Currency

In general, currency is anything that holds value and can be exchanged for goods or services. Money is the most common form of currency. For example, the United States dollar, represented by the dollar sign ($), is money that's used all over the world.

What is money?

Money is any item serving as a unit of account that's widely accepted as something that can be exchanged for a good or service. Most money started as commodity money, a currency with some intrinsic value, such as gold. However, today, most money is considered fiat money, which is usually paper based and not backed by a commodity. Fiat money is valuable to governments because it allows them to control the flow, supply, and value of a currency.

Cryptocurrency is another form of money; it is all digital and stored in a custodial or non-custodial digital wallet. A custodial wallet is managed by a third-party company or exchange like Coinbase. Non-custodial wallets or cold storage hardware wallets are devices that store the cryptocurrencies someone owns.

How is money managed on a computer?

Money management on a computer can be done using software, online services, and apps. Below are ways and examples of programs and services.

1. Spreadsheet - A spreadsheet program, like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, can be enough for some users and businesses to manage and list their finances.
2. Online banking - Many banks offer finance tracking and management through their online access. See what your bank offers by accessing their online options or mobile apps.
3. Finance software - Many finance programs are designed to manage personal and business finance, including Quicken, Mint, Empower, and YNAB (you need a budget). Many of these services also offer mobile apps to help manage a budget on a smartphone.
4. Investment management - Managing investments can be done through a brokerage firm or service used to make investments.
5. Tax preparation software - Taxes and tax-related documents can be handled through tax software such as H&R Block, TaxAct, and TurboTax. With an accountant, software is not required, and a yearly budget can be presented using a spreadsheet.

Currency formats and symbols

Below are all world currencies, associated symbols, decimal, and HTML (hypertext markup language) values.

How to insert currency symbols

If the operating system tip above does not work for your computer and the program supports extended characters, you can copy the symbols and paste them in your program. Otherwise, insert a symbol from the program insert option or enter the decimal value as an alternate code. For example, in Microsoft Word and other programs, hold down Alt and type 0162 on the number pad to enter the cent symbol. In this example, typing "162" alone gives a different symbol; if this happens, add a "0" to the front of the number.

Change a spreadsheet cell to currency

In a spreadsheet, you can change the format of a cell to any currency format supported by that program. For example, in Microsoft Excel, click the currency button (dollar sign shown to the right) on the Home tab and choose from any currency format.

• How to format a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
• Help, examples, and information on Excel formulas.

Digital currency and in-game currency

Like currencies that exist in the real world, in-game currencies and digital currencies can also have real-life values. For example, in online games like World of Warcraft, people pay real money for in-game currency (gold) because of the time it takes to earn game money.

Other digital currencies, like the popular cryptocurrency bitcoin, can purchase real-life goods and services.

Accounting, Business terms, Cryptocurrency, Crypto terms, Digital wallet, Dollar sign, Measurements, Online payment system, PayPal, Robux, Spreadsheet terms