Final answer:
To reach $10,000 in 10 years with a 10% annual interest rate, you should deposit approximately $3,855.43 today.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the initial deposit required to achieve a savings goal with compound interest, one can apply a financial formula that involves the future value, the annual interest rate, and the number of compounding periods.
To reach $10,000 in 10 years with an interest rate of 10% compounded annually, you need to know how much to deposit today. Using the formula for the future value of a lump sum, P = F / (1 + r)^n, where P is the present value (or initial deposit), F is the future value, r is the annual interest rate expressed as a decimal, and n is the number of compounding periods.
Substituting the values: P = $10,000 / (1 + 0.10)^10, which simplifies to P = $10,000 / (1.10)^10, resulting in P ≈ $3,855.43. Therefore, an initial deposit of $3,855.43 is needed today to accumulate $10,000 in 10 years at a 10% annual interest rate.