Function Description

ACCRINT Returns the accrued interest for a security that pays periodic interest

ACCRINTM Returns the accrued interest for a security that pays interest at maturity

AMORDEGRC Returns the depreciation for each accounting period by using a depreciation
coefficient

AMORLINC Returns the depreciation for each accounting period

COUPDAYBS Returns the number of days from the beginning of the coupon period to the
settlement date

COUPDAYS Returns the number of days in the coupon period that contains the settlement date

COUPDAYSN Returns the number of days from the settlement date to the next coupon date
C

COUPNCD Returns the next coupon date after the settlement date

COUPNUM Returns the number of coupons payable between the settlement date and maturity
date

COUPPCD Returns the previous coupon date before the settlement date

CUMIPMT Returns the cumulative interest paid between two periods

CUMPRINC Returns the cumulative principal paid on a loan between two periods

DB Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified period by using the fixed-declining
balance method

DDB Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified period by using the double-
declining balance method or some other method that you specify

DISC Returns the discount rate for a security

DOLLARDE Converts a dollar price, expressed as a fraction, into a dollar price, expressed as a
decimal number

DOLLARFR Converts a dollar price, expressed as a decimal number, into a dollar price, expressed
as a fraction

DURATION Returns the annual duration of a security with periodic interest payments

EFFECT Returns the effective annual interest rate

FV Returns the future value of an investment

FVSCHEDULE Returns the future value of an initial principal after applying a series of compound
interest rates
INTRATE Returns the interest rate for a fully invested security

IPMT Returns the interest payment for an investment for a given period

IRR Returns the internal rate of return for a series of cash flows

ISPMT Calculates the interest paid during a specific period of an investment

MDURATION Returns the Macauley modified duration for a security with an assumed par value of
$100

MIRR Returns the internal rate of return where positive and negative cash flows are
financed at different rates

NOMINAL Returns the annual nominal interest rate

NPER Returns the number of periods for an investment

NPV Returns the net present value of an investment based on a series of periodic cash
flows and a discount rate

ODDFPRICE Returns the price per $100 face value of a security with an odd first period

ODDFYIELD Returns the yield of a security with an odd first period

ODDLPRICE Returns the price per $100 face value of a security with an odd last period

ODDLYIELD Returns the yield of a security with an odd last period

PMT Returns the periodic payment for an annuity

PPMT Returns the payment on the principal for an investment for a given period

PRICE Returns the price per $100 face value of a security that pays periodic interest

PRICEDISC Returns the price per $100 face value of a discounted security

PRICEMAT Returns the price per $100 face value of a security that pays interest at maturity

PV Returns the present value of an investment

RATE Returns the interest rate per period of an annuity

RECEIVED Returns the amount received at maturity for a fully invested security

SLN Returns the straight-line depreciation of an asset for one period

SYD Returns the sum-of-years' digits depreciation of an asset for a specified period

TBILLEQ Returns the bond-equivalent yield for a Treasury bill

TBILLPRICE Returns the price per $100 face value for a Treasury bill
TBILLYIELD Returns the yield for a Treasury bill

VDB Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified or partial period by using a
declining balance method

XIRR Returns the internal rate of return for a schedule of cash flows that is not necessarily
periodic

XNPV Returns the net present value for a schedule of cash flows that is not necessarily
periodic

YIELD Returns the yield on a security that pays periodic interest

YIELDDISC Returns the annual yield for a discounted security; for example, a Treasury bill

YIELDMAT Returns the annual yield of a security that pays interest at maturity

The Last Station is one of those movies that was on my radar last Oscar season but
slipped through the cracks due to the volume of quality films released at about the
same time. As much as I love an ornate costume drama, I'm kind of glad I put this one
off as long as I did because, while I liked it quite a bit, it didn't blow me away. It's a
decent movie but nothing particularly special.

Set in 1910, the final year in the life of Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer), The Last
Station is seen largely through the eyes of Valentin Bulgakov (James McAvoy),
Tolstoy's new secretary. Valentin is a passionate Tolstoian, eager to help advance the
ideals that Tolstoy represents and which are aggressively pursued by another
Tolstoian, Vladimir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti). Valentin's faith is almost immediately
shaken by two women: Tolstoy's wife Sofya (Helen Mirren), and fellow Tolstoy follower
Masha (Kerry Condon).

One of the principles that Tolstoy advances is celibacy, which Valentin takes to heart
until he meets Masha. Since Tolstoy himself hardly adheres to this principle, this laspe
is really only a minor flaw in Valentin's vision of the ideal. The bigger problem is that
Vladimir and Sofya are at odds with each other over Tolstoy and what will become of
his legacy once he dies, and Valentin finds himself leaning more towards Sofya's side.
As secretary and, in many ways, confidante to the increasingly lonely and isolated
Sofya, he is privy to many of the ins and outs of the Tolstoy marriage. He sees the pain
suffered by both Sofya and Tolstoy over the rift in their long and, for the most part,
happy marriage and though he understands Vladimir's position - which includes making
Tolstoy's works public domain - he finds that his sympathy increasingly lies with Sofya.

The story unrolls easily, starting out with more of a comedic bent and gradually
becoming more dramatic as it gets closer to its sad conclusion. That being said, the film
doesn't delve quite as deeply as it might have. Tolstoy is a towering historical figure
and The Last Station doesn't really live up to his legend. As a study of the woman
behind the famous man and her struggles in the face of his fame, however, it's a bit
more meaningful. Sofya is considered selfish by Tolstoy's entourage but as a viewer it's
easy to feel for her. Her husband, to whom she has devoted her life, for whom she
copied the manuscript for War and Peace seven times, has slipped away from her in
his final years, seemingly having replaced her with Vladimir, whose photo adorns the
wall above his desk. Their power struggle, which is occassionally as much about
Valentin's loyalty as about Tolstoy himself, drives the narrative, though the two
characters have relatively few scenes together.

The thing that The Last Station really has going for it is the acting. As Sofya, Mirren
truly is a commanding presence and though her actions sometimes border on farce,
she's such a forceful character that you still take her very seriously. As Tolstoy,
Plummer is a match for her at every moment and between them they convey the
lifetime that their characters have spent together. The best scenes are the ones
between Mirren and Plummer and it's really no wonder that they received Oscar
nominations for these performances. I think the film is worth seeing for Mirren and
Plummer (and, to a lesser extent, for McAvoy who renders an earnest and thoughtful
performance as an idealist confronted with the reality of his ideals), but apart from the
actors, there's nothing about the film that makes it anything more than merely
adequate.

Tolstoy died in 1910, at the age of 82. He died of pneumonia[35] at Astapovo train

station, after falling ill when he left home in the middle of winter. His death came only
days after gathering the nerve to abandon his family and wealth[36] and take up the path
of a wandering ascetic,[citation needed] a path that he had agonized over pursuing for
decades. He had not been at the peak of health before leaving home; his wife and
daughters were all actively engaged in caring for him daily. He had been speaking and
writing of his own death in the days preceding his departure from home, but fell ill at the
station not far from home. The station master took Tolstoy to his apartment, where his
personal doctors were called to the scene. He was given injections of morphine and
camphor.

The police tried to limit access to his funeral procession, but thousands of peasants
lined the streets at his funeral. Still, some peasants were heard to say that, other than
knowing that "some nobleman had died," they knew little else about Tolstoy.[37]