12 Best Financial Calculators of 2023 | Buyer’s Guide and Reviews

No matter what type of financial calculations are piled up in front of you, there must be a calculator on the table for solving them.

Especially if you’ve taken a course that’s related to economics or business, a calculator is an essential tool in any stationery kit. And the same goes for real estate professionals who depend on precise calculations to ensure accuracy in their work.

Without a speck of doubt, this is an important investment for performing specific financial functions that most standard calculators aren’t designed to handle.

Now, it can get overwhelming when you’re presented with a myriad of models to select from. But to make it easier for you, we’ve handpicked 12 of the best options that will suit your needs.

 So, read on!

 Best Financial Calculators

Here is the list of the 12 best financial calculators that you can use to easily and quickly calculate and analyze a variety of financial data and metrics.

1. Texas Instruments BA II Plus – Best for Professionals & Students

The number one spot on our list goes to Texas Instrument BA II Plus, which is known for all its financial functions. This unit has been designed for both students and working professionals making it well worth the price tag. And the best part is that this calculator can be used for solving basic and advanced math without any hassle.  

Experience

When it comes to financial calculators, it doesn’t get better than the BA II Plus from Texas Instruments. We have used several different calculators over the years, but somehow, this unit has always been a favorite. It comes with several financial functions making it suitable for solving basic math problems as well as complex financial ones. 

Moreover, the distinct colored keys allow you to remember the functions more conveniently, without having to read the keys twice during the calculation. 

As for the multifunction features, it offers several different methods for calculating depreciation and interest rate conversions. And the feature which stands out while using this unit is the worksheet mode. It allows you to store the amortization, compound interest, and bond calculations in the built-in memory. 

But that’s not all; it can perform cash-flow analysis by using NPV and IRR for a maximum of about 24 uneven cash flows. This, in return, helps calculate the value of any business and to determine whether it’s profitable or not. Overall, this unit has great efficiency because of the high-speed processor.  And a total of 250 functions make it ideal for all maths-based papers. 

2. HP 12CP Financial Calculator – Best for CFA & CFP Exams

The second spot on our list of recommendations has been bagged by the 12 CP units by Hewlett Packard. This financial calculator is the modified version of the 12 C Platinum, which has an excellent position in the market. The 12 CP comes with a significantly higher processing speed and has been designed to meet the demands of modern working professionals. 

Experience

It’s interesting to see how the top-rated companies keep innovating new designs by working on older models. And the HP 12 CP is a result of one such innovation that ensures it meets the needs of all. This financial calculator is ideal for the world of finance, accounting, and other everyday business requirements.

When we speak about the uses of a calculator, the functions are of the utmost importance, and thankfully, HP caters to the requirements pretty effortlessly. This unit features about 120 built-in functions and 20 memory registers, which makes it worth the price tag. 

In short, you can calculate the interest rates, mortgage, and other loan payments that will give a clearer understanding of all your investments. As for complex calculations, this device is great for finding out the mean, standard deviation, linear regression, and forecasting.

This unit can also be used for the CFA and CFP certification exams, which makes it convenient to practice and give the exams using the same calculator. The tactile plastic buttons also make room for fewer errors because you can feel the feed of all the inputs. Finally, the LCD has a bright display of the numbers, which makes it easy to read under all conditions.

3. Sharp QS-2130 Financial Calculator – Best for Retail Business

The QS-2130 by Sharp takes the third spot on this list, and it’s one of the best bargain financial calculators out there. This is a pretty basic unit and comes with only the necessary functions that are required for any commercial setting. Although it’s a solar-powered unit, the calculator has a battery backup for preventing memory loss. 

Experience

If you have been making errors due to incorrect formatting, then the Sharp QS-2130 makes for an ideal choice. This unit comes with a set of features that helps eliminate minor errors during calculations. It might be a basic unit with only the standard functions but has been designed for completing complex financial calculations.  

This is the type of unit you’ll require if you’re working in a retail store and want to keep track of your regular finances. And another reason that convinces us to try this financial calculator is the 12-digit display, which ensures to give accurate calculations.  

It features special keys for solving all types of math that are associated with finance. Plus, it has an independently accessible four-key memory function, which allows skipping the entries that have been saved earlier for reuse. But don’t let the lack of a tilted screen and compact size fool you. 

The unit is durable enough to withstand the onslaughts of regular usage and enables you to tackle all types of calculations in the business. Also features a dual powering system that makes this solar-powered unit suitable for use during the day and night. 

All in all, the multiple settings, intuitive settings, and dual power makes it an ideal option for everyday business calculations. 

4. HP 12C Platinum – Best for Longevity & Performance

If you’re all about using devices that have a good shelf life, then you should consider checking out the HP 12C Platinum. This unit is known for its groundbreaking performance and has maintained its position in the industry for about 30 years. It’s an extremely functional gadget, and what makes it even better is the affordable price tag.

Experience

This product has been exposed to classrooms, examination centers, and fields for decades altogether. There are very few financial calculators that have garnered years of appreciation from both students and professionals. 

And it’s also pretty energy efficient. This model comes with three button-sized camera batteries, which don’t require a replacement for several years. As for design, it features a 10-digit LCD screen, and you can also adjust the light according to the surrounding environment. That comes in handy in reducing eye strain and also makes it easy to read the digits in poorly lit areas. 

We especially liked the pre-programmed functionality, which is packed with all the essential financial formulas. These include- lease vs. buy, cash flow analysis, time-value-of-money, and mortgage amortization. It also allows the user to save different custom programs that are ideal for complicated formulas. And the formulas can be retrieved easily whenever required.

What makes it even more unique is the use of an Algebraic Data Input System and Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) for running its computational operations. This helps in reducing how often you need to enter the operator (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division). 

But since it has been designed using RPN, you need to learn another language” for making the best use of the functions in this calculator. Overall, this is undoubtedly a computational genius that does algebraic calculations faster than many new models. 

5. HP BII+ Financial Calculator – Best for Finance Courses

When it comes to picking a financial calculator that is suitable for finance or business, the HP BII+ makes for an ideal choice. This unit has gained a lot of appreciation for the extensive functionality that it offers. And the functions have been designed to make it suitable for math, statistics, and financial classes. 

Experience

We were focused on getting a financial calculator from HP because we believe that their quality is always on point. And like the HP 12C Platinum, this unit is also permitted for use in the CFP certification exam. It comes within a decent price range and offers exceptional value for money.

Best of all, the usage is relatively simple, which also boasts of a smooth learning curve. With this calculator, you can handle maths with ease; that’s mainly because it has all the necessary functions. To be precise, the HP BII+ gives access to about 170 functions.

It can be used for calculating time-value-of-money and also has settings for NPV, IRR, amortization, cash flows, statistical analysis, mean, standard deviation, etc. What makes it worth the price tag, is that the unit comes with a range of functions for solving business math problems. Basically, all the courses will be covered with this unit!

And it grows with your requirements, from handling probability distributions in introductory classes to complicated econometrics. Moreover, this device uses an algebraic data entry system, which gives a straightforward method to input the numbers. Finally, the HP BII+ gives fast results due to its high processing speed.

6. Calculated Industries 3405 CE Financial Calculator

The 3405 CE from Calculated Industries has been designed for real estate and mortgage professionals. It leaves no stone unturned to ensure that the Real Estate Master IIIX can effortlessly perform the post-qualifying real estate calculations. And the affordable price tag makes it a steal for the performance and quality that it delivers. 

Experience

This financial calculator has been solely designed for completing real estate calculations. It can be used for calculating complete payment solutions, combo loans, amortization, ARMs, buy versus rent comparisons and many such features. And the best part is that the features include comparisons for a bi-weekly and monthly loan. 

The calculator also has a couple of other unique features that give a smooth user experience. First, it can be used for completing several types of calculations. These include- automatic sale price, down payment, completion of taxes, and mortgage insurance for the right PITI payments. 

And it can also be used for permanently storing the property insurance rates and the local property tax for more customized calculations. 

What makes it even better is that you can perform the “what-if” calculations from different variables like- down payment amount, purchase price, and loan amount financing. 

It also offers a built-in math function that gives a clear understanding of the closing and expiration dates. And since it features a triple zero key, it allows you to save time and keystrokes. 

However, the only downside of this calculator is that it doesn’t have a yearly amortization schedule. But it won’t be challenging when there are monthly values in hand, and other than this minimal flaw, it’s a great product to invest in.

7. Casio FC-200V Financial Calculator

We are almost halfway through our recommendations, and it’s time to introduce you to another top-grade financial calculator from Casio. The FC-200V is best for calculating investment appraisal and amortization. And the added features, helps to deliver an excellent performance. 

Experience

If you want a calculator that can handle from simple investment appraisals to advanced financial computations, look no further than Casio FC-200V. This unit doesn’t fail to impress users with its simplicity, performance, and durability. 

And it’s a masterpiece, not only in terms of construction but also functionality! It features multifunction keys for accessing any mode you want with a single touch. Thus, we can say that the direct mode function comes real handy, especially while solving long calculations. This function also gives access to TVM which has two separate modules- CMPD and SMPL.

Plus, creating custom shortcuts is relatively simple. Hence you can assign a parameter setting or value to any of the shortcut keys, which can be recalled later for faster calculations. This helps eliminate the need of having to enter the same sequence of inputs when you handle similar problems in the future. 

The design is also pretty unique, as it comes with a 12-digit 4-line display that promises better accuracy. It’s not just the accuracy that is highlighted but also gives details for relating the question to your answer. And since it comes with hard plastic keys, it can take slightly longer to enter the inputs. Overall, the three-year warranty and performance make it an excellent buy. 

8. Calculated Industries 3430 Qualifier Plus IIIFX

The next recommendation we have is the 3430 Qualifier Plus IIIFX from Calculated Industries. This unit has been specifically designed for real estate business specialists with a simple user mechanism. And the price tag is also justifiable for the performance that it delivers.

Experience

The 3430 Qualifier Plus IIIFX can be used for calculating several IRR, inter rate of return, and cash flows. These are just some of the advanced functionalities that it covers in addition to the simple calculations used in real estate.

When it comes to the business field, it’s hard to predict the type of calculations that you’ll need to complete. That’s why it’s best to opt for a unit that covers the needs of all. 

This unit can be used for solving simple problems, complex ARMs, calculating taxes, computer amortization, and balloon payments pretty efficiently. This model is designed to ensure that it’s user-friendly for beginners who are practicing to become pre-qualified.

We also received a date-math function along with the packaging that gives a clear description of the closing and expiration dates. Overall, it doesn’t take long to get the hang of the functions, and makes it easy to figure down payments. 

9. HP 17BII+ Financial Calculator

If you’re looking to invest in one of the finest financial calculators, then maybe the HP 17BII is what you need! This model has been designed by blending two of the top-grade units of Hewlett Packard. It comes packed with the mathematical functions HP 17 BII and the modern flare of the HP 19 BII. And the affordable price tag surely makes it a great bargain.

Experience

When you go through the product description of this unit, the first thing that will grab your attention is ample storage space and over 250 built-in functions. And that’s precisely the reason why we opted for the HP 17 BII+. This model is great for financial and business calculations, time and data management, statistical and mathematical problems, and customization.

It caters to both algebraic and RPN calculations. And we must say that once you get the hang of using RPN, it makes you efficient in solving mathematical calculations. Moreover, HP BII+ is said to produce more accurate results, than a host of other algebraic calculators. 

Plus, it has 28kb memory, and you’ll also get to make the best use of the 7K RAM. What’s further interesting is that you can create your custom menus, which makes it easier to solve some of the complicated questions. It also comes with dedicated keys for quickly finding menus, prompts, and messages. Recalling numbers and values is also pretty simple.

As for design, the alloy and carbon metallic finish give it a sleek, sophisticated finish. While the vertical layout makes it perfect for single-handed use, the soft rubber key press promises accuracy with a confirming click. 

But the minimal drawback that is worth mentioning is it lacks a dedicated Alpha keypad, notepad, and essential trigonometric functions. Apart from this negligible disadvantage, we couldn’t find anything to complain about.

10. Texas Instruments BA II

The next product that we have hand-picked for you is an ideal choice for all working professionals for solving financial and business problems. It comes with several function keys, that cover all types of finance topics. And the price tag is decent enough for its efficiency. 

Experience

Just like every other user, we did our own share of research to ensure that the product lives up to the expectations. This unit is relatively easy to use, and the manual makes it convenient to figure out things. When we first opened the packaging, we were impressed with the design and the various functions that help in getting the job done accurately. 

And the function keys can be used for a ton of different topics. This includes functions such as IRR calculation, TVM calculation, uneven cash flow calculation, logarithm, and depreciation calculation, among many others.

This calculator can also perform cash-flow-analysis for about 32 uneven cash flows with a maximum of 4-digit frequencies. Plus, it features ten memory slots, which is considered useful for solving lengthy calculations. 

As for the construction, it has a sturdy build and helps ensure that it will last for several years, even with high usage. Another vital aspect to highlight is that it features an Auto Power Down (APD) function that works to extend the battery life. Overall, we are satisfied with our purchase, and we believe that the functionality makes it worth the investment.

11. Calculated Industries 3400 Calculator

The penultimate product in this list of recommendations is the 3400 financial calculator by Calculated Industries. It is a compact real estate master financial calculator that is capable of finding solutions for numerous financial problems. The straightforward design makes it rather simple to solve even complicated business-related issues. 

Experience

If you want a financial calculator that can be quickly taken from one workplace to another, then do check out the 3400 model by calculated Industries. And don’t just focus on the size because its performance is also up to the mark. It can easily help you calculate the different monthly payments. The main competitive advantage of this unit is the accuracy and affordability. 

Moreover, the buttons have been labeled in understandable form of financial terms that aid in solving financial problems quickly. It can handle both quarterly and yearly payment methods. Thus it gets simple to calculate amortization principles, total payments, and leftover balances. Due to its minimal features, you’ll be able to work more efficiently and in a professional manner. 

We especially liked the compact and lightweight design that comes with a sturdy build, which helps prevent any physical damage. Therefore, this financial calculator scores high points for its durable structure that comes with a suitable 360 degrees outer cover. 

And the only drawback that we noticed is that the battery tends to run out pretty fast even though the company claims otherwise. All in all, this financial calculator is one of the most compact options on our list and doesn’t fail to make an impression with its incredible performance. 

12. Swiss Micros DM 15 L Financial Calculator

It’s about time that we present to you the last product on this list. And we have saved a powerful package for the end that makes an impression with its advanced functionality. The DM 15L from Calculated Industries is one of a kind calculator that allows you to adjust the processing speed.

Experience

After having used several basic units, it’s a nice change to have an advanced scientific calculator. This handy piece is considered to be almost similar to the HP 15C in terms of its size because both are compact enough to fit inside the pocket. 

It comes with a solid build that is further complemented by the plush titanium case. And the keyboard has also been thoughtfully designed to ensure that it’s easy to enter even the most complicated formulas. The good news is that it’s slightly cheaper than the HP 15C and more powerful than the HP 12C Platinum. 

Moreover, this calculator is pretty easy to use, and undoing the mistakes is much simpler than a host of different high-end models. We find it to be apt for solving linear equations, complex numbers, roots, and numerical integrations, to name a few. 

The backside of the calculator also comes with a micro-manual, so it’s relatively easy to seek assistance. Finally, you can set the processing speed pretty quickly to either 12 or 48 MHz, which helps to determine the battery life further.

Best Financial Calculator Comparison Table

Buying Guide For The Best Financial Calculator

Now that you know 12 of the best financial calculators of 2023, it’s time to finalize on a unit that suits you best. But based on what criteria are you selecting a particular unit? Well! This can be slightly tricky if you don’t have a clear picture of the factors that you need to look for. 

So, for a better understanding, we have narrowed down a few parameters that you should consider while selecting the best financial calculator. 

So, let’s check them out!

What will you be using the calculator for?

If you are using the device for just the essential functions that are common in all financial calculators, then you can opt for an affordable unit. According to most users, the Texas Instruments BAII Plus and HP 10BII are best for introductory functions. 

However, they might be missing the advanced calculative functions that you’ll notice only if your work or syllabus covers those functions. But if you’re an undergraduate student or enrolled in the MBA program, then it’s best to switch to the higher-end models. Getting the advanced unit will help you solve many of the problems in your Financial Management paper. 

On the other hand, you should bear in mind that as a financial professional, you’ll be using spreadsheets for most problems. Thus, a fancy model might be more than what you’ll require in such cases. Make sure that you know clearly why you’ll be using the financial calculator because it will guide you correctly during the purchase.

Are financial calculators allowed for certification exams?

If you’re enrolled in one of the reputed institutions for a certification program, you might be aware of their policies that ban the use of specific calculators. In most cases, it refers to the units that can practically store text. Therefore, you should go through the policies carefully before you make an investment.

Here’s a list of some of the most globally accepted and reputed certifications in Financial Management for which you’ll require a financial calculator:

• CFA Institute
• FINRA Exams
• CFP Board of Standards
• The Society of Actuaries
• Investment & Wealth Institute Certification Exam

For each of these examinations, there is a specific set of rules which need to be followed in terms of the calculator that you can use. So, do keep an eye out for them because some of these exams have only specific model numbers that are accepted inside the center.  

Do you need a calculator with scientific or graphing functionality?

If you want a financial calculator that features some advanced mathematical and scientific functions along with graphics, then a reasonable budget is essential. The top contenders with such advanced functionality are the TI 83 Plus and TI 84 Plus which come with a high price tag. 

Whereas Hewlett Packard also makes stunning scientific calculators, but their financial units don’t have any of the graphics functionalities. Even though HP financial calculators are not the go-to for advanced math or science subjects, it’s ideal for basic functions. 

On the whole, a financial calculator is a must for students and working professionals who belong to the Finance Management field. That’s mainly for completing routine calculations. But when it comes to graphic functions, it isn’t one of the main requirements, especially for those who depend on spreadsheets for better analysis.  

How much do you want to spend?

It’s best to opt for a financial calculator that has been priced according to the quality and features that it offers. When you look through online shopping portals, you’ll be able to land a great bargain, especially during the sale period. And you can find quality units within a range of $30 to $100, which is a considerably good deal.

If you don’t need large memory storage, graphing, or advanced financial functions, then you should stick to budget-friendly units. In the end, the focus should be on choosing a model that will be helpful in your finance and math classes. 

Moreover, when you’re clear about the functions that you need in the financial calculator, you’ll be able to put your money in the right place. This will keep you from having to purchase two separate units, one for practice and another for a classroom.  

Do I need specialized knowledge to use a financial calculator?

Financial calculators do require basic math knowledge, but they often come with a user manual that explains how to use the calculator and its functions.

Additionally, there are online tutorials and instructional videos available.

Can I use a financial calculator for business purposes?

Yes, financial calculators can be used for small business accounting, investment analysis, and other finance-related tasks.

Conclusion

After exploring various options and considering user experiences, it is clear that financial calculators tremendously simplify complex financial calculations in various fields such as business, finance, education, and real estate.

From the above 12 best financial calculators, here are the top three expert recommendations.

Designed for both students and working professionals, the Texas Instruments BA II Plus is an ideal option for those seeking an advanced financial calculator with multiple finance functions.

Offering optimal functionality and versatility, the HP 12CP Financial Calculator is a good option for those preparing for CFA and CFP certifications, as well as other general finance calculations.

Those in need of a simple but accurate calculator with essential functionalities for retail scenarios will find the Sharp QS-2130 Financial Calculator to be the right choice.

In the end, the financial calculator you choose will largely depend on your specific needs and requirements. You can rest assured that these top three picks cater to a wide range of use cases and preferences, making them perfect for your financial calculations.

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