35 Terms
Spreadsheet and Finance Glossary
Clear definitions of Google Sheets functions, budgeting methods, accounting principles, real estate metrics, and marketing analytics, written for freelancers and small business owners.
Spreadsheet Functions
ARRAYFORMULA
A Google Sheets function that applies a formula to an entire range of cells simultaneously. The syntax is =ARRAYFORMULA(...
Conditional Formatting
A feature that automatically changes cell appearance (color, bold, icons) based on rules you define. In Google Sheets, a...
Data Validation
A feature that restricts what values can be entered into a cell. In Google Sheets, access it via Data > Data validation....
IMPORTRANGE
A Google Sheets function that imports data from another Google Sheets spreadsheet. The syntax is =IMPORTRANGE(spreadshee...
INDEX-MATCH
A two-function combination that serves as a more powerful alternative to VLOOKUP. INDEX returns the value at a given row...
Named Range
A user-defined name assigned to a cell or range of cells, making formulas easier to read and maintain. Instead of writin...
Pivot Table
An interactive data summarization tool that reorganizes and aggregates data without changing the original dataset. In Go...
QUERY
A powerful Google Sheets function that lets you run SQL-like queries on spreadsheet data. The syntax is =QUERY(data, que...
SUMIF
A function that adds values in a range that meet a single condition. The syntax is =SUMIF(range, criterion, [sum_range])...
SUMIFS
An extension of SUMIF that allows multiple conditions. The syntax is =SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range1, criterion1, [cr...
VLOOKUP
A lookup function that searches the first column of a range for a key and returns the value of a specified cell in the r...
Budgeting & Personal Finance
50/30/20 Rule
A simplified budgeting framework that allocates after-tax income into three categories: 50% for needs (rent, utilities, ...
Runway
The amount of time a business can continue operating at its current burn rate before running out of cash. Calculated as ...
Tax Deduction
An expense that reduces your taxable income, thereby lowering the amount of tax you owe. Common tax deductions for freel...
Zero-Based Budget
A budgeting method where every dollar of income is assigned a specific purpose, so income minus expenses equals exactly ...
Business & Accounting
Accounts Payable
Money a business owes to its suppliers, vendors, or service providers for goods or services received but not yet paid fo...
Accounts Receivable
Money owed to a business by its customers for goods or services delivered but not yet paid for. When a freelancer sends ...
Amortization
The process of spreading a loan or asset cost over a series of fixed payments over time. In the context of loans, an amo...
Break-Even Point
The point at which total revenue equals total costs, resulting in neither profit nor loss. Calculated as Fixed Costs div...
Burn Rate
The rate at which a business spends cash, typically expressed as a monthly figure. Gross burn rate is total monthly oper...
Cash Flow
The net amount of cash moving in and out of a business or household over a specific period. Positive cash flow means mor...
Chart of Accounts
A complete list of every account used to record financial transactions in a business, organized by category. The five ma...
Depreciation
The allocation of the cost of a tangible asset over its useful life. When a business purchases equipment, a vehicle, or ...
Gross Margin
The percentage of revenue remaining after subtracting the direct costs of producing the goods or services sold. Calculat...
Invoice
A document sent by a seller to a buyer requesting payment for goods or services. A proper invoice includes: invoice numb...
Net Income
The total profit of a business after all expenses, taxes, and costs have been subtracted from total revenue. Also called...
Profit and Loss (P&L)
A financial statement that summarizes revenue, costs, and expenses over a specific period to show whether a business ear...
Revenue
The total amount of money earned by a business from its primary operations before any expenses are deducted. Also called...
Real Estate & Investing
Cap Rate
Short for capitalization rate, this is a real estate metric that measures the expected rate of return on an investment p...
Cash-on-Cash Return
A real estate investment metric that measures annual pre-tax cash flow relative to the total cash invested. Unlike cap r...
DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio)
A ratio that measures whether a property generates enough income to cover its debt obligations. Calculated as Net Operat...
Marketing & Analytics
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)
A marketing metric that measures the total cost of acquiring one paying customer through a specific channel or campaign....
CPM (Cost Per Mille)
A marketing and advertising metric representing the cost per 1,000 impressions (views) of an ad or piece of content. Cal...
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
A marketing metric that measures revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. Calculated as Revenue from Ads...
ROI (Return on Investment)
A performance metric that evaluates the efficiency of an investment by comparing net profit to the cost of the investmen...