our Finances Advisor is one of your most informative aides. He analyzes all of your city's income and expenses so far this year, and, for comparison, shows the totals from last year. This report is especially valuable if you're having trouble raising your Prosperity rating or simply want to see how best to raise more money.

This is also the place to come if you want to change the tax rate. Change the rate using the arrow buttons. The line showing the percentage of your populace registered for taxes is important, too; you'll usually want to keep this number as close to 100 percent as you can. Use the Tax Overlay to see which houses are not paying their taxes, and thus to decide where to build a new forum to start collecting what is due.

When your city is young, most of your income will probably be from taxes.

As you establish industries and open trade routes, the line showing “trade receipts” will probably grow steadily larger. Eventually, it should surpass tax income.

Donations are either from your personal savings, or from Caesar if your treasury ran out of money and Rome provided rescue funds.

Imports (from trade, including any wheat provided by Rome to feed your people);

Wages, usually the city's biggest expense;

Construction. Remember, money spent on construction doesn't count against your Prosperity rating;

Interest (if you've run your treasury into debt);

Your personal salary; and

“Sundries,” a catch-all for expenses that don't fit any other category, like the cost of festivals or losses from theft.

The entry of greatest interest is probably the “Net in/out flow” line. This shows you, at a glance, how much your treasury is shrinking or growing.