Final answer:
Katherine would need to invest approximately $481.18 for the value of the account to reach $960 in 16 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how much Katherine would need to invest, we can use the compound interest formula:
A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt)
Where:
- A is the amount in the account after time t
- P is the principal (initial investment)
- r is the interest rate (as a decimal)
- n is the number of times interest is compounded per year
- t is the number of years
In this case, Katherine wants the account to reach $960 in 16 years, and the interest rate is 5.8% compounded monthly. Plugging in these values and solving for P:
P = A / (1 + r/n)^(nt)
P = $960 / (1 + 0.058/12)^(12*16)
P ≈ $960 / (1 + 0.004833)^192
P ≈ $960 / 1.996685
P ≈ $481.18
Therefore, Katherine would need to invest approximately $481.18 for the value of the account to reach $960 in 16 years.