Analyze your investments easily with Zoho Writer's new formulas

Analyze your investments easily with Zoho Writer's new formulas

Hey Zoho Writer users!
 
We are happy to let you know that we have enhanced Zoho Writer's formula with new functions to calculate your investment's present value (PV), net present value (NPV), and future value (FV).
 
These functions can help you determine the value of a series of cash flows from an investment compared to a discount rate (such as inflation or interest). Read on to learn their syntax and how to use these functions. 

NPV function

Syntax  
=NPV(discount, cashflow1, cashflow2, ...)
 
Inputs:
discount
The discount rate of the investment over a period
cash flow
The amount of money coming in or going out in the investment period
 
Note:
The discount should be provided as a decimal number. For example if the discount is 3% then the value should be 0.03.
Calculate NPV with the initial investment amount by adding it in the first cash flow parameter as a negative amount.
Tip:
Discount can also be mentioned as a table cell reference or merge field.
Cash flow can be mentioned as a table cell reference, merge field, or a table cell range (if it is used in a table in the same document).

Examples of NPV 

Example
Syntax
Output
Calculate the NPV of a $3,000 investment with cash flows of $5,000, $2,000, and $4,500 at a discount rate of 10%
=NPV(0.1,-3000,5000,2000,4500)
5981.1488286
Calculate the NPV of an investment with cash flows of $500, $750, and $1,000 at a discount rate of 7%
=NPV(0.07,500,750,1000)
1899.799
  

PV function

Syntax  
=PV(rate, number_of_periods, payment_amount, future_value, end_or_beginning)
 
Inputs:
rate
The rate of interest over the investment period
number_of_periods
The number of months, years, or other time periods you are considering as the investment horizon
payment_amount
The amount you are investing
future_value
The expected future value of the investment
end_or_beginning
The time when payment is due in your investment period. The value should be 0 if the payment is at the end of the period and 1 if it is at the beginning.

Note:
The rate, number_of_periods, and payment_amount should have units of consistent value. For example, for a 24-month investment with monthly payments, the rate should be divided by 24 and the number_of_periods should be 24.
The future_value and end_or_beginning are optional parameters and their default value will be 0.
 
Here are some examples of PV

Example
Syntax
Output
Calculate the PV of $500 paid in 5 payments over one year with an interest rate of 5%
=PV(0.05,5,-500,0,0)
99.98713
Calculate the PV of an amount of $100 paid over 12 months, with an interest rate of 5%, paid at the beginning of the investment period
=PV(0.0041,12,-100,0,1)
338.330
 

FV function

Syntax   
=FV(rate, number_of_periods, payment_amount, present_value, end_or_beginning)

Inputs:
rate
The rate of interest over the investment period
number_of_periods
The number of months (or other periods of time) you are investing
payment_amount
The amount you are investing
present_value
The present value of the amount you are investing
end_or_beginning
The time when payment is due in your investment period. The value should be 0 if the payment is at the end of the period and 1 if it is at the beginning.
 
Note:
The rate, number_of_periods, and payment_amount should have units of consistent value. For example, for an investment for 24 months, paid quarterly the rate should be divided by 8 and the number_of_periods should be 8.
The present_value and end_or_beginning are optional parameters and their default value will be 0.

Here are some examples of FV

Example
Syntax
Output
Calculate the FV of an investment with an amount of $1,000 paid in 6 payments over one year with an interest of 7% and present value of $10,000
=FV(0.07,6,-1000,-10000)
2658889000
Calculate the FV of an investment with an amount of $500 paid over 12 months with an interest of 5% paid at the beginning of the investment period and present value of $5,000
=FV(0.0041,12,-500,-5000,1)
413203.0951
  

How to use these functions in Zoho Writer documents 

  1. Click the hamburger menu located on the top left side of the editor and click Fields.
  2. Click Formula under the Dynamic Fields category.
  3. In the New Formula popup, click Choose Function and choose your desired function from the list.
Try the new functions in Zoho Writer and let us know your suggestions and feedback in the comments below or at support@zohowriter.com or support@eu.zohowriter.com.
 
If you have any functions that you want us to add in Zoho Writer, please let us know.
 
Regards,
Team Writer
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