First and Foremost

Thank you for choosing Bill Wizard Pro©! I hope it helps you get or stay on track with your incomes and expenses!

Introduction

Many people I know need just a little extra help when it comes to knowing what's due and when...And that's ALL! They don't need:

A "nagging" program
Too much (or any) useless data
A program that is hard to navigate
Customization
Different skins (really?)
Graphs
3D pie charts
Something that connects to their bank account

Bill Wizard Pro© gives you all the info you need (without the junk) and will also show you some very cool things about where you are financially.

I created this program as a simple way to get an accurate overview of my personal monthly incomes and expenses. I used to enter my bills into a spreadsheet and had it add and subtract certain cells but it was lacking many things that I wanted to know about my month-to-month financial situation. So I decided to make my own program with all of the things that I needed to see and have control over. I also created a few extras like warnings, notices, and alerts to help me with my debts and payment arrangements!

Installation

Bill Wizard Pro© and this ReadMe file were downloaded together in a .zip folder. Extract the files to the location of your choosing.

If you would like some guidance:

Right-click anywhere on your desktop and select New, then Folder.

If you're using a PC, then go to Start > All Programs.
You should see a folder called "Startup". Right click on it and select Open.
Now, place Bill Wizard Pro© in that folder. From now on, whenever this computer is powered on, it will launch the program automaticaly. You do not have to remember to find it and open it every time this way.

If you decide later that you want to manually launch the application, then remove it from the Startup Folder and place it where you would like but you won't automatically be reminded of when a payment is coming out or to enter any spending you've made or to enter any bills you received until you launch it by yourself!

(NOTE) If you would like to have a new database file created but keep the old one (for historical data purposes), simply rename the existing "easyprefs" file (ie. May2012 or whatever you choose) and a new one will be created! (Pretty cool!)

Information

Bill Wizard Pro© was written with the monthly recurring debt in mind first. Debts like:

Car payment(s)
Mortgage or Rent
Energy bills
Phone bills
Medical bills
Daycare
Credit cards
Any other bills that are typically due monthly

You will see a section for your "Essential" spending (Gas and Groceries). These are things essential to basic living.

The column next to that is "Non Essential" spending (Restaurants and Miscellaneous). This is where you will keep track of spending that is not essential to living such as video games, fast food, eating out, the tee shirt from the new store in the mall, and anything else you spent money on just because you wanted to.

There is very little customization and I consider that a good thing! It's not complex or hard to mess up. If you keep the program up to date, then in only one month (or less), you will get a very accurate overview of your current financial situation.

Don't worry! It's not going to take over your computer, or pop up unexpectedly while you’re doing stuff, and it's not going to take up all of your time every time you want to get on your computer. What it will do when launched is very short and sweet. In a single alert:

It will ask if you made any purchases.

If you did, take the receipt(s) out of your pocket and enter them in the correct section (Essentials or Non Essentials).

It will ask if you received any bills in your mailbox.

If you did, open them and enter the Label (what you want to refer to the bill as (if you haven't already)), the date the bill is due, and the amount that is expected.

It will remind you to enter any automatic payments that you may have set up for that day.

This is critical! If you set up a payment(s) to come out (ie. in a week or your next payday), you will want to be reminded of how many days remain until your money is withdrawn and another reminder which I'll talk about below.

This is the daily reminder Alert and if you got on your computer to do other things, then simply close it (esc key) and go about your business. This is that little "extra help" I mentioned before. It's not cumbersome or hard to do but will make a HUGE difference in helping you see and/or fix your financial situation.

After a few times, you will get used to the Alert about entering new data. Don't ignore it! It is there to remind you to take just one minute and enter what you need in order to keep yourself informed. It's either this, or a debt collector calling you at 8:00am on Saturday morning! (I should know. That's why I wrote this program.)

How it Works

Behind the scenes: The first time you launch it, Bill Wizard Pro© creates a folder called "Prefs" then creates a text file called "easyprefs" inside of it in the same place the program was launched. The "easyprefs" file is where all of your data is saved and retrieved by the program. You could open it and see the data, but opening it and/or making changes is NOT advised. Let the program modify the file!

Bill Wizard Pro© does not have any spyware or adware or any other harmful elements. It simply creates a text file that it reads from, saves to, and makes calculations with.

If you move the program without the database file, it will think you don't have a database and all of the fields will reset to "0". Don't panic! It just couldn't find your database. Simply place the "Prefs" folder in the same folder asBill Wizard Pro© and it will find it along with your database inside, and display your data.

Important: ANYTIME you need to have the application update dates or amounts or anything else, click "Calculate All/Save". The app will not save your changes or show updated information if you don't actually click this. This is the Save feature. Press it as often as you like and especially before closing it to save your work. Click away! It is the brain of the application.

Incomes

Give your incomes an easily recognizable name! "Income 1" and "Income 2" is NOT specific enough. In the "Amount Per Paycheck" fields, enter what you're actually BRINGING HOME since this is the money you have to pay your bills with. The application will calculate what you bring home every time you get paid and multiply it by the number you enter in the "times a month" field (showing you how much you bring home in a month.) There are 2 "Income" fields in case you have someone else in your family bringing home a paycheck or you can use it for another income (ie. child support, insurance settlement.)

Expenses

You can label your bills whatever you want but make it easy on yourself and label them very specifically!

Click "Edit Names and Sites" and on the resulting screen, enter the name of the debt in the first column.

In the second column, enter the URL (if possible) of the web site where you might go to pay that bill online.

When finished, click Calculate All/Save to return to the main screen.

Enter the amount that is on your bill in the "Monthly" column.
Next, enter the date that it is due in the MM (month) DD (day) and YYYY (year) fields.

At first, I recommend getting all of your bills together and enter them one by one.
Also, use the Tab key to quickly move to the next field.

It really doesn't take that long to enter in all of your bills. Even if you have a stack and are on Day One of Bill Wizard Pro©.

Whenever the next bill arrives, just enter the amount and the new due date and keep up the good work :-)
The middle (Payments Made) column will only update by paying a debt either with the "Paid" button or with the "Apply" button by the automatic payment.

If you just made a full payment for a debt, just press the "Paid" button and the debt amount will automatically go to zero (0). Don't forget to press "Calculate All/Save".

When a new monthly bill arrives, indicate that this debt is no longer "Paid" off and uncheck "Paid". Don't forget to press "Calculate All/Save".

Automatic Payments

If you have a debt that comes out of your account automatically or if you set up a one-time automatic payment, the Automatic Payments column is where this is tracked. Enter the amount that you have set up to come out and the date it will come out of your account in the appropriate fields. On the same day you actually see the money has been withdrawn from your bank account for that debt, press the "Apply" button and some very cool things will happen. First, the amount set up to come out will go to zero (That amount was taken). Next, the amount that actually came out will be subtracted from the total debt amount that was owed monthly.

If the amount set up was less then what was owed (a partial payment), you will notice that the amount owed monthly is now lower (the amount that is left over).
If the amount you set up is equal to the amount owed, then the "Paid" button is now shaded for you and when you save, the application will show you "xx Paid".

Alerts and Notifications

In the "Alerts Before Due Date" box, enter the number of days before a monthly debt is due to be notified of when something is about due.

Tips:

If you enter a zero (0), then you will be alerted the same day that they are due.
If you leave it blank, then you will not get any alerts related to upcoming due debts.

You will always get a notification alert when the date of an Automatic Payment is the current day.

You will always get a notification if you have a monthly debt that is more than 3 months late.

You will always get a notification if you entered a due date for a debt that is more than 3 months from now. (This feature is mostly error checking to make sure you entered a correct date. It's also nice to know when you have some extra time to save up for an upcoming payment.)

Phone Numbers

A couple of my bills have to be paid over the phone. (I haven't mailed a check in about 11 years) so I added this section as a place to easily find a phone number relating to a bill (like my water bill which I can't pay online).

The "Phone Numbers" section is to the right of Essentials and Non Essentials.

Don't forget to click Calculate All/Save to save your additions/changes here before closing the app or your edits will not be saved!

Credit Card/ Loan Totals

Here is where you can enter your credit card and/ or loan totals. Whenever you are updated with the Total Due on these loans, enter the amount here and click "Update". This is a good way for you to get an overall picture of your total credit card debt and loan debt.

This section does not tie into any other part of Bill Wizard Pro©. This is a separate, informational only section for you to use to see credit card balances and/or any other type of debt that you may want to keep track of. Think of this section as a calculator that remembers your entries.

If you happen to be on the phone with the institution that owns the debt, ask what the total amount due is during the call and update Bill Wizard Pro©.

Remember to keep track of the phone number in the "Phone Numbers" section of Bill Wizard Pro©.

If you are on the web site of the institution that owns the debt, make note of the total amount due and update Bill Wizard Pro©.

Enter the total amount currently due. (under "Loan Total")
Enter the amount of the "Payment Made".
Next, enter the amount of your "Interest Rate" that is being charged on the Loan/ Credit Card.

The first space under Loan Total is the current balance.
The "Payment Made" is how much money you applied to the balance.
The "Interest Rate" is how much the debt owner is charging you to have a loan with them.
The "New Total" is how much is left over AFTER you have made your payment AND THEN interest is applied.

Here is an example of how interest hurts:

Let's say...

$1000 is the amount you owe to a credit card company:
$100 was the amount you paid them, leaving you with a balance of:
$900 BUT:
your Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 18.99%:

We divide 18.99 by 12 months and we can see what is charged monthly - $14.24
Our new balance is $914.24

Misc Info

Bill Wizard Pro© does not like blank fields when trying to perform calculations. It will place a "0" in a blank field automatically and notify you in the center column. Just recalculate with the newly placed zeros and the outcome will be accurate.

At the beginning of a new month (or anytime), if you would like to reset your Essential and Non Essential information, click the "Clear" button at the top of each column. This will clear these columns "0". (Press "Calculate All/Save" to save the new data (as usual)).

The Labels fields and the Dates fields of the Essential and Non Essential columns are informational only and the app does not expect a certain format. Bill Wizard Pro© does not care where or when you bought your stuff. They are for your reference only. The amount you spend on your stuff is the important part.

Your most outstanding debt is displayed near the top/middle in underlined, italic red and is automagically calculated for you just in case you want to pay your oldest outstanding bill first or if you’re curious. It doesn't get any easier than this folks!

Color Codes

Incomes are green

Debts are red

If your "Left Over Monthly" amount is green - you are bringing home more then you owe on monthly debts.

If your "Left Over Monthly" amount is red - you owe more on your monthly debts than you are bringing home.

Debts that are not overdue are green.

Debts that are overdue are red.

Debts that are due on the current date are blue.

Debts that have been paid are black.

Non Essential spending is always red. (due to the fact that this is "extra curricular" spending)

Essential spending is always black.

The Advice section will change color based on the calculations made on your income and spending! This is your personal financial advisor so read this section regularly and carefully!

Frequently Asked Questions

The advice in the Essentials column is green and tells me I make enough, but other fields are red and tells me I have overspent. Why is that?

The advice given under the Essentials calculations is ONLY for your essential spending amount (your monthly debts, groceries, and gas). This is to inform you that you are able to make your monthly bills and Essential spending amounts based on your income. You spent too much on non essential things bringing your OVERALL spending below your take home pay.

Is there really only one Frequently Asked Question?

No. The previous question was placed here in anticipation of someone asking me why this might happen. There are no (as of now) asked questions. That's how easy this is. If you want more in this section, then send an email to help@billwizardpro.com containing your question(s).

Other

I thank my wife sincerely for her patience during the coding for this application and her input in creating Bill Wizard Pro©.

If you have any questions, comments, enhancement requests, or bugs to report, please feel free to contact me at help@billwizardpro.com

Bill Wizard Pro© and this ReadMe file may not be altered by anyone other than the exclusive owner including entities from other planets and/or galaxies.

Bill Wizard Pro© may not be sold, copied, or redistributed under a different name.

By using Bill Wizard Pro©, you agree to all of the terms and conditions above. Violation of these terms will result in penalties, fines, and fees up to and including the maximum allowed.

Bill Wizard Pro© 2013