Tools are designed to help their users do their tasks more efficiently and crunching numbers is no exception. I’ve been humming along with Excel and my trusty scientific calculator just fine, but as I’m getting more involved with calculations such as discounting I’ve decided it may be worth the time to pick up a financial calculator that has many of these formulas built-in.
I ended up buying the HP 10BII, which is among the most popular financial calculators out there. It’s very reasonably priced, has training modules on the HP web site, contains advanced functions such as IRR and NPV, and has a user-friendly keypad. For $30-40, this is a must have for anyone in finance or real estate.
HP 10bII Financial Calculator on Amazon (please support us with your purchase!)
Calculator Comparison from About.com