Introduction to Spreadsheets: Part 1 (Video) (Course Id 2632)

• Who is this course for?
  This course is designed for anyone needing Continuing Professional Education (CPE), particularly CPAs and professionals looking to improve their Excel skills.

• What is this course about or what problem does this course solve?
  This course introduces essential Excel skills, helping participants confidently navigate and utilize spreadsheets, especially for tasks like formatting, formula creation, and building financial tables such as loan amortizations.

• How can the knowledge from this course be used?
  Learners can apply their Excel knowledge to improve spreadsheet efficiency and accuracy, including calculating loan payments, using shortcuts, and mastering cell referencing in formulas.

• Why is this course important to a CPA, Accountant, or IRS Enrolled Agent?
  Excel proficiency is vital for accounting and finance tasks, and this course provides foundational skills needed to handle data effectively, making it valuable for CPAs and similar professionals.

• When is this course relevant or timely?
  The course is especially relevant now due to the increasing reliance on Excel in accounting workflows and the evolving features of subscription-based Excel products like Microsoft 365.

• How is a course like this consumed or used?
  This self-study video course is delivered via QAS format, featuring detailed demonstrations, PowerPoint slides, Excel workbook handouts, and a final exam for CPE credit.

In this presentation, author and Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA, will guide participants through various essential Excel skills. David will start from the beginning with Excel with topics such as saving Excel files, entering text into worksheet cells, and managing column widths. He'll demonstrate the nuances that can arise when formatting numbers and worksheet cells, copying formulas and entering dates. David will build a loan amortization table from scratch, which enables him to cover a wide range of Excel topics and features. You'll learn how to calculate loan payments with the PMT worksheet function, master Excel's order of operations, and see how the F4 shortcut key can toggle cell addresses in formulas between absolute, mixed, and relative references. Other techniques include the AutoSum feature and making use of the Freeze Panes feature. Attendees will gain practical knowledge and tips to enhance their Excel proficiency and efficiency.

David is the author of “Microsoft Excel 365 for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and has written or co-authored six other books. He demonstrates every technique at least twice: first, on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and second, in the subscription-based Excel for Microsoft 365. David draws your attention to any differences in Excel 2021, 2019 or 2016 during the presentation and in his detailed handouts. The handouts include an Excel workbook with most of the examples he uses during his demonstrations.

Excel for Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based product that receives periodic feature updates. Conversely, perpetually licensed versions have year numbers in their names and do not receive any feature updates.

Video - NASBA QAS - NASBA Registry - 2632

Course Learning Objectives

• Recall which keyboard shortcut undoes your last action in Excel.
• Identify the most efficient method for copying formulas down a column in Excel.
• Identify the three inputs required by Excel's PMT worksheet function.

Chapter 1 - Introduction to Spreadsheets: Part 1

Chapter 1 Review Questions

Key Terms