General
What is CASFLO APP
CASFLO APP is a web application that allows you to undertake financial forecasting of entrepreneurship and other investment projects with a large level of detail. While using CASFLO APP, you will be estimating the future revenues, costs, investments and other features of your project in order to better assess its financial feasibility.
What is The Learning Center?
As an addition to the application, there is a learning center, where you can obtain plenty education about accounting, financial forecasting, feasibility analysis, entrepreneurship among other subjects that are relevant for entrepreneurs and project developers.
At the Learning Center you will find the following resources:
- Training and tutorial videos;
- Handbooks;
How long will it take me to be able to use CASFLO APP in competent manner?
Despite its long role of customization inputs, CASFLO APP is quite intuitive. An user with basic financial concepts will be able to quickly use most features within CASFLO APP. Any specific doubt may be answered through the Learning Center.
Do note that depending on your level of knowledge on areas such as accounting, financial analysis, and business planning, you make take a longer or shorter time to get used to CASFLO APP.
Is CASFLO APP available everywhere?
Yes, you only need an internet connection to use CASFLO APP.
In which languages is CASFLO APP available?
CASFLO APP is currently available in:
- English;
- Portuguese.
Note: The learning center is only available in English.
Is my data safe?
Yes, accordingly with the privacy policy, MARKET ENGINE ensures full privacy of its users, confidentiality and security of their data, including personal information.
Please consult the privacy policy for more information.
Do I need to install anything on my computer, tablet or smartphone?
No, you do not need to install anything on any device to use CASFLO APP: it’s web based.
Do I always need an internet connection?
Yes, all data regarding your account or project is solely saved on our server. Hence you always need an internet connection.
Plans and subscriptions
Is there a demo version?
Yes, there is a demo version for you to try and learn more about CASFLO APP. To use a demo version you need to create a user account. You will not be asked to introduce any payment information to create an user account.
For how long can I use the demo version?
The demo version can be used for 15 days. After the 15 day trial period you can acquire a subscription and keep working on the project that you had already started.
Are there any restrictions of the demo version?
Yes. The restrictions are:
- The demo version is only available for 15 days.
- You will not be able to export results.
- You will not have access to the features of the Full Plan.
- Part of the simulations results are limited.
How can I create an account?
You must go to our website www.casflo-app.com and choose the login/trial option, then choose the option “Register now”. It is necessary to make your data available for account creation, such as: name, e-mail, password, date of birth, gender and country.
How can I subscribe a plan?
To buy a plan it is necessary to login into your account and choose the menu “Plans”. After choosing the desired plan, you should indicate the form of payment and the respective information. If you need a different subscription tailored to your needs, you must contact us through our helpdesk or support email.
How can I pay for a subscription?
The form of payments available to buy a subscription through the application are Paypal and Credit Card.
Can I cancel a subscription?
Yes, but remember: once you enter your payment details and the plan subscription is approved, it will no longer be possible to be reimbursed. We also maintain your access to your subscription until the end date.
If you are no longer interested in using CASFLO APP after the end date of the subscription you purchased, it is mandatory to cancel the subscription. Otherwise, you will be charged for renewal of the plan you first purchased.
For more information consult the terms and conditions available on the website.
Can I change the type of plan?
Yes, it is possible to change the type of plan under the following conditions:
Montlhy subscriptions:
In case of upgrades the change will be applied immediatly and you will not be reimbursed for your previous plan.
In case of downgrades you should cancel first the corrent subscription and choose the one that suits your needs. Only in the end date the downgrade will be applied. Be aware that in the day before of the renewal you fullfill the requirements of that downgrade plan you want.
Annual subscriptions:
In case of upgrades the change will be applied immediatly and it will be charged the difference between the old subscription and the new one, renewing the last one for a one year period from that date.
In case of downgrades you should cancel first the corrent subscription and choose the one that suits your needs. Only in the end date the downgrade will be applied. Be aware that in the day before of the renewal you fullfill the requirements of that downgrade plan you want.
To further information consult the terms and conditions
Where and how do I get invoices?
To receive invoices you should enter the billing information required when you are purchasing a plan (Organization name, Address, E-mail, VAT Number and Country). Be aware the some fields are automatically fill with your account information, but you can change it for the information that you want in your invoice.
How many projects can I have per subscription?
Each user only can have one subscription.
The number of projects available depends on the plan you purchase. The Full & Custom Plan allows you to purchase until 10 projects. It is not possible to have more than one project with the Base Plan.
If you need a tailor made subscription, do not hesitate to contact us through helpdesk.
How many subscription can I have?
You only can have one subscription. For that reason you must choose the plan that suits your needs better.
It is possible to downgrade my subscription?
Yes, you can downgrade a subscription. To do so, you should cancel your current subscription and choose the new one that suits your needs. The downgrade only be applied in the end date. Be aware that you should fulfill the requirements for the new subscription until the day before the renewal.
Can I cancel a subscription?
Yes, but there will be no reimbursement. The subscription will be available until the end date.
Users and accounts
How can I assign new users to a project?
The collaborative feature is only available for Full Plan/Full & Custom Plan subscriptions. To assign a new user to a project you should invite him/her to your account on the menu “Accounts” and add this new user in the project settings after he/she accepts the invitation.
Remember that user should be registered to collaborate with you.
How can I remove users from a project?
You only can remove users if you are the administrator of the project, meaning that you are the owner of the account of that same project.
To remove an user from a project, you should go to the project settings. If you pretend to permanently remove the user from your account, you should go to the “Accounts” menu.
APP formats
Is it possible to download an app for my tablet of CASFLO APP?
No, at the moment there is not a mobile version, although the Webapp is perfectly suitable for tablets and laptops.
Which device is better to be used by CASFLO APP?
CASFLO APP is best fit to be used on a laptop or on a tablet. On a smartphone, the user experience is compromised due to the amount of information that needs to be presented.
Project settings
What are the project settings?
Project settings are the initial inputs of a project that stand equal in every version of the project. These are the things you can set on the project:
- Project name
- Project description
- The starting year
- The country in which it is applicable
- General VAT rate
- Company payable Social Security Rate
- Number of salary months
- Corporate tax on income
- Input method to estimate Consumables
- Input method to estimate Human Resources
- Input method to set cost function
- Users that are allowed to access the project
This means that these will be constantly applicable to every version of the project. You cannot have a version in which the Corporate tax rate is 15% and a version in which it is 20%.
Can I change the project settings after I have started to work on at least one version?
You can, but note the following:
These settings will not have any impact on your forecasts:
- Project name
- Project description
- The starting year
- The country in which it is applicable
- Users that are allowed to access the project
These settings will affect your forecasting:
- General VAT rate
- Company payable Social Security Rate
- Number of salary months
- Corporate tax on income
These settings imply erasing part of your forecasting on every version because the calculation structure is different:
- Raw materials and consumables by sales percentage or item
- Salary expenses by cathegory or employee
- Income statement by nature or functions
If I change the starting year does it have any effect on my project?
The years of the project are just a reference. Change the starting year does not have any effect on the rest of your project. If you first set the starting year to 2018 and then decide that it going to change 2019, all forecasts will move exactly one year ahead.
You should be aware though that some features are monthly such as the date of investment or the date of obtaining a bank loan. Hence, if you had initially forecasted an investment for November of 2018 and by noticing a likely 2-month postponing reschedule, you change the starting date of the project 2019, you should go to the investment screen and update the investment month to January so that it exactly corresponds to the 2-month change.
What are the input methods to estimate the Raw Materials and Consumables?
There are two methods to estimate Raw Materials and Consumables:
- Set the cost of raw materials and consumables it as a % of the revenue.
- For each product that you sell you can set the value of each component.
The first option corresponds to the default.
What are the input methods to estimate the Salary Expenses?
There are two options to estimate salary expenses:
- You define categories of workers, number of workers per category, gross annual salary, prizes and bonus and non social security costs for each worker.
- You define each worker individually stating directly his starting month and year, gross monthly salary, prizes and bonus and non social security costs for this worker.
The first option corresponds to the default.
How can I see the income statement by functions?
If you prefer to analyze your projections with an income statement by functions you can do so. If that is the case, you need to active the functional classification. For every cost item (of operational expenses and workers) you will be able to decide to which of following areas it corresponds to:
- Cost of goods.
- General and administration.
- Marketing & sales.
- Research & Development.
The activation of the function implies that the user must decide the functional class of every cost item. Note that the activation of the functional classification of costs is only available in the Full Plan and Full&Custom Plan.
I am trying to change my Raw Materials and Consumables input method. Why does it alert me that it will erase my revenues and consumable estimates?
The algorithm for the calculation of revenue and raw material is different for each input method. It also requires a different set of informations. As such, if you choose to change the input method, the application will delete all previous data about revenues and raw materials entries and you will not be able to recover those assumptions, even if you revert it again.
Other entries, such as operating expenses, employees and others will not be affected.
It is advisable that you decide which input method suits your needs before starting to enter assumptions.
I am trying to change the input method to estimate the Employee’s benefits. Why does it alert me that it will erase current estimates?
The algorithm for the calculation of salary expenses is different for each input method. It also requires a different set of informations. As such, if you choose to change the input method, the application will delete all previous entries of employees and you will not be able to recover those assumptions, even if you revert again.
Other entries, such as revenues, operating expenses and others will not be affected.
It is advisable that you decide which input method suits your needs before starting to enter assumptions.
Version settings
What are the versions?
Each project has at least one version. Depending on your subscription you may add other versions of your project. Through versions, you are able to set alternative scenarios to the base scenario. Hence you can test different sets of assumptions on your project without destroying your base scenario work.
How many versions can I set?
It depends on the plan that you have subscribed. The base plan allows you to set two versions and the full plan allows you to set five versions.
How can I use the versions?
You can use versions to keep a regular basis upon which you can makes variations from without losing your original version. You can also use the version to have different case scenarios, such as a scenario with a lower revenue stream and a scenario with a higher revenue stream than the base scenario.
How do I create a version?
After creating the project, clicking on it will give you the option to create a new version. In this new version, you have to put all the assumptions of your project again. It is also possible to duplicate a version in order to keep all the assumptions that you have set previously. By doing that you can change only the variables that you consider necessary.
Can I delete a version?
Yes. In order to do that you must choose that option for that specific version. You should keep in mind that if you do so it is no longer possible to recover that version.
Which general settings are modifiable?
The general settings that are customizable are:
- The name of the version
- The description of the version
- Inflation rate
- Days of accounts receivables
- Days of accounts payables
- Days of investment payables
- Days of stock
- Days of retained VAT payment
All other assumptions within the version are fully customizable.
Forecasting
Where are the forecasting inputs?
The forecasting inputs are separated into different areas:
- Revenue and Raw Material
- Operating Expenses
- Employees
- Other Gains and Costs
- Investment
- Financing
- Other Assets and Liabilities
- Feasibility analysis
You can navigate through each area using the navigation pane on the right.
How many simulations am I able to do?
You do not have any restriction on the number of simulations that you are able to do.
For how many years is it possible to do a forecast?
The forecasting period is of 5 years.
Which accounting standards does CASFLO APP follow?
Because each country has its own set of accounting standards and tax requirements (independently of following a major internationally accepted rules), CASFLO APP was developed to be familiar to most of its users. Hence, it does not follow a specific standard, but tries to approach an organization of information that is broadly understandable.
Is it possible to extend beyond 5 years of forecasting?
No, it is not possible extend (or restrain) the forecasting period. Nevertheless, you will be able to set and analyze a perpetuity of your project after 5 years.
Is it possible to set the revenues monthly, rather than on a yearly basis?
No, it is not possible to set revenues monthly.
How can I export my results?
For every map of results, you can export it to .pdf and .xlsx (EXCEL) formats.
Theses feature are not available in the Demo Plan.
What is the difference between the General VAT rate on the project settings and the VAT rate of revenues, costs and investments?
Although the General VAT rate is a guideline to be used on every revenue, cost and investment item it can be individually adjusted while setting up each item.
What is the observations field for?
The observations field does not have any effect on any calculation of the CASFLO APP algorithm. It is there so you can take notes about the assumptions that you are setting on the project. It is particularly helpful when you have a collaborative project: each member can take notes for future record.
Can I download my inputs?
No, there is no option to download your assumptions.
Outputs
Where can I see my results?
All results are presented at the dashboard for your convenience. The dashboard present the warnings, a synthesis of the reporting and each reporting map.
Which maps am I able to use?
The following maps are available:
- Income statement by nature.
- Income statement by function.
- Balance sheet.
- Cash flows and feasibility analysis map.
- Investment plan.
- Financing plan.
- Revenue plan.
- Human resources plan.
- Financial indicators.
Can I add a logo to my reports?
No, it is not possible to add a logo to your reports. Nevertheless, you can download your results in excel format and then copy the tables to your own report.
Warnings
What does it mean when a warning is trigered?
There are 6 warnings:
- Financing;
- Net income;
- NPV;
- Equity;
- Equity ratio;
- Debt coverage;
When one of these warning activates (goes from green to red), it means that your simulation has triggered that warning. An example: if the financing warning is triggered, it means that your project has not enough cash in at least one of the 5 years of forecasting. To learn more how to solve that warnings, you should consult the Learning Center.
Are all warnings equally relevant?
While all warnings are important, you should be aware that some are more relevant than the others, because when triggered it means that the simulation has incorrections that may affect how investors and other stakeholders perceive the project. The two most relevant warnings are:
- Financing: if triggered it means that the project will not have enough cash at a certain moment. Therefore, the simulation is essentially incorrect and should be corrected.
- Equity: an organization with negative equity is in an insolvency situation. A simulation that forecasts such a situation implies that there may be a need to reinforce the estimated equity investment.
Helpdesk
Is there an helpdesk?
Yes. The helpdesk was created to help the user solving issues regarding Commercial & Plans, Invoicing, Account and User Management and Using CASFLO APP. Do note that Helpdesk it is not meant to teach you how to use the application itself, for that purpose you have the Learning Center.
Is helpdesk available through phone?
No, Helpdesk is not available through phone contact. Helpdesk only works through email so we can guarantee you an excellent service. Certain issues and questions that are reported require a careful analysis and for that reason we can only provide you a quality service through email.
Is the helpdesk able to help figure out which inputs are best for my project?
No, it is assumed that you have enough knowledge and information about business planning and forecasting to decide which are the inputs that suit the best for your project. We do provide helpful means of education through the Learning Center, but it is not meant to tell you which values are supposed to be assumed as inputs.
Is it possible to interpret my results through the helpdesk?
No. as in the input decisions. We provide an education through the Learning Center to help you get skills to do so.