SELECTING DATA FOR REPORTS                  SM3.11                  PAGE 1 OF 4

You can combine the contents of up to five different portfolios in any of the
reports.  The program automatically sorts all the data by security type, ticker
symbol and purchase date.  At any time, you can press the Esc key to go back to
the Master Menu.

The program always "remembers" the names that were most recently entered, until
they are again changed. To accept these names, reply Y (for Yes) to the prompt.
To enter new ones, reply N (for No). You will then be prompted to enter the new
name(s) into a data entry block.  If there are more than one, separate them
with blank spaces.  Don't include the .POR extension; the program will do that
for you.  It doesn't matter what order the names are in.

You can also select data by security type.  After the specification of which
portfolios are wanted, you can type in the letters that correspond to each
security type you want.  The program will display a menu of all the different
types.  For example, type AH <Enter> to choose cash accounts and common stocks,
or I <Enter> to choose only mutual funds.  To select ALL security types, press
the Enter key by itself.  



SELECTING DATA FOR REPORTS                                          PAGE 2 OF 4

Next, the program asks for beginning and ending report dates.  This date range
is used to select data; for example purchases made after the ending date or
sales made before the beginning date are not included in reports.  If you have
entered cash account balances as of several different dates, the program will
automatically select the correct ones as of the beginning and ending dates.

The beginning date is optional.  If you don't specify a beginning date, you get
only the Gain/Loss Since Purchase report.  If you do specify a beginning date,
you get the Portfolio Performance report (but you can switch at will between
the two report formats if you enter both dates).

The report dates are important because the program takes security prices
directly from the stock charts (price history files).  The ENDING report date
MUST MATCH a date that exists on the stock chart, and of course the closing
price (or net asset value for a fund) for that date must have already been
entered into the history file for each security you own.





SELECTING DATA FOR REPORTS                                          PAGE 3 OF 4

If you track stocks or funds daily, your report dates can be anywhere in the
range of dates existing on the history files.  For best accuracy, the program
will automatically use the closing prices for the business day BEFORE the be-
ginning report date.  This gives you a price range that fully covers the time
period you specify.  To monitor performance over just one day, use the same
beginning and ending report dates.

If you only track stocks WEEKLY, your ENDING report date must fall on a Friday
and your BEGINNING report date must fall on a Monday, Sunday or Saturday.  The
business day BEFORE the beginning date must exist on the stock charts, and that
would be a Friday.  Remember, all dates on weekly stock charts fall on Fridays.
If the beginning report date falls on Monday through Thursday, the program WILL
NOT use the previous Friday's closing prices (those prices may be inaccurate).

As you enter the report dates, the program will show you which weekdays you
selected and will give you an opportunity to re-enter the dates if necessary.
You don't have to go running for your calendar!




SELECTING DATA FOR REPORTS                                          PAGE 4 OF 4

After you enter the report dates, the program starts collecting data and
"crunching numbers".  For each individual security, the program first tries to
find market prices in the daily stock chart if it exists; then it tries the
weekly chart if necessary.  There will be a lot of disk activity.  Missing data
items are identified as such on the reports.

Once the report screen is displayed, there is a menu with its own HELP function
for more information.  You will be able to scan through the data, display
totals, find individual securities, and print reports.

As is true for the rest of the Stock Charting System, you can get out of any
situation by pressing the Esc key.
