Formula saying false, not number

[astole]

Formula

=IF($C$2="No Snowball (Minimum Monthly Payment)", SUM(R$17-(R$17*'Debt Consolidated'!$I28-R$22),0, IF($C$2="No Snowball (Personal Monthly Payment)", SUM(R17-R22),0)))

Keeps returning false for the second portion. The first one is fine. Any suggestions?

[protonLeah]

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[FDibbins]

Give this a try....
syntax for an IF statement is...=IF(this-is-true, do this, else do that)
in your 1st IF() you have 3 arguments (identified with BOLD, RED and UNDERLINE)...
=IF($C$2="No Snowball (Minimum Monthly Payment)", SUM(R$17-(R$17*'Debt Consolidated'!$I28-R$22),0, IF($C$2="No Snowball (Personal Monthly Payment)", SUM(R17-R22),0)))

so you are saying IF(C2="NO etc",then...R17=(R17* etc),else...0,else...your next IF() statement

=IF($C$2="No Snowball (Minimum Monthly Payment)", R$17-(R$17*'Debt Consolidated'!$I28-R$22), IF($C$2="No Snowball (Personal Monthly Payment)", R17-R22,0),0)

You dont need to use SUM() when you are just adding 2 numbers

[astole]

I just got it figured out but a different way, I seem to have many problems adding IFS

[FDibbins]

Look at it this way...
if you have a choice of 2 answers, use 1 if
if you have a choice of 3 answers, use 2 nested if's
if you have a choice of 4 answers, use 3 nested if's
if you have a choice of 5 answers, consider using vlookup()

[Pepe Le Mokko]

Also note that in the expression SUM(R17-R22), the SUM function is redundant

[astole]

Ok got it. Im going to try to learn some VLookups, hopefully thats easier. My formula

=IF($C$2="No Snowball (Minimum Monthly Payment)",SUM(R$17-(R$17*'Debt Consolidated'!$I28-R$24),0,IF($C$2="No Snowball (Set Monthly Payment)",SUM(R17-R23),0)),SUM(R17-R23,0,IF($C$2="Snowball (Minimum Monthly Payment)",SUM(R$17-(R$22+$AO27),0,IF($C$2="Snowball (Set Monthly Payment)",SUM(R17-R23),0)),SUM(R17-R23,0))))

keeps returning a false number, twice what its supposed to be, and my plan is to add 4 more IFs to this. Just trying to figure it one at a time and it is such a pain!

[astole]

Pepe, if I put a formula together, a long one, would you be able to look at it for me and tell me what is wrong? This will help alot if I just did that, be warned, it's going to be long and not sure if you want to try.

[FDibbins]

Before you make a really long formula, consider using helper columns, they can often significantly shorten and simplify formulas

@ Pepe - redundant SUM() was mentioned in post # # as well

[mike65535]

Before you make a really long formula, consider using helper columns, they can often significantly shorten and simplify formulas

They also allow you test parts of the formula - highly desirable, especially when trying something new.