Start with the problem, then choose the tool matching your known quantities. Each topic includes an illustrative example and links to the relevant calculators.
Compare discounted and unit prices, then calculate spending from consumption. Electricity cost needs energy used and unit price; power alone does not determine the bill.
Quick example: A 1000 W appliance running for two hours uses 2 kWh. At a hypothetical 0.20 per kWh, cost is 0.40.
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Adding and extracting tax
First identify whether the amount excludes or includes tax. Adding multiplies the base by one plus the rate; extracting divides the total by that factor. You supply the rate.
Quick example: At a hypothetical 10% rate, base 200 becomes 220 inclusive; extracting the base from 220 returns 200.
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Payments and debt burden
Start with principal, term and rate for payments, then compare extra repayment or debt-to-income. Calculated mortgage payments exclude housing taxes, insurance or fees not entered.
Quick example: Balance 1200 at zero interest is paid in 12 months at 100 per month, or 8 months at 150.
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Saving and value over time
Use simple interest without compounding, compound interest with capitalization, and annuities for equal periodic flows. Distinguish nominal from effective rates and check deposit timing.
Quick example: Amount 1000 grows to 1210 in two years at 10% annually compounded, without contributions or fees.
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Comparing returns and cash flows
Total return measures investment change; CAGR spreads growth over time, while NPV and IRR use cash-flow sequences. Payback asks when capital returns and does not summarize all profitability.
Quick example: Growth from 1000 to 1210 in two years means total growth 21% and CAGR 10%, without intermediate flows.
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Pricing and business costs
Margin divides profit by sales; markup divides it by cost. Break-even separates fixed and variable costs, while depreciation allocates asset cost for accounting.
Quick example: Cost 80 and sale price 100 give profit 20, margin 20% and markup 25%.
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Pay conversion and overtime
Use consistent pay periods, work hours and weeks for comparison. Enter overtime hours and multiplier separately; the entered multiplier does not determine your local employment rules.
Quick example: Annual pay 52000 at 40 hours weekly for 52 weeks equals 25 per hour before deductions.
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Distinguish impressions, clicks, converted sessions and revenue. CPM and CPC measure costs; CTR and conversion describe different stages. ROAS compares revenue with spend without establishing net profit.
Quick example: Spend of 200 for 50,000 impressions gives CPM of 4; attributed revenue of 800 gives ROAS of 4.
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Customer acquisition, value and retention
Average order value divides by orders; acquisition cost divides by new customers. Lifetime value uses purchase frequency, lifespan and margin. Churn tracks a starting cohort separately from new customers.
Quick example: Costs of 2,400 for 80 new customers give CAC of 30; 2,500 across 50 orders gives AOV of 50.
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Ordering, holding and inventory turnover
EOQ estimates a theoretical lot size; the reorder point determines the replenishment trigger. Turnover uses cost of goods sold and average inventory at cost. Align periods and demand units.
Quick example: Demand of 20 units per day over seven days plus safety stock of 30 gives a reorder point of 170 units.
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Lot sales and demand coverage
Sell-through tracks the sold share of a fixed lot; coverage compares available stock with weekly demand. Match lot, returns and reservation definitions. Unsold units may not equal physical stock.
Quick example: Selling 350 from a lot of 500 gives 70% sell-through; stock of 600 at weekly demand of 120 covers five weeks.
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Unit cost and contribution
Weighted averaging combines cost by quantities; contribution subtracts variable costs from price. Check definitions before treating full accounting cost as variable cost, and avoid counting included charges twice.
Quick example: 100 units at cost 10 and 200 at cost 13 average 12; price 50 and variable cost 30 give contribution 20 or 40%.
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Cash duration and collection/payment timing
Runway divides available cash by positive monthly net burn. The cash cycle adds inventory and collection days then subtracts payment days. Both simplify averages; within-month payment timing still matters.
Quick example: 120,000 at monthly burn of 20,000 lasts six months; 45 inventory days, 30 collection and 40 payment give a 35-day cash cycle.
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Liquidity, solvency and obligation coverage
Compare liquid resources with short-term obligations, then separate capital structure from earnings and cash coverage. Do not interpret one ratio without cash timing and asset quality.
Quick example: Current assets 250,000 over liabilities 100,000 give a current ratio of 2.5; operating cash flow 150,000 over the same liabilities gives cash coverage of 1.5.
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Returns, growth and asset efficiency
Use ROA for profit relative to assets, ROE relative to equity, and asset turnover for revenue efficiency. Revenue growth and expense ratio describe different operating dimensions and are not profit measures.
Quick example: Income 40,000 on assets 400,000 gives ROA 10%, while revenue 600,000 on assets 300,000 gives 2× asset turnover.
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Collection, payment and account turnover
DSO and DPO express timing in days, while turnover expresses the same type of relationship in times. Use credit sales or purchases when available and keep period bases aligned.
Quick example: Receivables 90,000 on credit sales 720,000 give turnover 8× and DSO about 45.6 days in a 365-day period.
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Inventory control and return
Track shrinkage by reconciling book and physical inventory, GMROI for margin relative to inventory cost, and safety stock for demand/lead-time uncertainty. Each answers a different question.
Quick example: Book inventory 100,000 versus physical 96,000 means 4% shrinkage; gross margin 120,000 on average inventory 60,000 gives GMROI 2.
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Retention, purchase behavior and post-order quality
Separate cohort retention from repeat purchasing within a window, then monitor funnel leakage through cart abandonment and post-order quality through refunds. Keep customer, order and time-window definitions consistent.
Quick example: Retaining 850 of 1,000 starting customers means 85% retention; 300 repeat customers out of 1,000 means a 30% repeat purchase rate. They measure different behavior.
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Vehicle financing
Start with vehicle price, net down payment and trade-in, then use term and rate for the payment. Compare financed amount and total interest, not only the monthly payment.
Quick example: Financing 35,000 for 60 months at 5% gives a payment of about 660.49.
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Retirement and purchasing power
Retirement savings depend on time, contributions and an assumed return, while inflation changes purchasing power. Compare multiple scenarios instead of relying on one rate.
Quick example: At 3% inflation for 10 years, a 1,000 current cost becomes about 1,343.92.
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Income-property returns and valuation
Use cap rate and GRM for screening, gross or net yield for property return, and cash-on-cash or ROI for investor capital. Do not mix metrics because their denominators and cost treatments differ.
Quick example: A 900,000 property with 72,000 rent has 8% gross yield and 12.5 GRM; if net income is 54,000, net yield is 6%.
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Property financing and coverage
LTV describes leverage against value, debt yield links NOI to loan principal, and break-even occupancy estimates the revenue level needed to cover operations and debt.
Quick example: A 700,000 loan on a 1,000,000 property means 70% LTV; NOI 70,000 on the same loan gives 10% debt yield.
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Property operations and cash flow
Start with NOI to separate property operations from financing, then include debt service for cash flow. Management fees and maintenance reserves should not be double-counted.
Quick example: Income 120,000 less 42,000 expenses gives NOI 78,000; monthly rent 7,000 less 1,800 expenses and 3,200 debt gives 2,000 cash flow.
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Occupancy, vacancy and rent
Occupancy and vacancy measure unit status; vacancy loss converts a rate into revenue impact. Rent increase and proration handle price and time, not occupancy quality.
Quick example: 18 occupied units out of 20 mean 90% occupancy and 10% vacancy. Potential rent 120,000 at 8% vacancy means 9,600 expected loss.
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Price per area and property growth
Price and rent per area support spatial comparisons when area definitions match. Total appreciation measures endpoint change, while annualized appreciation adds time.
Quick example: Price 900,000 for 150 m² equals 6,000 per m²; value rising from 800,000 to 968,000 over two years equals 10% annualized appreciation.
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Rental income quality and collection
Start with potential rent, then account for vacancy, concessions and collection losses. Economic occupancy and collection reveal gaps that unit counts alone miss.
Quick example: Potential income 600,000 less 60,000 losses plus 30,000 other income gives EGI 570,000; collecting 95,000 of 100,000 gives 95%.
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Tenant turnover and leasing costs
Separate temporary vacancy from cleaning, repair and marketing, then add leasing commission when separate. This avoids hiding turnover cost inside a broad expense line.
Quick example: Fifteen vacant days at 200 cost 3,000; adding 4,000 cleaning, repair and marketing gives 7,000 turnover cost.
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Transaction and financing costs
Separate property price from closing and selling costs, then treat down payment and points distinctly. For refinancing compare execution cost with monthly savings and expected holding period.
Quick example: Buying at 800,000 with 3% closing costs means 24,000; refinancing at 18,000 cost with 900 monthly savings breaks even in 20 months.
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Housing and property operating budget
Use tax and insurance rates from your actual data, sum operating items without debt service for pre-financing analysis, and treat rent-to-income as a budgeting metric rather than a mandatory threshold.
Quick example: A value of 800,000 at 1.2% gives a 9,600 tax estimate; the six operating items in the example total 40,000 annually.
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Housing affordability and monthly budget
Compare housing expense or mortgage payment with gross income, then translate a target ratio into a monthly budget. Rent-versus-own here is cash-only and does not capture every long-term investment effect.
Quick example: Housing cost 3,500 on income 12,000 is 29.17%; a 30% target gives a 3,600 monthly budget.
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Equity and cash at purchase and sale
Equity measures value minus debt, while cash-to-close sums upfront cash requirements. On sale, subtract selling costs and loan payoff to reach net proceeds before other items.
Quick example: Value 1,000,000 less 650,000 debt gives 350,000 equity or 35%. Selling at 1,100,000 less 55,000 costs and 650,000 payoff gives 395,000 net.
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Ownership, financing and rent costs
Add mortgage, taxes, insurance and maintenance for ownership cost; separate insurance and taxes when financing detail matters. Price-to-rent compares price with rent, and break-even rent links property costs to occupied units.
Quick example: Ownership cost 4,700 versus rent 5,000 gives a -300 monthly cash difference. Costs of 30,000 across 10 units imply 3,000 break-even rent per unit.
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Salary and work-time conversions
Convert between hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and annual pay using explicit hours, days and workweeks. Schedule changes alter equivalent salary even when the pay rate stays the same.
Quick example: 40 per hour × 40 hours × 52 weeks = 83,200 annually; 83,200 divided by 2,080 hours returns 40 per hour.
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Raises, bonuses and commissions
Separate base pay from variable pay. Use rates for raises, bonuses and commissions, and inverse calculations when the target amount is known.
Quick example: A 10,000 salary with an 8% raise becomes 10,800; 50,000 sales at 5% produce 2,500 commission.
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Overtime, shifts and special-day pay
Use the actual multiplier or differential rate applied by the employer. Do not assume 1.5× or 2× is universal; these calculators simply apply the entered terms.
Quick example: A 40 rate at 1.5× for 10 hours gives 600 overtime; a 15% shift differential for 8 hours gives 48 extra.
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Gross/net pay, leave and employer cost
Start with gross pay, subtract entered deductions for an estimated net, then use actual hours for an effective hourly rate. Leave accrual and employer cost require clear organizational policies and rates.
Quick example: Gross 12,100 less 2,100 deductions = 10,000 net; 10,000 across 200 hours = 50 effective hourly rate.
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Fuel and trip costs
Start with distance, consumption and energy price, then add tolls, lodging and food for the full trip. Keep fuel separate from other items so the source of differences stays visible.
Quick example: 500 km at 8 L/100 km and 2.2 per litre needs 40 litres and costs 88; a full road trip can add tolls, lodging and food on top.
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Commuting, parking and mileage reimbursement
Turn weekly commuting into annual distance, then calculate parking or reimbursement separately. Do not mix employer reimbursement with vehicle cost unless measuring your net personal impact.
Quick example: 25 km each way, 5 days and 48 weeks equals 12,000 km annually; 800 eligible km at 0.75 gives 600 reimbursement.
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Vehicle ownership cost and depreciation
Separate usage cost from ownership cost. Depreciation can be a major economic cost even without a monthly payment, while cost per km links annual cost to actual usage.
Quick example: An annual cost of 24,000 over 20,000 km is 1.2 per km; a value drop from 120,000 to 90,000 is 30,000 or 25% depreciation.
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EV charging and driving cost
Calculate energy first, then multiply by electricity price, distinguishing home and public-charger rates. EV-versus-fuel comparison here covers energy only, not full ownership cost.
Quick example: 300 km at 18 kWh/100 km needs 54 kWh; at 0.18 it costs 9.72, versus 52.8 for fuel at 8 L/100 km and 2.2 per litre.
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Electricity cost and billing
Start with kWh, apply energy price, and keep fixed fees separate from variable rates. Time-of-use tariffs require splitting consumption by price period rather than using an unclear average.
Quick example: 600 kWh at 0.18 gives an energy charge of 108; with a 20 fixed fee the simplified bill becomes 128.
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Energy savings and alternative supply
Compare energy or fuel first, then convert it to money. Solar savings depend on self-consumption and price, generator cost on fuel rate, and LED savings on watt difference and usage hours.
Quick example: 7,200 solar kWh at 70% self-consumption and 0.18 gives 907.2 savings; replacing 20 lamps saves 2,190 kWh in the example.
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Shipping and freight costs
First define the billing unit: order, kg, km or tonne-km. Average cost helps comparison but does not remove fixed fees, minimums or tariff tiers.
Quick example: Shipping 120 over 12 kg equals 10 per kg; a 3,000 trip over 1,200 km equals 2.5 per km; 20 tonnes ×1,200 km equals 24,000 tonne-km.
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Delivery and storage costs
Separate route cost from storage-space cost, then choose the right denominator: stop, delivery, square metre or stored unit. Keep periods aligned to avoid comparing monthly cost with annual units.
Quick example: A 900 route with 30 stops equals 30 per stop; 500 m² at 30 monthly equals 15,000 per month; over 5,000 units that is 3 per unit.
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Hourly rate and income planning
Link income targets to realistic billable hours, then add business expenses before converting the target into an hourly rate. Day/hour conversions help comparison but do not dictate one pricing model.
Quick example: A 120,000 target over 1,200 hours equals 100 per hour; a 90,000 income target plus 30,000 expenses also requires 120,000 revenue before dividing by hours.
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Capacity and billable utilization
Capacity starts with total time, then separates billable and non-billable hours. Compare required utilization with actual utilization to see whether rate, demand or time allocation must change.
Quick example: 120 of 160 hours equals 75% utilization; a 120,000 target at 100 per hour over 1,800 available hours needs 66.67% utilization.
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Project and retainer pricing
Estimate projects from hours and rate, then monitor the effective rate after delivery. For retainers, link value to used hours and capacity, and separate scope creep and revisions so time cost remains visible.
Quick example: 80 hours × 100 with 15% contingency equals 9,200; a 9,000 project taking 90 hours equals 100 effective per hour; 15 extra hours × 100 equals 1,500.
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Clients, sales pipeline and revenue concentration
Track the journey from lead to proposal to win, then monitor average revenue, concentration and client revenue per hour. This separates sales efficiency from client-portfolio quality and time economics.
Quick example: 10 clients from 50 leads equals 20% conversion; 8 wins from 20 proposals equals 40%; a 40,000 client out of 120,000 revenue equals 33.33% concentration.
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Invoicing, collections and payment timing
Track collection rate, outstanding balance and payment days, then evaluate early discounts or late fees under contract and local rules. Separating payment timing from revenue value helps explain cash flow.
Quick example: Collecting 90,000 of 100,000 equals 90%; paying 4,000 of a 10,000 invoice equals 40%; 100,000 invoiced less 75,000 collected and 5,000 credits leaves 20,000 outstanding.
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Expenses, profit and recurring revenue
Start with an annual target, separate recurring retainers from projects, then measure business expenses and pre-tax profit. These layers build an income plan beyond invoice totals.
Quick example: 120,000 annually equals 10,000 monthly; 8 retainers × 5,000 equals 40,000 monthly recurring revenue; 25,000 expenses on 100,000 revenue equals 25%.
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