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
    • Sticky Posts

    • Easily perform calculations using dates with the new DATEDIF function

      Hey Zoho Writer users! We've enhanced Zoho Writer's formula capabilities with the new DATEDIF function. This allows you to calculate the difference between dates in days, months, and years. Function syntax: =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit) Inputs:
    • Date-based conditions and filters

      Configure conditions with date  Hi everyone! We are excited to announce that you can now compare and filter data with date-based conditions. This update lets you compare date fields in a document to a reference date and display a text or value if the
    • Introducing group by, aggregation, and repeating regions in mail merge templates

      Display data exactly the way you want and highlight key insights with Zoho Writer's enhanced merge templates. We've supercharged Zoho Writer's merge templates with the capability to dynamically group, aggregate, and repeat data as blocks. You can now
    • Say hello to an improved way to merge documents!

      Automating all your documents from start to finish is now easier than ever with Writer's new merge tools.   If you haven't seen it yet, you can read the main announcement here. Here is the full list of the features we've rolled out: 1. Dynamic Table Headers
    • Introducing Org Fonts in Zoho Writer

      Hey Zoho Writer users! We're excited to share that you can now add custom fonts (from web fonts with publicly accessible URLs) using Zoho Writer's Org Fonts. This option allows all users across your organization to use the custom font without the hassle
    • Recent Topics

    • Request for Clarity on Timeline for True GPT/Zia Auto-Response Capabilities

      I appreciate Zoho’s steady innovation, but I’m concerned that Desk and Zia remain well behind modern AI capabilities. For years, GPT-based tools have been able to generate and send contextual responses, yet Zoho Desk only supports summarization or suggested
    • Notebook audio recordings disappearing

      I have recently been experiencing issues where some of my attached audio recordings are disappearing. I am referring specifically to ones made within a Note card in Notebook on mobile, made by pressing the "+" button and choosing "Record audio" (or similar),
    • Has anyone built a ticket export that allows Help Center users to export the tickets shown in the My Area list they are looking at?

      Hi, We are moving to Zoho Desk soon. Our current support system displays an option in our help center allowing customers to export their Open, Closed, or all tickets based on which list they are looking at. We need to offer the same in Zoho Desk help
    • Two factor authentication for helpdesk users

      The company i work for wants use the helpdesk site in Zoho desk, as a place for their distribution partners to ask question and look for information about our product. The things there is suppose to go up there is somewhat confidential between my company
    • Zoho Desk: Q2 2025 | What's New

      Hello everyone, We are excited to announce Zoho Desk's 2025 Autumn updates. This release brings new features and enhancements that improve work management and enable businesses to provide a better overall support experience. Spanning from Zia Agents to
    • Change text in help desk

      Hi, Please let me know how can i change the this text, see screenshot.
    • Items Below Reorder Point Report?

      Is there a way to run a report of Items that are below the Reorder Point? I don't see this as a specific report, nor can I figure out how to customize any of the other stock reports to give me this information. Please tell me I'm missing something s
    • Blog Widget: Show recent blog posts on my homepage

      Hey there I am using the Zoho Sites Blog feature. On my homepage, on the bottom I'd like to have a featured content section where I show some of my blog posts (selected, most recent, filtered by category and so on...). It would be nice to have a blog
    • Committed Stock and To Be Received Stock via API?

      Is it possible to retrieve Committed Stock and/or To Be Received Stock for an Item via the API? I want to use this information for calculating the amount of inventory needed to be purchased.
    • Zoho Books | Product updates | October 2025

      Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From iOS 26 updates to viewing reports as charts, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Zoho Books Updates for Apple Devices At WWDC 2025, Apple
    • Improved RingCentral Integration

      We’d like to request an enhancement to the current RingCentral integration with Zoho. RingCentral now automatically generates call transcripts and AI-based call summaries (AI Notes) for each call, which are extremely helpful for support and sales teams.
    • Cannot reject empty expense report

      Hello, We are currently having issues with two empty expense reports where if we try to reject them, either manually or through the REST API, we get error 114016, which says some of the expenses have already been billed and must be removed. I'd appreciate
    • Having Trouble Opening The Candidate Portal

      Recently am having trouble opening the Candidate Portal. It keeps loading but cannot display any widgets. Tried Safari, Chrome and Edge. Non of them work. Please solve the problem ASAP.
    • Checkboxes not adhering to any policy in mail merge - data from CRM

      I want checkboxes to appear depending on whether the checkbox in the CRM module is ticked or not. However, the tickboxes that appear are either ticked or not, but don't correlate to the actual selections in the CRM module. This is is despite updating
    • Items Landed Cost and Profit?

      Hello, we recently went live with Zoho Inventory, and I have a question about the Landed Cost feature. The FAQ reads: "Tracking the landed cost helps determine the overall cost incurred in procuring the product. This, in turn, helps you to decide the
    • CC and/or BCC users in email templates

      I would like the ability to automatically assign a CC and BCC "User (company employee)" into email templates. Specifically, I would like to be able to add the "User who owns the client" as a CC automatically on any interview scheduled or candidate submitted
    • Create Contract API Endpoint Unclear "inputfields" Requirements

      Hello, I'm trying to create a Deluge function that accepts inputs from a form in Zoho Creator and creates a barebones contract of a given type. See below for the current code, cleaned of authentication information. // Fetch form data // Hidden field client_name
    • Kaizen #46 - Handling Notes through Zoho CRM API (Part 1/2)

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! This week, we will discuss Handling Notes through Zoho CRM API. What will you learn from this post? Notes in Zoho CRM Working with Notes through Notes APIs 1. Notes in Zoho CRM 1a. Why add Notes to records? Notes are a great way to summarize your observations on customer and prospect interactions and outcomes. By saving notes as CRM data, a sales rep will always be able to keep track of how a sale is progressing. To know more about notes in
    • Marketer's Space - Why email marketing matters in ecommerce (and how to get started with Zoho Campaigns)

      Hello Marketers, Welcome to this week's Marketer's space post. Today, we'll discus why email marketing matters in ecommerce businesses. Running an online store is exciting but challenging. If you're running an online store, you've probably experienced
    • Zoho Campaigns Event timestamps do not propagate to Zoho CRM

      We have integrated Zoho CRM and Zoho Campaigns. But when looking at Contact records, the Campaign event data is missing the actual timestamps: especially when a particular email was sent. They're not in the Campaigns related list, and the cannot be found
    • Kaizen #121 : Customize List Views using Client Script

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss how to customize List Views using Client Script. This post will answer the questions Ability to remove public views by the super admin in the Zoho CRM and Is
    • Setting default From address when replying to request

      At the moment, if I want to reply to a request, the From field has three options, company@zohosupport.com, support@company.zohosupport.com, and support@company.com.  The first two are really internal address that should never be seen by the customer and
    • Explore Your Support Reach with Zoho Assist’s Geo Insights

      Understanding where your remote support sessions are happening can help you make smarter decisions, allocate resources effectively, and improve overall customer satisfaction. In this week's Zoho Assist's community post we will be exploring Geo Insights
    • Formatting of text pasted into Zoho documents

      Howdy, I'm a newbie and finding Zoho an improvement to MS Word. Consider yourself hugged. High on my wish list would be plain text cut-and-paste. When pasting text from the web to Zoho, presently Zoho imports the formatting along with the text. This means that every cut-and-paste operation brings in text in a different font, size, or style. Can we have at least the option of importing plain text without formatting (or better yet, is this option already out there?) ... Thanks Helen
    • Add additional features to Zoho Tables

      Zoho Tables is a really great tool, why not add features like diagramming capability into the tool from applications like Draw.io which I believe is open source, you should be able to do wireframes, process flow diagrams, network design, etc. Please note
    • The Social Wall: August 2025

      Hello everyone, As summer ends, Zoho Social is gearing up for some exciting, bigger updates lined up for the months ahead. While those are in the works, we rolled out a few handy feature updates in August to keep your social media management running smoothly.
    • The Social Wall: July 2025

      Hello everyone! July has brought some exciting new updates to Zoho Social. From powerful enhancements in the Social Toolkit to new capabilities in the mobile app, we’ve packed this month with features designed to help you level up your social media presence.
    • Use Zoho Creator as a source for merge templates in Zoho Writer

      Hello all! We're excited to share that we've enhanced Zoho Creator's integration with Zoho Writer to make this combination even more powerful. You can now use Zoho Creator as a data source for mail merge templates in Zoho Writer. Making more data from
    • Tagged problem !!!

      Damn it, we're one of dozens of construction companies in Africa, but we can't link purchasing invoices to projects. Why isn't this feature available?
    • Limited review (/questions) for Bookings 2.0

      Hi all, I'm writing this review of Bookings 2.0 for two reasons: 1) it may be of interest to others, and 2) I'd like to be corrected if I'm wrong on any points. It's a very limited review, i.e. the things that have stood out as relevant, and particularly
    • Syntax for URLs in HTML Snippets

      What are some best practices for inserting a URL in an HTML snippet? I've looked at Zoho Help articles on navigation-based and functional-based URLs, but I'm still unclear on how to incorporate them in an HTML snippet. For example, 1. How do I link to
    • The Social Wall: June 2025

      Hello everyone, We’re back with June Zoho Social highlights. This month brought some exciting feature updates—especially within the Social Toolkit—to enhance your social media presence. We engaged with several MSME companies through community meet-ups
    • Make panel configuration interface wider

      Hi there, The same way you changed the custom function editor's interface wider, it would be nice to be able to edit panels in pages using the full width of the screen rather than the currently max-width: 1368px. Is there a reason for having the configuration panel not taking the full width? Its impossible at this width to edit panels that have a lot of elements. Please change it to 100% so we can better edit the layouts. Thanks! B.
    • Tip 7: How to fetch data from another application?

      Hi everyone, Following our Zoho Creator - Tips and Tricks series every fortnight, we are back today with a tip based on one of the most popular questions asked in our forum. This tip would help you fetch data from another application(App B) and use it
    • The Social Wall: May 2025

      Hey everyone, We're excited to share some powerful updates for the month of May! Let's take a look! Reply to your Instagram and Facebook comments privately through direct messages Are you tired of cluttered comment threads or exposing customer queries
    • Sub-Form Fields as Filters for Reports

      Hi, I would like to use the Sub-Form Fields as Filters in Reports just like we do for Main Page Fields. Thanks Dan
    • Zoho CRM Formula - Current Time minus Date/Time field

      Hello, I am trying to prevent duplicate emails going to clients when more than 1 deal is being updated. To do this, I would like to create a formula to identify if a date/time field is >= 2 hours ago. Can someone please help me write this formula? Example:
    • Per Level Approval for admins

      We need Process admins like Zoho CRM in Zoho Books for per stage approval Currently in books, admins only have the option for Final Approval But for example, in cases like when an employee is on leave, we can't just approval one level we only have option
    • Billing Management: #7 Usage Billing in Telecom & Internet Service Provider

      Telecom and Internet Service Providers operate in markets where usage varies drastically from one customer to another. While flexible, usage-based models align revenue directly with consumption, they also introduce operational challenges like real-time
    • Zoho Sprints - Q3 updates for 2025

      The updates for the third quarter of 2025 are out. A few significant features and enhancements have been rolled out to improve user experience and product capabilities. The following are the updates: Manage tags and cluster tags Record and maintain project
    • Next Page