Note: Please make sure to sign up for Part 2 on Tuesday, March 31st, 2026
https://www.irem.org/webinars/id-webfasw-0326hq01/microsoft_excel_spreadsheet_basics_part_2_-2026
02/25/2026
11 am PT / 12 pm MT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET
*approximate length: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Presenter: David Ringstrom, CPA
In this presentation, author and Excel expert David Ringstrom, CPA, introduces essential skills every new Excel user should know. You’ll get oriented in the Excel interface, learn best practices for saving workbooks, and build confidence entering and formatting data. David also covers key productivity tools such as the Fill Handle, AutoFill, and the Insert Function, while helping you create basic formulas, apply relative and mixed references, use AutoSum, and understand Excel’s order of operations. By the end of the session, you’ll be better equipped to navigate Excel and build reliable worksheets with ease.
David H. Ringstrom, CPA, has more than 30 years of experience as a spreadsheet and accounting software consultant and speaker. He has presented over 2,500 live webinars and is the author or co-author of ten books, including “Microsoft 365 Excel All-in-One for Dummies”, “Microsoft 365 Excel for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and “QuickBooks Online for Dummies”.
In his webinars, David demonstrates every technique twice: first on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps and then live in Excel for Microsoft 365 for Windows. He highlights any differences in Excel 2024, 2021, or 2019 during the presentation and in his detailed handouts. Attendees also receive an Excel workbook containing most of the examples he uses, making it easy to follow along and apply the techniques later. David additionally supports Excel for Mac users by answering their follow-up questions via email.
Who should attend: New or self-taught Excel users who want to build stronger foundational spreadsheet skills.
Topics typically covered:
- Locating data anywhere within a spreadsheet by way of the Find feature.
- Spell-checking spreadsheets by way of a keyboard shortcut or menu command.
- Most features and functions work in Excel for Mac as well but expect differences.
- Exploring the pros and cons of merging cells in spreadsheets.
- Determining whether it’s safe to edit or delete a cell by way of the Trace Dependents feature.
- Converting formulas to values and applying advanced paste options.
- Building a basic chart within an Excel worksheet.
- Discovering multiple ways to paste data in Excel.
- Learning two different ways to insert or delete rows and columns within a worksheet.
- Swapping out data within worksheet cells by way of the Replace feature.
- Separating first/last names into two columns without using formulas or retyping.
- Using the Recommended Charts feature to create suitable charts from data with a couple of mouse clicks.
Learning objectives:
- State the direction that the cursor moves when you press Enter within a worksheet cell.
- Identify formatting options for displaying numbers as percentages in Excel
- Identify the three inputs required by Excel's PMT worksheet function.
Level: Basic
David H. Ringstrom, CPA, is an author and nationally recognized instructor who teaches scores of webinars each year. His Excel courses are based on 25 years of consulting and teaching experience. David’s mantra is “Either you work Excel, or it works you,” so he focuses on what he sees users don’t, but should, know about Microsoft Excel. His goal is to empower you to use Excel more effectively.