Genuinely Useful Software - Part 2

This is another in the occassional posts on software that we have tried and find very useful. Today's lead comes from the Journal of Accountancy's June 2010 edition.

DeskPins can be used to make any application topmost, that is, to keep it above all other windows. Just grab a pin from the DeskPins icon in the system notification area (a.k.a. taskbar tray) and click on any window. That window will always stay on top. Click on the "red pin" again to deactivate it.

This functionality works like the "Always on Top" setting found in some programs but with DeskPins you can add this feature to any program.


With today's large monitors, its possible to have a couple other active applications on the desktop besides the one you're working on and not feel encumbered. For accountants, its nice to have a calculator always available. Or, you might want to stream some (Seattle Mariner) video while working on your latest budgetary forecast in Excel.

Download and try it. Its free and works with just about any Windows version (we use it on Vista).

Genuinely Useful Software - Part 1

Power Utility Pak Version 7 (PUP v7) is a useful collection of Excel add-ins that brings significant new functionality to Excel 2007. When PUP is installed, you can do things with Excel in a few steps that would have taken many steps to perform withoput PUP v7. Regardless of your experience level, you'll find features in PUP that can make your job easier. PUP v7 augments Excel with about 70 new commands and 53 new worksheet functions. The product is designed to work seamlessly with Excel 2007. If you still use an earlier version of Excel, try PUP v6.

If you spend your life in Excel like we do, this utility is well worth the price. While we do not use most of the added functionality, the commands and functions we do use make it a worthwhile investment. The price is $40 but quantity discounts are available. You can download a trial version at no cost.

One of our fatovite tools in PUP v7 is the "Create Workbook Contents Sheet". This utility adds a new worksheet which functions as a table of contents for quick navigation to other sheets in the workbook. You can even choose between hyperlinks or buttons to navigate to those sheets. If you have a workbook with many sheets, this is a great way to navigate. Try it the next time you prepare your ICE (Annual Incurred Cost Proposal).

To read more about PUP v7 and to download a trial version, click here.