |
          You can, if you need to, enter         |   G  Stock               |
          your own instrument type manually,     |   H  Mutual Fund         |
          but you should keep the entry          |   I  Profit Sharing      |
          short and simple.  Otherwise, you      |   J  Treasury Bill       |
          could have trouble finding your        |   K                      |
          entry when it comes time to make       |   L                      |
          updates.  Remember, on subsequent      |   M                      |
          lookups, any instrument you            |   N                      |
          entered manually must be entered       |   O                      |
          manually again and it must be          |__________________________|
          spelled exactly as you 
          originally entered it.  You do not have to worry about upper and 
          lower case inconsistencies, however.

          As is always the recommendation in any My Little Realm program, use
          the Quickeys whenever possible to save wear and tear on the psyche.
          The Change Quickeys EPO allows you to supplement the instrument 
          list that comes with Savings.
                                    ____________________

          - B/C Name field (36, optional).

          This is the Bank or Corporation name found on the instrument.  

          In the case of stocks, for example, it is the name of the company 
          that appears on the stock (i.e., the company whose stock you have 
          purchased).  For passbook savings, it is the name of the bank that 
          issued the passbook.  For mutual funds, the mutual trust name.  
          Profit sharing investments should be given the name of the company 
          that handles the investments for you (usually the company for which 
          you work).
                                    ____________________

          - Holder field (36, optional).

          Enter the name of the owner of the instrument being recorded.  For 
          a Passbook Savings account, for example, it would be the name of 
          the person on the passbook.
                                   ____________________

          - Amount field (must be greater than zero and less than $5,000,000).

          Omit dollar signs and commas when entering this information.  

          If you are entering a stock, bond or mutual fund record and you 
          want Savings to calculate the amount for you, press <enter> without
          entering an amount in the Amount field.  Savings will then ask for 
          the CPU (cost per unit) and the NOU (number of units).  The CPU 
          and NOU fields are at the bottom of the Working Window.

          Amounts up to five million dollars can be entered for each 
          instrument.

          The CPU entry cannot be greater than ten thousand dollars, and the 
          NOU entry must be less than or equal to one million.  If the result 
          of multiplying the cost per unit by the number of units is greater 
          than the Amount field limit ($5,000.000.00), you will have to 
          reenter the CPU and NOU amounts.
                                   ____________________

          - Date field (required).

          Use the standard American date format of mm/dd/yy.  Savings will
          offer your computer's current system date.  Make the appropriate
          changes and press the down arrow or <enter>.

          You typically enter the "recording" date in this field (i.e., the 
          date you enter the record in Savings), even if the record is for 
          a Savings Bond you acquired several years ago.  After a record's 
          initial entry, the date field serves to remind you when you last 
          updated the record.  For example, if you receive updates from a 
          financial company about your mutual funds every quarter, remember 
          to change the date when you update your mutual funds record.

          Savings will accept dates for the current month and the four 
          previous months.  You cannot enter future dates.
                                   ____________________

          - Account Number field (34, optional).

          This field should be used to identify the specific instrument being 
          recorded.  For example, you might have numerous certificates of 
          deposit.  Each will have a unique account number.  Use the account
          numbers to identify each instrument entry.
                                   ____________________

          - Memo field (38, optional).

          Any additional information relevant to the instrument being 
          recorded should be entered in this field.  If you are entering 
          stocks, you might want to enter the phone number or the name of 
          your broker.  You should also make a note of the location of the 
          instrument.  For instance, you might keep your CD's in your safe 
          deposit box; your savings bonds in a file folder; or your passbook 
          savings book in your chest of drawers.  You can also include any
          interest rate or other pertinent information on this line.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 2, updating and changing the data in records.

          Select one of the Quickeys or enter your own category (as long as 
          you spell it exactly as you entered it when you first created the 
          record).

          Savings will ask if the first record of the category you selected 
          is the one you wish to change.  If it isn't, press <N> or use the 
          directional keys to find the record you want to modify.  When you 
          find the record you want to change, press <Y> or <enter>.

          Savings will display the fields you can change in the Viewing 
          Window.  Enter the field's corresponding hotkey, and Savings will 
          place your cursor in that field and let you make the necessary
          modifications.  If you decide you want to keep the field's old 
          data, press <esc> while you are still in that field and Savings 
          will reinstate that field's old value.

          A number of the instrument categories can have their amounts 
          changed in different ways in this function.  Instruments like 
          stocks, bonds and mutual funds can either have their amounts 
          entered directly or you can have Savings calculate the amount for 
          you.  If the amount can be calculated for you, the CPU (cost per 
          unit) and NOU (number of units) selections will be highlighted.

          If you've used the CPU and NOU fields to have Savings calculate 
          your amount for you, Savings has retain those figures for future 
          reference.  That way you can easily update your record by changing 
          only the field whose value has changed.  For example, if you have a
          stock whose value has gone up ... or down ..., but you still have 
          the same number of stocks, all you have to do to update the record 
          is give Savings the new stock price (CPU).
          
          On the other hand, if you've sold some of the stock (or bought some
          more) but its price has remained the same, you need only reenter 
          the new number of stocks.  And, of course, you can always reenter 
          both numbers to have Savings recalculate your amount.

          If you have CPU and NOU figures in your record but you choose to
          enter the amount directly, Savings will delete the old CPU and NOU
          values because it has no way of determining which figure has 
          changed, of if both figures have changed.  [Tip:  It's wise to use
          the NOU and CPU figures whenever you can.  Savings makes a handy
          calculator.]

          Note:  Several types of instruments cannot use the cost per unit 
          field or the number of units field (e.g., Passbook Savings).  For 
          those instruments, you can only enter an amount directly by using 
          selection 3 in the Change Fields sub-menu.  Hence, selections 7 and
          8 are not highlighted, meaning they are unavailable, for those 
          instruments.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 3, viewing records.

          Enter the instrument category you want to peruse.  Savings will 
          display the first record in the chosen category.  If there is only 
          one instrument in that category, Savings will tell you so.  If 
          there are more than one, Savings will tell you to use the 
          directional keys to view your records.

          If you would like to view all of the records in your savings file,
          without regard to instrument category, use the View All function,
          invoked by the <+> EPO, described in the Extended Processing 
          Options section.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 4, deleting records.

          You find and select the record by using the directional keys to
          find the record you want to delete and then pressing <Y> or <enter>
          in response to Savings's query "Delete?  <Y>  <N>".
          
          Once you've selected a record, Savings will ask for verification 
          before deleting the record.  Be certain that it is the record you 
          want to delete because there is no undelete feature.  If you are
          sure, press <Y>.  [Note:  You cannot press <enter> for <Y> in this
          final query.]
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 5, printing savings portfolio.

          This function lists all of your instruments by category, printing 
          the sub-total of each category as well as the final total of all of
          the investments in your file at the end of the document.

          Even if you haven't any interest in the total amount of your 
          savings portfolio, a printout of these records would still prove 
          invaluable should your computer's hard disk ever fail you.  Or,
          should you one day decide to apply for a mortgage or attempt to 
          refinance your present home, the mortgage company with which you 
          do business will need to know your current assests (how much you 
          have in CD's, mutual funds, etc., and with which banks).  All 
          you'll have to do is pull out this listing.

          The listing should be kept in a file folder marked "Savings" or 
          "Investments" in a metal file cabinet along with your other 
          important banking and investment documents.

          You can terminate the Print function at any time by pressing <esc>.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          The Extended Processing Options.

               EPO  Definition
                
               <\>  Change Quickeys K through O.  Savings will ask you which 
                    Quickey you want to change.  It will then erase the old 
                    name and position your cursor in the Viewing Window, 
                    awaiting your new Quickey instrument entry.

                    If you press the wrong Quickey, press <esc> while the 
                    cursor is in the Viewing Window and the old Quickey 
                    instrument category will be restored.  To end the Change 
                    Quickey function press <esc> when Savings asks which 
                    Quickey you want to change.

                    Quickeys can be sixteen characters long.

                    Note:  The Savings-supplied Quickey Instrument categories 
                    (A through J) are immutable.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <+>  View all records in the Savings file.  This allows you to
                    see all of the records irrespective of the type of 
                    savings instrument.  You browse through your file by 
                    using the directional keys, <ctrl> + <home>, and 
                    <ctrl> + <end>.
                    
                    This EPO is convenient should you `misplace' one of your 
                    records.  You can lose a record by manually entering an 
                    instrument type and then forgetting exactly how you 
                    entered it.  Use the Quickeys whenever possible.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <$>  Print an order form.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <?>  Display the Savings's EPO symbols and their definitions.
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                                       +  The End  +     
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          (c) Copyright 1991 - 1992 John L. Salisbury

