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planEASe Software Version 15 - 2006

Major new items are: add Perspective to your graphs, Quarterly Reporting, Quarterly Graphs, always use Monthly Cash Flows for IRR's and NPV's.

V15.00 Enh - Graphics Extension
If you have the Graphics Extension, you may now add Perspective to your graphs by using the new scrollbars you see at the left (chart or graph) and bottom (graph only) of the graph/chart window. Vertical Perspective allows you to look down at the top of the graph from above , or up at the graph from below, by rotating it on an invisible horizontal axis. Likewise, Horizontal Perspective allows you to look at the graph from either the left or right side by rotating it on an invisible vertical axis.

For all graphs and charts, perspective is automatically turned Off when first viewing a Chart or Graph. You may turn it On by clicking the Off Button at the bottom right of the window. Turning it Off at any time will eliminate all Perspective and return the Chart or Graph to its appearance before Perspective was applied.

You add Perspective by sliding the scrollbars to the desired position when the bottom/right Button says On. After you have added Perspective, and while it is shown, printing the Graph/Chart will show your Perspective in the printed graph/chart. Adding Perspective may only be performed with graphs/charts when the 3D checkbox has been checked. Likewise, the #'s display is not compatible with graphs shown in Perspective. Therefore, 3D is automatically turned on when you turn the Perspective Button On, and #'s is automatically turned off. When you return the Perspective Button to Off, these controls are returned to their former settings.

You may edit and export graphs and charts, as discussed in those sections of the documentation. All settings discussed here, including Perspective, will be shown on exported graphs/charts.
V15.00 Enh - Dialogs now Resize
New Dialogs now Resize The Market Profiles, Reimbursements, Unit Sales, and Development Spending Dialogs now resize to slightly less than the size of planEASe automatically, so if you are looking at planEASe in a full-screen mode, the dialog will now be just slightly less than full screen rather than the small size shown in previous versions.
V15.00 Enh - Lease Analysis
The Analysis/Lease Analysis function Graphs have been enhanced by adding the Reimbursements and Percentage Rent (if and as shown in the time grid) to the Graphs under the Lease View.
V15.00 Enh - Graphs in the Income Statements
We have added Additions/Overlay to the Graphs in the Income Statements. This gives you the capability to add two or more items within the same graph, and overlay another item within that same graph. This new capability enables you to structure more than 1,000,000 (yes, we mean this) different graphs (not all are meaningful) just from within the Income Statements function.
V15.00 Enh - Quarterly Reporting and Quarterly Graphs
With version 15, if you own the Monthly Extension , we have added Quarterly Reporting and Quarterly Graphs. Now, anytime you are looking at a Monthly or Annual Report, you have the choice to view the same report on a Quarterly basis. This is true for all Basic, Detail and Lease Analysis reports, as well as all Income Statements and Annual Statements. Quarterly Reporting is typically most useful in Unit Sales analysis, where it has become a standard for appraisal reports. Quarterly Graphs are almost as simple. In Basic and Detail Analysis, you can change Time Modes even while viewing a (monthly or annual) graph by pulling down the new Period menu (see below) and choosing Quarterly. In Lease Analysis and Income/Annual Statements, you must return to the report, change the time mode to Quarterly there (with the new Period menu) and click on the Graph button to see the Quarterly graph.
V15.00 Enh - menu item named Period
Before version 15, you had to return to the Assumption Edit Screen to change between Monthly and Yearly modes. With version 15, if you own the Monthly Extension, you now have a menu item named Period in Basic Analysis, Detail Analysis, Lease Analysis, Income Statements, and Annual Statements. The Period Menu item gives you the choice of three views (Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly) , and the report you are viewing changes to the chosen time mode INSTANTLY. These views are available in all planEASe models RUI, RUM, RSA, RPI, RPM, RPR, RPF. If you are in Quarterly or Monthly Mode, the Period menu also allows you to add Yearly Totals instantly (this choice has been re-located from the File/Preferences Dialog in earlier versions).
V15.00 Enh - Always Monthly
We now always use Monthly Cash Flows for IRR's and NPV's. In planEASe prior to version 15 the time mode (Monthly/Yearly) not only reflected what type of cash flows would show in the report, but also what the timing would be in the IRR's and NPV's. Time value of money returns like IRR really depend on two factors: how much cash flow occurs, and when that cash flow takes place. A calculator (and the normal IRR in Excel) uses an End of Year time line, meaning the only time Cash Flows occur is on Dec. 31st. Prior to version 15, planEASe used a process called the mid-year convention to move the Cash Flow to the middle of the year. This works remarkably well to get close to the more accurate monthly IRR if the cash flows are not too irregular. It is also much faster than a monthly IRR, which was very important with slower computers.

Use of two different methods of timing for the IRR's, etc. has gotten to be more and more of a problem with the additions of Development, Reimbursements and Market Profiles, which much more accurately depict the irregular cash flows of real estate. In some cases (particularly development projects), there is a significant difference between the more accurate monthly IRR and the mid-year convention IRR. Therefore, in planEASe versions 15 and forward, all IRR, NPV and other time value of money measures are calculated on a monthly (mid-month, specifically) basis. So no matter which Period view you are looking at, all the IRR's, etc. will be the same. There is a slight slowdown in the visible calculation time, but with today's fast computers you will not notice a difference.
V15.00 Enh - Measure Terminology
Measure Terminology Updated. Since 1982, when the first copy of planEASe was sold, financial language has evolved. planEASe has been updated every year since 1982, and this year we have decided to update a couple of the language labels associated with time value of money returns. Specifically, we have eliminated the term FMRR in favor of MIRR, in response to Microsoft Excel and other sources within the financial literature using the term Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR) rather than Financial Management Rate of Return (FMRR). The two measures are and always have been the same.

We are also eliminating the current Accumulation of Wealth (AoW) measure in favor of Capital Accumulation (CpA), in response to the CCIM Institute changing the term in their courses. We put this measure in for CCIM in the first place.
V15.00 Enh - Fiscal Year
In order to remind you that you are working in Fiscal Year Mode, whenever the Fiscal Year Starts on field in the Assumption Set Specifications Dialog has been set to something other than the Default Jan 1, the year number in the report headings are now preceded by a "fy", as in fy2003. Also, in accordance with standard notation, when denoting a fiscal year, the year number shown is now the year of the last month in the fiscal year.
V15.00 Enh - Transfer Pages
In Edit/Transfer Pages, in addition to not allowing transfer of Unit Sales and Development Spending Pages, you are not allowed to delete them.
V15.00 Enh - Cash Flow Analysis
In Utilities/Cash Flow Analysis we have changed the IRR and NPV formulas to us a 365 day year (rather than the previous 365.25 day year accounting for leap years). This change allows us to match the calculations for the XIRR and XNPV functions in Microsoft Excel.

The method of using End of Year timing for the time value of money used by calculators and the IRR and NPV formulas in Excel can very misleading and incorrect in regards to real estate. Years ago, Microsoft Excel added the XIRR and XNPV processes to take account of cash flows that are not necessarily periodic. planEASe has been using a process to take account of these not necessarily periodic cash flows since 1982 the Monthly Extension was releasedin 1987.
V15.00 Enh - Cash Flow Analysis
In Utilities/Cash Flow Analysis we have added a choice to convert imported cash flows to End of Year when (and only when) the Acquisition Date is 1 January and the Holding Period is an integer number of years.

There are times when you will need to compare the cash flows and calculations in planEASe to homemade spreadsheets that have not used the XIRR and XNPV functions, but rather have used the IRR and NPV functions. This option allows you to check the calculations in such spreadsheets.
V15.01 Enh - Income Statements
The Edit Graph Dialog has been enhanced to show the new graph Overlay Data as well as the new Additions in the Income Statements. Additionally, many minor errors in the new Overlay and Additions graphs have been fixed.
V15.01 - Enh and Fix - Graph
If you attempted to graph an item when the Holding Period was set to 1 year and the first year was a full 12 months, you would get a trapped Error 13 (type mismatch) in Graph Preparation. As a result of the fix, you now will be able to produce one-year graphs and get better X-Axis Titles in all graphs. Thanks to Bill Allen, CCIM for the report. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01.
V15.00 - 15.01 - Fixes
  1. Version 14 included Closing Costs in the adjusted denominators of the new Adjusted Ratios (Adj. Capitalization Rate and Adj Cash on Cash both before and afer tax) as well as the Accounting ROR before and after tax, thereby understating them slightly. Introduced in version 14 and fixed in version 15.
  2. Several Users reported situations where the Adjusted Cash on Cash measures were erroneously reported as "N/A" or used erroneous denominators. Introduced in version 14 and fixed in version 15.
  3. In Basic/Print/Save as Web Page, if you saved Print All Pages, the resulting file read into Internet Explorer and Microsoft FrontPage correctly. However, other Microsoft products such as Word and Excel only read the first page correctly, ignoring the other pages. Interesting, that ... I guess we must test an interface with each and every Microsoft product, since they obviously read the same file differently!!!!! Our thanks to John Daniel, CCIM for his report, and particularly to Bill Gates for the added challenge. Introduced in Version 8 and fixed in version 15.
  4. In Annual Statements, the Operating Expenses Charts did not display a legend. Introduced in version 11.00 and fixed in version 15. Not reported.
  5. In Annual Statements, if reimbursements were shown separately, and if they were specified to be shown in detail, the Gross Income and Vacancy amounts double counted the reimbursements, though Effective Income and all amounts below Effective Income were correct. Introduced in version 14.00 and fixed in version 15. Not reported.
  6. In Tenant/Owner Rep (Price Of Property set to 1 or 2), One-Time Revenues at Acquisition (Revenue Start Date=0) were not taxed. Not Reported.
  7. If edited, Reports/RentRoll Charts were denominated in dollars rather than square feet. Not reported. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01.
  8. If you had a first year of exactly 12 months, the Income Statement did not produce the Sale Proceeds Section of the Income Statement for the first year, whereas it did in earlier versions. Shorter first years continue to not produce Sale Proceeds, since the minimum Holding Period is, and has been, 1 year. Thanks again to Bill Allen, CCIM for the report. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01.
  9. If you are using the Fiscal Year capability, some combinations of Acquisition Date and Fiscal Year Starts values resulted in the Fiscal Year Number being one year too big. .... In an unprecedented trifecta, thanks again to Bill Allen, CCIM for the report. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01. Attaboy, Bill!!!
  10. If you were using Market Profiles, the Source of Gross Income Chart in Reports/Annual Statements lacked a legend. Not Reported. Introduced in version 12 and fixed in 15.01.
  11. In the Development Spending Dialog, if you specified the Permanent Loan Prepayment Penalty to be a % of the Loan Balance, it was converted to a dollar value when converted to the Assumption Set. Introduced in version 11 and fixed in 15.01. Thanks to Mark Larsen, CCIM for the report.
  12. In Utilities/Cash Flow Analysis, the new Import Cash Flows .../Convert to Year- End Cash Flows option rounded the Monthly Cash Flows before converting them to Year-End rather than adding them first, then rounding, resulting in an occasional 2 to 6 dollar error. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01.
  13. Construction Draw Interest was inadvertently subtracted from the Investment Base for the Adjusted Cash on Cash Before and After Tax in the Income Statement. Thanks to Allen McDonald, CCIM for the report. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01.
  14. In Utilities/Exchange Recap, the screen would scroll when editing the Buyer Column of a 3 party exchange. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01. Discovered during the Baltimore MiniCamp.
  15. In Lease Analysis Lease View or Tenant and/or Owner Rep Assumption Sets, if you clicked on the PV View Button, an Error 9 occurred. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01. Thanks to Paul Antonuccio for the report.
  16. In both Sensitivity and Risk Analysis, if your graph was presented in 3D and you requested another analysis by pressing the Another button, the graph of the resulting analysis was converted to 2D. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01. Not Reported.
  17. In some few Assumption Sets, use of the Reimbursements Dialog would cause a trapped Error 9 to occur during Computations. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01. Thanks to Robert Rourke for the report.
  18. In both the Development Spending and Unit Sales Dialogs, if you requested the Cost Summary or Bill of Materials reports immediately on entering the dialog, the column widths were wrong. Subsequent requests were sized correctly. Introduced in version 15 and fixed in 15.01. Thanks to Bill Harwell, CCIM for the report.