This Teaching Paper has been developed during and after two lecture series in Project Appraisal for students in the postgraduate Diploma programme at the Department of Rural and Urban Planning. In the course of these series it was felt that there was a genuine need for a short and simple text on the basic elements of financial project appraisal. Although many good textbooks on cost-benefit analysis exist, they invariably take most of the basics for granted and start at a more advanced level of appraisal. This Teaching Paper is intended to fill the perceived gap. It is primarily meant to be a supportive text in the post-graduate teaching programmes at the Department of Rural and Urban Planning, but may also be used in other (shorter) courses dealing with project appraisal. In addition it may serve as a useful reference guide for project planners working at various levels, in various sectors and for various agencies.