Tutorial

Titanium Checkbook - by tbgtom.com

Once you have the software installed, the first thing you will want to do is create "events".

Events are items like (for example):

• Pay checks
• Mortgage payments
• Car payments
• Utility payments

Click on the EVENTS button from the main window to begin inputting your events.

To add a new event, click on the EDIT button next to the words "Add New Event".

You will provide the:

• Account you want the event applied... by default the first available checking account is displayed (hint, you can change the name/number of this account later if it still says "sample")
• Account type: Income or Expense. This is a required election.
• Event code: this is a very brief description of your event which will be used for reporting (for example: PAY, MTG, CAR, ELEC, PHN, etc.). This is a required field.
• Account number: this is the account number used to identify the event (for example: your mortgage account number, car loan account number, etc.). If you don't have this information you can simply repeat the information you inputted for the Event Code, but this is a required field.
• Name, Address, Phone: This is used to identify your event in case you need to contact them.
• Occurs: This indicates to the software how often your event will take place and is a required input.
• Remind: Use this feature to have the software prompt you whenever you open your checkbook to let you know the event is "due". Otherwise, your event is used for reporting purposes only.
• Due Date: the next date this event is due.
• Amount: do not input a negative figure for this field, this represents the amount of the event.
• Last Occur: the last time this event took place. Please note that this date MUST be lower then the due date, even if you've never had this event before.
• Final Date: this is the last projected date the event will be needed. If the event does not have a projected final date, you should input something FAR into the future (such as 1/1/2030).

After you input a few more events, you might have a list that looks a little like this...

After all your events are input you could get a quick scan of how your "forecast" looks for the next twelve months by going back to the main window and clicking on the FORECAST button...

But just having events isn't enough to do a proper forecast... you also need other transactions that aren't regular recurring events. There's always something else that pops up in your life... cash withdrawals, restaurants, home repairs, etc. For this you will want to keep your checkbook up to date.

From the main window, click on the CHECKBOOK button.

If you have any events that are due (or past due) they will be reminded to you before you are able to see the checkbook window (as illustrated below):

If you are ready to accept the transaction you would click YES. If you click NO, the event will not be processed and you will be reminded again the next time you open your checkbook. If you said YES to this particular event, you would see a window similar to the following:

You can edit the details of this event before you hit the SAVE button to add it to your checkbook.

If one of your reminders is an expense (the previous example was of a deposit), you might see something like this instead...

Again, you may want to edit this transaction before saving it to your checkbook. In some cases, you might have written a check and you would input that into the TRANSACTION ID box. You may also have spent a little less (or a little more) on your groceries for this sample transaction, so you might want to edit the amount before saving.

When you finally get to see your checkbook window you might see something like the following:

If this is your first time using the software you will likely want to input a Beginning Balance figure to get you going (unless you want to input all your historical transactions, which I do not recommend). To input a beginning balance you would perform this just as you would any other deposit. Click on the DEPOSIT button in the toolbar, input the beginning balance date and the amount, and I would strongly urge you to use the MEMO field, and then click SAVE.

Now you notice that you start out with your checking account referred to as the Sample Checking Account. You can change this (or you can leave it alone if you don't want to bother) by clicking on the ACCOUNS button in the toolbar.

Using the dropdown arrow on the ACCOUNT field, choose the Sample Checking Account and you will see that the fields are populated with the default information. You can change this information as you see fit and then click the SAVE button. You can also create a new account by choosing the --NEW ACCOUNT-- feature of the dropdown. Fill in the blanks and click SAVE and you'll have another account to choose from. There is no limit to the number of accounts you can have.

This concludes the tutorial, it's just meant to get your feet wet and answer any immediate questions. I would strongly urge you to read the online HELP document if you have any other questions or you can email me.