Excel University Blog
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Jeff Lenning
When it comes to automation, Excel users can certainly streamline tasks within the grid. But sometimes, we need to automate tasks outside of Excel—especially when it comes to integrating external tools and triggering actions automatically. That’s where Zapier comes in. In this post, we’ll take a beginner-friendly dive into Zapier’s AI automation capabilities by creating…
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Understanding the concept of present value can be one element in our financial decision making process. From evaluating loans and subscriptions to complex financial instruments like reverse mortgages, Excel’s PV function provides an accessible, effective tool for comparing future payments in today’s dollars. In this post, we’ll explore how to use the Excel PV function…
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Understanding how to calculate interest rates is crucial for financial planning. Whether you’re determining the interest rate for a loan or projecting your investment growth, Excel’s RATE function is a powerful tool. In this post, we’ll explore how to use the RATE function to unlock hidden financial insights, covering loans, balloon payments, and investment goals.…
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Managing finances effectively often requires understanding how long it will take to pay off a loan or reach a savings goal. Excel’s NPER function helps us determine the number of periods needed based on interest rate, payments, and loan amounts. Whether we’re looking at loans, mortgages, or investments, this function is crucial for financial planning.…
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Ever wondered how much you need to save each month to reach a financial goal, like becoming a millionaire? The PMT function in Excel can help you calculate that with just a few simple inputs. While the PMT function is traditionally used to calculate loan payments, we can also use it to determine how much…
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If you’ve ever wished Excel could just “do the work for you,” then Microsoft Copilot might be exactly what you need. This AI-powered assistant can generate formulas, analyze data, apply formatting, and even explain complex calculations—all with simple, natural-language commands. Want to access Copilot? Check out this Microsoft Office 365 Bundle which includes Copilot, Excel,…
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Planning an event can be a challenge, especially when tracking invitations and RSVPs. Fortunately, Microsoft offers a free Invitation Tracker template that can help streamline the process. Whether you’re organizing a wedding, birthday party, or corporate event, this template provides an easy way to manage guest lists, invitation statuses, and responses. In this guide, we’ll…
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Imagine having an on-demand tutor watching over your shoulder, ready to help with Excel formulas, formatting, and reports. Thanks to Google AI Studio, this is now possible! In this post, we’ll explore how Google AI Studio can assist with real-time Excel problem-solving. Video Getting Started with Google AI Studio We’ll use Google AI Studio to…
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If you’ve ever wanted to create a reusable calendar that automatically updates each year with birthdays, holidays, and special events, then this tutorial is for you! In this guide, we’ll walk through how to use an Excel template to set up a dynamic events calendar—perfect for printing and gifting to family members each year. By…
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A spin button in Excel is a great way to create an interactive and dynamic scrolling range for reports, dashboards, or data analysis. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to insert a spin button, link it to a cell, and use it to scroll through data by days, weeks, months, quarters, and years. Let’s…
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