If you’re contemplating purchasing the best financial calculator, here is a list to help you out.
Financial calculators are a great asset for both professionals and students and are an absolute must for CFP,/CFA exams.
For precise calculations coupled with unparalleled quality components, the following calculators are set to deliver to your needs to ensure the accuracy of your work.
Buying the best financial calculator requires a great deal of thought which should take into account the need for usage, spending capability, functions required, and ease of operation.
For example, if you are looking to solve advanced math/scientific problems, the salient Hewlett’s will not serve well since they fall short in advanced science and graphics.
Here’s sincere feedback for the 10 best financial calculators with their highlights and hiccups to help you pick one that best suits your needs.
List of Top 10 Best financial calculators in 2023
1. HP 12CP Financial Calculator:- One of the Best Financial Calculator
Key Features
Perfect fit for the world of accounting, real estate, finance, banking, and business studies.
About 120 built-in functions.
Calculate Interest rates, mortgage, and other loan payments and find out the yields of all your investments.
For complex calculations such as finding out the mean, standard deviation, weighted mean, linear regression, and forecasting, HP 12C Platinum is a world-class device.
Offers date arithmetic, undo and backspace keys; runs on just one CR2032 battery which comes along with it.
If Offers Both RPN and algebraic mode.
Hewlett Packard put a feather in its cap by producing the best Calculator of all time- The HP 12 CP.
The predecessor, HP 12C was originally Introduced in 1981 and with all industry calculations, remains the best selling product of the American IT Giant, HP so far.
The 12C Platinum was furnished to enhance the capabilities of the 12C.
The significantly faster and elevated version of 12 C sells under the name of HP 12C Platinum and is made keeping in mind the demands of a contemporary financial professional.
Permitted for use on the CFP and CFA certification exams, it is also permitted on the GARP FRM exam and that’s why it is one of the best calculators for the CFP and CFA exams.
The tactile plastic buttons make it almost error-free because you feel the feed of every input.
Though it is considered to be a little pricey, this platinum version holds and extends the same reputation as the classic 12C with a faster processor that is 6 times better than the original and extends 4X the memory.
The LCD display offers a clear display of the numbers and is readable under any light or angle. Any wrong entry can easily be undone by the Backspace key.
With 20 memory registers and a one-year manufacturer warranty, the HP 12 CP shines bright amongst all its competitors.
2. Calculated Industries 3405 RE Best Financial Calculator: Best financial calculator for real estate
Key Features
Plastic black with aluminum front and soft rubber buttons
The Real Estate Master 3405 comes with a slide cover for enhanced protection, a quick reference guide, and a pocket user’s guide for convenience.
Rent vs. Buy comparisons are simpler to compute on this device and so is the rent price, mortgage price, down payment, and future value predictions.
Auto shut-off when not in use for preserving the battery.
Ease of computing Tax, Insurance, Mortgage, Sales Price, Down Payment, and Interest Payments
Loved by real estate brokers worldwide, this 3405 RE Financial Calculator by Calculated Industries is the most qualified device to perform any real estate calculations such as mortgage payments, down payments, compound interests, etc.
It is adept at computing combination loans, and payment solutions and solves rent vs. buy dilemmas in seconds.
You may calculate the monthly loan payment amount, and down payments required on the property and correct it.
digits for taxes, insurance, and other associated payments down to the decimal point.
This calculator is powered by the two LR44 batteries that are included with the purchase of this device.
One set of included batteries runs up to 800 hours and the calculator auto shuts off for power saving after 10 minutes of no usage.
Backed by one year manufacturer’s warranty, the Real Estate Financial Calculator 3405 measures 5.75 x 3 x 0.6 inches and weighs just 90 gms.
The sleek design, dedicated function keys, and clear labeling make it one of the top choices for the best financial calculator for its ease of carrying and polished outlook.
Best choice for letting the new home buyers understand the exact digits of payment with its built-in functions.
3. Texas Instruments BA II Plus Financial Calculator: Best financial calculator for cfa
Key Features
Much like its rivals, this Texas Instruments BA master device is one-stop-shop for over 250 functions.
A quick guide manual for deeper understanding.
Hard slide case that guards the screen against bumps and scratches.
Colored coded keypad
Runs on one lithium metal battery that’s included with the purchase
Fast processor and highly responsive keypad
Designed for business professionals and students and one of the best financial calculators for CFA exams, the Texas Instruments BA II Plus calculator allows complex financial functions as well as common math solutions.
The worksheet mode provides for the amortization, depreciation, compound interest, and bond calculations, and all these worksheets are conveniently stored in the device’s built-in memory.
Advanced list-based statistics and cash flow analysis are just a matter of a few key presses.
It computes NPV and IRR for uneven cash flow analysis as well. A must-have device for statisticians, managers, and students alike, Texas Instruments BAII Plus Financial Calculator comes in handy for calculating the Time value of money, and other pensions, loan, and mortgage complexities.
Distinct colored keys allow for the ease of remembering functions with the color code, making it a completely hassle-free experience, avoiding confusion and double reading of the keys at the time of calculation.
A dependable partner to take to the finance class as well as to your job in the finance field. It’s efficient, simple, and saves quite a lot of time with its multiple functions by avoiding on-paper calculations. It’s also the best finance calculator for the finance classes in the market right now.
4. HP 10bII+ Financial Calculator:- Best financial calculator for accounting students
Key Features
Responsive keys leave no room for mistakes
Over 170 functions make it ideal for tests, finance, accounting, real estate, statistics, and math functions.
Calculate Time Value of Money, Bond Valuation, Standard Deviation, loan payments, interest rates, conversions, TVM, NPV, IRR, prediction, trigonometry, hyperbolic, permutations and combinations, correlation, and probability.
Approved for use during exams- SAT, PSAT, NMSQT, and AP tests
A faster processor extends the waiting time for complex calculations.
Auto shut off preserves battery life.
The calculator works on two CR2032 batteries and has a built-in memory of 22 registers.
Backed by HP’s remarkable quality and reliability.
Boasting a faster processor for immediate results than the original HP 10BII, this advanced 10BII+ can also solve far more equations than other calculators in its league.
It has a reputation for being highly intuitive and investors swear by it since minimal keystrokes are required for many common functions.
A quick calculation of asset values, statistical data entries, regression options, and limitless frequency of cash flow makes it an ideal choice.
It is a highly popular choice in industries and businesses such as Finance, Banking, Real Estate, financial accounting calculator, and many more.
The assurance the keys give when you hit them makes it more desirable than some of its competitors as it does not allow any room for error.
Though this model comes with a quick start manual, the detailed user manual can be downloaded from the Hewlett Packard website and there are a plethora of youtube videos explaining its usability and functions in deep detail, making it an unquestionable buy.
Perfect for students and professionals alike, HP 10BII+ also has an incredible price-performance point, albeit without the RPN function. If you cannot do without the Reverse Polish Notation, this is not the device for you.
Other than that, this HP champion is a complete package with a sustainable case frame and straight-to-the-point interfacing.
The clean layout, lightweight, easy-to-read display, and quick execution of all functions make it the best of its class.
5. HP 17BII+ Financial Calculator :- Best financial calculator for CFP exam
Key Features
Built-in clock, calendar, and alarm to manage time and data
Permitted for use on the CFP Certification Exam
Ideal for real estate, finance accounting, banking, finance, business studies
Runs on two CR2032 Battery which are included with the device
Over 250 built-in business and financial functions including Time Value of Money, NPV, IRR, NFV, data entry, NUS, bonds, cash flow, depreciation, RPN and algebraic, statistics, and more
Carries 28 KB memory for complex tasks
One of the most dependable and best calculator for cfp exam, HP 17BII+ offers unmatched ease of programming with a quality build.
It is quite convenient to use and serves its purpose well in all finance courses and business calculations.
Though it can operate both in RPN (reverse polish notation) and algebraic modes, most users vouch for the RPN setting.
In this upgraded version, the keypad and enclosure have been completely overhauled making it superior to the original HP exemplar 17BII.
This calculator is incredibly performant and versatile while being fully programmable to suit your custom equations and complex calculations.
Easily portable because of its compact size, the 17B++ also offers adjustable screen contrast for the ease of reading.
The 22 digits 2-line LCD display serves for accurate calculations displaying several decimal places. The HP 17BII+ offers modern carbonite and alloy metallic finish with soft rubber keys and a vertical layout for supreme comfort and style.
Just like its top competitors, this powerful performer also offers auto shut-off after 10 minutes of no use to elongate the battery life.
6. Casio FC-200V Financial Calculator: Best calculator for finance students
Key Features
Sleek vertical design that delivers all essential financial functions and shines bright at price to performance grid.
Built-in functions include Cost/Sell/Margin, Investment appraisal, 10+2 digits, Bond calculation, Break-Even point calculation, effective interest rate, and much more.
Ergonomically designed slide-on hard case
The solar panel is backed by one lithium metal battery alternative.
This Financial calculator offers a four-line dot matrix display and is a popular choice for its ease of operation over other players of the race.
Boasting a four-line display, this pocket computer allows easy input, confirmation, change, and correction of each parameter.
Calculations are made simpler by just keying in data and functions and hitting the resulting key. Packed with numerous features, Casio FC-200V’s unique selling point lies in the solar panel and backup battery option.
It is an ideal device to calculate loans, depreciation, appreciation, mortgages, and other financial equations and costs almost nothing compared to its heavy-priced peers.
This Casio powerhouse serves well for simple and compound interest rate conversions, investment appraisal, amortization, converts percent interest, and effective interest rate conversions, day calculations, depreciation, bond calculations, break-even point calculations, and statistics. It is secured by a slide-on hard case and displays.
The defining sentence for Casio FC 200V is – An intuitive and powerfully programmed financial calculator, with a plethora of user-friendly features.
A financial equation setup is included along with the scientific and mathematical functions.
The catch is that it does not offer Reverse Polish Notation (RPN mode) but the built-in direct mode keys that let you swiftly glide through the exclusive modes make the execution of the calculation a totally painless task.
Although it has limited use for mortgage calculations, it is still a great addition to all of your calculating accessories at home, school, business, or office.
7. Sharp EL-738FB Financial Calculator: best calculator for mba students
Key Features
Protective flip hardcover for safeguarding the keypad
Runs on CR2032 Battery
2 line LCD display offers figures and results together
Lighter than the Texas Instruments BA II Plus and HP 12 CP
Color-coded big keys reduce the chance of error
Tactile keypad response with large keys to avoid any error
This calculator includes a scroll back function, which allows you to edit calculations without re-entering data.
This 10-digit financial calculator is a timeless classic for business students and professionals alike.
It swiftly performs all complex calculations such as Time Value of Money(TVM), depreciation, amortization, breakeven, profit and percent difference, cash flow analysis, net present value, effective interest rate, net present value, Rate of return, and Bond Value.
Packed with a punch of powerful functions, this is an absolute must-have for every person in finance, economics, real estate, accounting, sales, and banking.
It fits perfectly in the hands with its ideal size and prides on its top-notch quality, especially for its price range.
Feels premium, works premium and costs unbelievably less for its outstanding quality and performance.
Unstoppable at just the financial calculations, The EL-738 FB is adept at performing scientific functions such as logs, exponents, probability, and trigonometry.
There is a pocket that is highly useful to store cards or some cash doubling it down as a wallet for the ease of storage and extra safety.
The only drawback to list is that one cannot calculate directly from the results obtained from computed-only fields of applications like Amortization which means if you re-enter the amortization application afterward, P1 and P2 will both be reset to 1 but the user-friendly keyboard and extensive functionality make up for that minor gripe.
All in all, this Japanese masterpiece is wrapped in supremacy and is a strong buy from all viewpoints.
8. Calculated Industries 43430 Qualifier Plus IIIFX DT Financial Calculator: Best financial calculator for real estate
Slide Cover to protect against bumps and falls
Compute Amortization, balloon payments, loan comparisons, flexible payment options, rent vs. buy solutions, tax, cash flows, and more.
Quick sales price and down payments auto-calculations for purchase and finance decisions
Runs on one included lithium (CR-2032) battery that has 3000 hours of usage
One year manufacturer warranty
The Qualifier Plus IIIFX-DT is an outstanding device, especially in the business of real estate.
It computes finance and investment problems, multiple cash flows, Internal rate of return, net present, and net future values in microseconds of valuable input.
It also comes with a triple zero key to save time on bigger calculations.
The large keys and easy-to-read display make it easy to use and a wonderful choice for the office desk.
Some notable features are:
It comes along with a full-size user guide and a pocket user’s guide.
The downside is the 308-gram weight and bigger size making it a little bulkier than its peers of the same class but the easy-to-use functions and the beautiful layout of the keypad make up for it.
Much like others, the keys on this device give solid feedback to eliminate any room for error.
9. SwissMicros DM15L Financial Calculator: Best financial calculator
Key Features
Runs on a CR2032 battery.
HP 15C clone at an unbelievable price
The keys provide wonderful tactile feedback
Runs on one included lithium (CR-2032) battery that has 3000 hours of usage
The backside of the calculator has a micro-manual
This handy piece is fully comparable to the original HP 15C and comes in the same size as a credit card.
Just pop this in your pocket and you’re good to go.
The solid build of the plush titanium case is further enhanced by the keyboard action and superior display.
Much cheaper than the HP 15C and far more powerful than an HP 12C Platinum, the Swiss Micros DM 15L prides on its ease of use were undoing the mistakes is a cakewalk.
It is a terrific small device for solving linear equations, roots, complex numbers, numerical integration, and much more.
The sole snag of this piece is that the keys are a little hard to push but nothing you can’t get used to.
Easy to set the processing speed to either 12 or 48 MHz which would translate accordingly to the battery life.
If you were long salivating about the HP 15C but were not convinced by the hefty price tag, the DM15L is an excellent alternative.
10. Victor Technology 6500:- best business calculator
Key Features
The extra-large 21mm display makes it easy to read.
Programmable automatic tax keys for quick calculations
3 key independent memory, solar power with battery backup
A solar panel that is backed with an alternative of widely available AA batteries (2)
If you’re looking for a simple, no-frills calculator that does its job, look no further than the Victor Technology 6500.
It is priced economically and works great as a loan wizard.
Enter any three loan variables and calculate the fourth one without much effort.
The extra-large keys give it the extra size that might not work well for everyone since this is not exactly a pocket machine but its array of functions proves its mettle in the battle of best financial calculators.
This 12-digit metal faceplate calculator is ideal for desktop use.
Notable functions include automatic tax keys, selectable decimal, square root key, grand total key, percent key, 3 key independent memory, change sign key, backspace key, delta percent, automatic power down, and hybrid power (solar panel with the battery backup).
To sum up, this well-designed Victor 6500 comes with adequate capabilities and a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Also check this buying guide to choose financial calculators
How to reset a financial calculator
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give much thought to your financial calculator. However, if you use one regularly, it’s important to know how to reset it. Otherwise, you may end up with inaccurate results.
There are two main types of financial calculators: those with alphanumeric keyboards and those with numeric keyboards. The steps for resetting each type are slightly different.
To reset an alphanumeric financial calculator, simply press the “Clear” or “Reset” button. This will clear all the previous entries and allow you to start fresh.
To reset a numeric financial calculator, press and hold the “ON/C” button for several seconds. This will clear the memory and restore the default settings.
Once you’ve reset your financial calculator, it’s important to ensure that it is properly calibrated. Otherwise, you could end up with incorrect results. To do this, simply press the “Cal” button on your calculator.
how to set the financial calculator to begin mode
FAQ
Which financial calculator is easiest to use?
HP NW239AA 10bII+ Financial Calculator is very easy to use
Which financial calculator is best for CFA?
There are a few calculators that can be used during CFA exams. Note that only two models are authorized for this purpose and they are the TI-BA II Plus Financial Calculator and the Casio FX-991ES PLUS Professional Scientific Calculator.
Which calculator is best for CFP exam?
You need a calculator that includes an IRR function and no alphabetic keys. With specific models like the HP 10bII+, or the TI BAII Plus, you can get the right device.
What calculator do investment bankers use?
The BA II Plus is the leading financial calculator because it can perform a wide range of functions.
Is it worth getting a financial calculator?
Yes, Of course
Can I bring TI 84 to CPA exam?
Yes, You can
Is BA II Plus a programmable calculator?
No, Its not
Does iPhone have a financial calculator?
The HP 12C Financial Calculator is compatible with devices running iPhone 2.2 software update.
What’s the difference between a scientific calculator and a financial calculator?
Basic calculators are used by just about everyone to solve common equations, which can save time for everyone involved. Scientific and graphing calculators are geared toward math students and are used for more complicated issues.
what does p/y mean on a financial calculator
Payments per year
What does C/Y mean on a financial calculator?
C/Y means “compounding periods per year” and is always the same as P/Y. Changing P/Y will change C/Y to match that value.
Conclusion
Hope the candid description of each best financial calculator will help you choose wisely based on their functionality, usage, versatility and price.
If your sphere is investment, discounted cash flow calculations will need to be kept in mind while picking one, just like in the territory of real estate, depreciation and amortization calculations need to be kept as top priority.
Let us know which one did you end up choosing and how is it working out for you.
