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Assume that you own an annuity that will pay you $15,000 per year for 12 years, with the first payment being made today. You need money today to start a new business, and your uncle offers to give you $80,000 for the annuity. If you sell it, what rate of return would your uncle earn on his investment?

User Rioualen
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Final answer:

To calculate the rate of return for the annuity, determine the interest rate that makes the present value of the annuity payments equal the purchase price of $80,000. It involves using the formula for the present value of an annuity due and solving for the interest rate, a task often performed with a financial calculator or software.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the rate of return your uncle would earn on his investment in the annuity you want to sell, we need to find the interest rate that would make the present value of the annuity payments equal to $80,000, the amount your uncle is willing to pay.

Since the first payment is made today, this is an example of an annuity due. The present value (PV) of an annuity due can be calculated using the formula:

PV = Pmt * [(1 - (1 + r)^(-n)) / r] * (1 + r)

Where:

  • Pmt = Annual payment ($15,000)
  • r = Annual interest rate (unknown)
  • n = Number of periods (12 years)

Since we know the present value that the uncle is willing to pay ($80,000) and the other variables, we solve for 'r' using trial and error or a financial calculator.

The exact rate of return (r) can be found using a financial calculator or spreadsheet software by plugging in the numbers:

  • PV = $80,000
  • Pmt = $15,000 / year
  • n = 12 years

However, without the tools to calculate it precisely, we cannot provide the exact interest rate. Financial calculators or software are typically used to determine 'r' because there is no algebraic way to solve for the interest rate in the present value of the annuity due formula.

User Michael Vieth
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