Final answer:
The student's question pertains to the NPV and profitability index of an investment after 5 years. To advise on the investment, one should calculate NPV and profitability index, and if both are positive or greater than 1 respectively, the investment is generally advisable.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the Net Present Value (NPV) calculation and the profitability index for an investment after 5 years. The NPV is a financial metric used to evaluate the profitability of an investment, considering the time value of money. A positive NPV indicates that the projected earnings generated by a project or investment – in present dollars – exceed the anticipated costs, also in present dollars. To calculate NPV, you discount all cash flows associated with the investment to the present value using a discount rate, which reflects the cost of capital associated with the investment.
The profitability index is a ratio that compares the present value of future cash flows to the initial investment. A profitability index above 1 indicates that the NPV is positive and that the investment would likely be considered profitable.
Whether you should do the investment depends on whether the NPV is positive and the profitability index is greater than 1. If both conditions are met, it implies that the investment should earn more than the cost of capital, and thus, investing appears to be a sound decision.