Question

A cash-strapped young professional offers to buy your car with four, equal annual payments of $3,000, beginning 2 years from today. Assuming you're indifferent to cash versus credit, that you can invest at 10%, and that you want to receive $9,000 for the car, should you accept?

Answer 1

Answer:

This means that receiving 9000 today is better for us as we will have more at the end of 6 years.

Explanation:

We need to first calculate what is the future value of payments in both scenarios. If we receive $9,000 today and invest it at 10% for 6 years we will have 9000*1.10^6=15,944

If we start reviving cash in 4 annual payments 2 years from now of $3000 we will have to find the future value of each individual payment and add them up.

First payment Future value = 3000*1.10^4=4392 (Money can be invested for 4 years at 10%)

Second payment future value = 3000*1.10^3=3993 (Money can be invested for 3 years at 10%)

Third payment future value = 3000*1.10^2=3630 (Money can be invested for 4 years at 10%)

Fourth payment future value = 3000*1.1=3300

Add them all up = 15315

This means that receiving 9000 today is better for us as we will have more at the end of 6 years.