EEBVE Help
This help is for the old EEBVE program,
Setting up bonds in Quicken will be the same.
EEBVE Help
EE Bond Value Estimator
Introduction
Setting up Bonds in Quicken
Using the Bond Value Estimator
Installing or Removing
Registration
Information on EE Bonds
Technical Support / Feedback
What's New
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EEBVE Help
What's New
New in Version 5.0
- Updated tables through November 2002.
- Complete Re-write of the code in 32-bit.
- Added support for I Series Savings Bonds
- Made "Generate Values" place the price file name in the clipboard
- Simplified user interface, removing features that had little usage
- Misc cosmetic and documentation updates.
New in Version 4.5
- Updated tables through May 2002.
- Misc cosmetic and documentation updates.
New in Version 4.4
- Updated tables through Aug 2001.
- Misc cosmetic and documentation updates.
New in Version 4.3
- Updated tables through Feb 2001.
- Noted change in Quicken 2001 that disables Quick 'n' Automatic.
- Misc cosmetic and documentation updates.
New in Version 4.2
- Updated tables through Aug 2000.
- Minor Year 2000 (Y2K) issue fixed.
- Misc cosmetic and documentation updates.
New in Version 4.1
- Updated tables through Feb 2000.
- Misc cosmetic and documentation updates.
New in Version 4.0
- Updated tables through Feb 1999.
- Recoded for Year 2000 (Y2K) compliance.
- Misc cosmetic and documentation updates.
New in Version 3.8
- Updated tables for Mar 98 thru Aug 98.
- Misc documentation updates.
New in Version 3.7
- Updated tables for Nov 97 thru Feb 98.
- Misc documentation updates.
New in Version 3.6
- Updated tables for May 97 thru Oct 97.
- Updates to registration codes routines.
- Misc documentation updates.
New in Version 3.5
- Added the Use * Symbols function.
- Many updates to the documentation.
New in Version 3.4
- Updated tables for Nov 96 thru Apr 97.
- Misc changes on the registration form.
New in Version 3.3
- Updated tables for May 96 thru Oct 96.
- Fixed problem with address on registration form.
New in Version 3.2
- Fixed a possible bug in the registered version when executing from the Quicken Add-Ons menu.
- Added the next year to the year list.
New in Version 3.1
- Updated tables for Nov 95 thru Apr 96.
- Minor updates and documentation changes.
New in Version 3.0
- Actual estimated redemption values for bonds back thru 1942 based on govt data.
- Earliest year selector to save processing time.
- No longer need to install in the Quicken directory to use advanced features.
- Bonus features for registered users: Abilty to save settings, shows up on Quicken menu.
New in Version 2.5
- Support for new EE bonds issued since May 1995.
- New "Quick 'n' Automatic" button to update Quicken.
- Uses more advanced and faster DDE communication methods with Quicken.
- Even easier to use.
- Possitive feedback from Quicken - only shows bonds that were found and updated.
- No longer has to use the intermediate text file to update Quicken.
- Cosmetic and Documentation changes (incl a preview look at controls under construction).
New in Version 2.0
- Send to Quicken command button.
- Extended bond coverage to issues up to 10 years old.
- New default percent for recent bonds.
- New insta-help window function, diplayed based on mouse position.
- Misc cosmetic and Documentation changes.
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EEBVE Help
Information on EE Bonds
Important! The government only credits the interest every six months through most of the life of the bond (generally after 30 months). If you cash your bond at the wrong time you could loose almost six months worth of interest.
Important Note: Starting with bonds issued in May 1995 the market rate basis for EE bonds is changing. It will now be 85% of the 6 month T-Bill rate instead of 85% of the 5 year T-Note.
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EEBVE Help
Installing or Removing
The install program installs the needed files EEBVE.EXE, EEBVE.HLP, EEBVE.TBL,and EEBVI.TBL in the directory where you told it to. You must also have VBRUN400.DLL installed (The special Windows95+ setup includes it and will install it if needed). It probably already is in your Windows or Windows\System directory. If you don't have it, you can download it from a variety of BBSs, Online Services, or the Internet. I know it is currently available at the Microsoft website. There is a link to it on the MKS web site (http://becoming.net/mks/index.html). A copy of VBRUN400.DLL may be included in some distribution files/disks.
The special Windows95+ setup will place an uninstall option in the add/remove programs feature in the control panel. Normal setup users should just delete all files beginning with EEBV from the directory where they were installed. Also delete the program's group and icon(s) from Program Manager.
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EEBVE Help
Introduction
Why EE Bond Value Evaluator? Because with a comprehensive personal finance program like Quicken you shouldn't need a complicated Savings Bond Program too. Quicken can handle Savings Bonds completely except for not being able to automatically show their increase in value. That is what this program provides. If the bonds are set up in a certain way in Quicken, this program will provide the data to update their value on a monthly basis.
EE Bond Value Estimator was written to provide monthly values of U.S. EE Bonds issued since Jan 1980 and E Bonds for 1942-1979. It will provide monthly updated actual estimated redeption values.
This program was designed to work with Intuit's Quicken for Windows. It can be used with some other personal finance programs as well.
LICENSE INFO
This program is being released as shareware. You are granted the right to evaluate it for 30 days. If you decide that the program is useful and you wish to use it beyond the 30 day trial period, you must register it. If not then you must remove it from your system.
Single user licenses for EE Bond Value Estimator are issued to individuals. They and members
of their immediate household may use the program on up to two PCs.
EE Bond Value Estimator is Copyright (c) 1994, 2002 Mark Keller Software. All Rights Reserved. The copyright owner hereby authorizes the no-charge, non commercial making and/or distribution of copies of the entirety of this work unchanged and unincorporated in any other work.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. FURTHER, MARK KELLER SOFTWARE DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE, OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGUARDING THE USE, OR THE RESULTS OF USE, OF THE SOFTWARE IN TERMS OF CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABLILITY, CURRENTNESS, OR OTHERWISE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BY YOU.
NEITHER MARK KELLER SOFTWARE NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS PRODUCT SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PRODUCT.
Quicken is a trademark of Intuit Inc. and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corp. Although this program was designed to work with Intuit's Quicken, no connection with or endorsement from Intuit is implied.
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EEBVE Help
Registration
Registration for this version is only $12.95. Your registration of this version gives you the right to use any future versions of the program released by Mark Keller Software at no additional cost. Click License Info for more details on rights and restrictions.
Registration is ordered online and can be paid for by many credit/debit cards, cash, check, or money order. The URL (http://becoming.net/mks/eebve.html) that can be copied to your browser for web based registration. Kagi (www.kagi.com) sells registrations for this program -- all other questions and requests for technical support should be directed to the author using this form.
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EEBVE Help
Setting up Bonds in Quicken
Important! For the estimator to work, you should NOT set up your EE bonds as recomended in the Quicken documentation.
The first step is to set up securities for for each month that EE bonds were purchased in. You can name them whatever you want but their symbol must be *Eyymm or Eyymm where yy is the year and mm is the month. You only set up one security for each month no matter how many individual bonds were purchased. (Use 00 for 2000, 01 for 2001, etc.-- ie, E0002 for Feb 2000) Here is an example for May 1992.
Note that the symbol is shown as "*E9205". This is the old recommended method. It told Quicken to not try and update them from their online system. It will NOT work correctly with Quicken98+. You must select the "Use * Symbols" control in EEBVE if you set them up this way. The symbol you would enter for the current preferred method is "E9205".
Make sure you do not use the "*" symbols with Quicken98 or higher.
Next you have to set up or use an existing investment account that will have the actual bond info. I use a separate account called Savings Bonds. There are two techniques that can be used for entering the bond information. Both are shown in the following example. In the first instance, May 1992, each bond is entered as a separate transaction. That allows you to enter the number for each individual bond. The second method, Oct 1992, shows entering all of the bonds purchased for the month in one lump sum transaction. Either will work just fine.
This also shows entering the purchases in the two most common ways. Use ShrsIn if you don't want to account for the other side of the purchase. Use the BuyX method if you do.
The bonds are all set up based on units of $100 face value. That way the purchase price is always $50 (except for I bonds where it would be $100). The number of shares purchased varies depending on the bond. Some examples of face value and number of shares are: $100=1.0, $50=0.5, $5000=50.0.
Here is an example of a portfolio view of the above shown "values" in January 1997.
NOTE: After you have set up your bonds, your market value may not include your original investment. This is normally caused by a non-zero cash balance. This can be fixed with the menu selection: Activities--Update Balances--Update Cash Balance.
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EEBVE Help
Technical Support
Questions, comments, bug reports, suggestions, etc are all welcome. They should be directed to the author using this form.
The best place to to find the latest versions, FAQs, and info on all Mark Keller Software releases is our web site at (http://www.becoming.net/mks/ -or- http://www.kellers.biz).
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EEBVE Help
Using the Bond Value Estimator
When you start the EE Bond Value Estimator it should look something like this:
It is ready to Generate the current estimated values for all EE/E/I bonds back thru 1942. There are two methods descibed below.
Import Method A (for Quicken for Windows 2000 and lower users)
Push the "Quick 'n' Automatic" button. (Will NOT work with Quicken 2001 or higher)
This method starts Quicken automatically if it isn't running and uses DDE commands to send the price information. This function may not work for all people, if it doesn't please use method B.
Import Method B (If you use Quicken for Windows 2001 or higher, other software, or method A doesn't work)
Push the Generate Values button. You may then look at the values in the scroll box if you wish. The values are ready to be imported. To perform the Quicken import, bring up a Portfolio View. Then select Import Prices on the File menu. A dialog box will come up and press <Ctrl-Y> to automatically fill in the price file name or manually enter EEBVE.PRC as the file name (if you didn't install EEBVE in the Quicken directory you will have to specify the path to where you did install it, typically "c:\mks\eebve.prc"). Ignore the date, it is in the price file.
There are some other features of the Bond Value Estimator.
You may generate values for other dates by changing the date where it says choose date. In the unregistered trial version this is locked at the current month and can't be changed. Note that the inset (Jan1999-Nov2002 in the example) shows dates that redemption values are available for. If you are outside of that range, you are outside of the range of the data in the government tables. See the website for a program with more up to date tables.
The Earliest Year control lets you speed execution by only generating values back to the year your oldest bond was issued in.
The Use * Symbols control will place an * in front of the standard symbols. This is very useful for Quicken 6 as it won't try and get those symbols from their online quote service. Do NOT use it in Quicken98 or higher - Intuit has removed the * Symbols function.
The settings for Earliest Year and Use * Symbols can be saved by registered users with the Save Setup button.
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EEBVE Help
other personal finance programs
For other personal finance programs to work with this estimator they must support the importing of security prices from as ASCII file. The bonds must be set up as securities, read about setting up Bonds in Quicken and adapt the procedures to fit your program. If your program does support ASCII import, but not in the format that EEBVE provides. Let me know what format your program needs and I will see about including support for it in a future version.
Note to Capital Gainz users: This program has been tested with Captital Gainz and works ok. It will generate error messages for each bond symbol that isn't set up in Cap Gainz though. So you need to hit enter for each of those as you import prices or set up symbols for all of the bonds for as many years as you generate with the Earliest Year control.
Note to Microsoft Money users: Money does not appear allow for importing pricing info from third party programs like EEBVE.
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