Frequently Asked Presales Questions:

Q.  In what way is FDC different from its competitors?

FDC has functionality superior to every other market research software on the market.  It is remarkably powerful and flexible. The time from conception of an idea to implementation and testing is remarkably short, and extending its capability is much easier than using the C-like programming languages of competitors. FDC's user interface and ease of use also makes it unique.  If you can compose sentences in English, you can do research with FDC.

Q.  Why is FDC priced so inexpensively?  Is it a discount product?

Firstly, FDC is not a discount product.  Its functionality is superior to many products costing thousands of dollars. The pricing is designed to bring world class technical analysis to a mass market for the first time.

Q.  Will FDC make me a better investor? 

FDC will make you better than the average investor.  Smart investing is like making a repair - it requires the proper tools.  Many investors pick investments like they buy houses and cars: they give considerable value to their emotions.  One of the reasons for the emotional decision-making is that the non-professional does not have economical access to the proper tools.  So he relies on “intuition”.  FDC gives the non-professional the tools heretofore only available to the pro.  If you use those tools diligently, you will advance your investing skills and improve performance.

Q.  What are the prerequisites for using FDC?  Can anyone use it? 

In order to function in society we have to be able to phrase questions and statements in English.  FDC requires little more than that ability.  Naturally a professional investor will have advantages over the amateur, but FDC plays the role of the great equalizer.  Like any powerful software, there will be an initial learning period, but we have provided lots of help to get you started. Basic demos and the user manual can be accessed directly from the software, as well as a complete help glossary of terms and functions. The CD-ROM that comes with the software implements our "See it, Try it, Use it" approach to learning. First there are a number of multimedia demos that you can watch, and that cover in detail all basic functionality. Then there is the "Audio Coach" that provides a series of audio instructions that you can implement in real time, to practice. Finally there are many sample command sets and macros which you can use or easily modify to begin implementing your own ideas.

Q.  Some of the functions listed in the FDC Help Topics seem to be quite advanced. 

FDC has lots and lots of functionality, as does the average hand calculator.  For example, the TI-83 standard high school calculator has 50 buttons, more than half of them never used by the owner.  That does not prevent the average person from using the tool, while at the same time providing extra usefulness to the more advanced user.  FDC is similar.  It has a tremendous ease of initial use; but at the same time, has all of the utilities desirable to the most advanced user.

Q.  Is FDC geared only to technical market research?

Not at all.  Users have employed FDC to study fundamental economic factors such as money supply (see the example in the Graphing Demo), amateur athletic performance, and geological events.  FDC is designed to work on time-series, the most typical of which are the financial markets.  But FDC is great for any dated series (and “dates” can be ordinal – such as 1,2,3…also).

Q.  What will I get when I purchase Financial Data Calculator:

1. You get the latest downloaded version of FDC, “The Market Analysis Software For People With Ideas. ”
2. You also receive perpetual upgrades for the version of the software you purchased.
3. If you wish to purchase a higher version of the software, you get full credit towards that purchase. That is, you only have to pay the difference between the two versions.
4. Audio-visual demos that will help you get started, and an Audio Coach that will enable you to “see it , try it, do it”, plus more.
5. Access to the FDC User's site containing all sorts of hard-to-get data, already in FDC format. Some of the data we provide is usually only available at considerable cost. For example, Nasdaq Short Interest data costs $250 per month. We give it to you FREE.
6. A special discount with Primate.com that will enable you to get end-of-day data for equities, funds, futures, etc. for $19.95, should you wish to purchase data. They will also give you a two-week trial for $1.

We provide our telephone number, should you need to call for assistance. That's a rarity. Should you have any doubt of the value of being able to contact us, just look at the testimonials our users have made: testimonials

Q.  Will FDC occupy much space on my computer?

One person has essentially programmed FDC over its entire existence.  Consequently it is lean and efficient, unlike the typical bloated software applications written by hoards of programmers.  In fact, all of FDC functionality fits in approximately 3 megabytes.  The additional 6-7 megabytes that are in the setup package are from additional modules that must be provided on installation (such as Windows Installer components).

Additionally, FDC's method of accessing data files does not open the files except when they are in use.  Thus you can have direct access to as much data as you wish, without filling the computer memory.