Final answer:
To retire with $2 million at age 61, starting at age 26, a student must save approximately $23,902 annually, assuming a 6% interest rate.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to calculate how much needs to be saved each year to reach a goal of $2 million by retirement at age 61, we can use the formula for the future value of an annuity. This formula allows us to calculate the regular payments needed when the interest rate and total number of payments are known. The student will need to save for 61 - 26 = 35 years, and with an interest rate of 6%, the annuity payment can be found using the formula P = FV / [(1 + r)^n - 1] / r, where P is the annual payment, FV is the future value (in this case $2 million), r is the interest rate per period, and n is the total number of payments.
The final calculation would be as follows:
P = 2,000,000 / [((1 + 0.06)^35 - 1) / 0.06] = 2,000,000 / [6.02289 - 1) / 0.06] = 2,000,000 / [5.02289 / 0.06] = 2,000,000 / 83.715
Therefore, the student must save approximately $23,902 at the end of each year from age 26 to age 61 to retire comfortably with $2 million.