Final answer:
To have $12,000 in 3 years in a savings account with a 6% interest rate compounded quarterly, you would need to deposit approximately $10,037.21 today. This calculation is done using the formula for compound interest, considering the interest rate, the compounding frequency, and the time period.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how much money you would need to deposit into a savings account today to have $12,000 in 3 years at a 6% interest rate compounded quarterly, you can use the formula for compound interest:
P = A / (1 + r/n)(nt)
where: P = the principal amount (the initial amount of money) A = the future value of the investment/loan, including interest r = the annual interest rate (decimal) n = the number of times that interest is compounded per unit t t = the time the money is invested or borrowed for, in years
In this case, A is $12,000, r is 0.06 (6% expressed as a decimal), n is 4 (since it's compounded quarterly), and t is 3 years.
So, our formula becomes: P = $12,000 / (1 + 0.06/4)(4*3)
Calculating that out, we get:
P = $12,000 / (1 + 0.015)12
P ≈ $12,000 / (1.195618643) P ≈ $10,037.21
You would need to deposit approximately $10,037.21 into your savings account today at a 6% interest rate compounded quarterly to have $12,000 in 3 years.