Answer:
To calculate the amount of money spent in interest alone over the course of a 30-year mortgage, we can use the formula:
Total Interest = (Monthly Payment x Number of Payments) - Principal
For a 3.5% 30-year mortgage with a principal of $180,000, the monthly payment can be calculated using the formula:
Monthly Payment = (Principal x Monthly Interest Rate) / (1 - (1 + Monthly Interest Rate)^(-Number of Payments))
where Monthly Interest Rate = Annual Interest Rate / 12, and Number of Payments = 30 years x 12 months per year = 360.
Plugging in the values, we get:
Monthly Payment = (180,000 x 0.0035) / (1 - (1 + 0.0035)^(-360)) = $808.28
Using this monthly payment, we can calculate the total interest over the 30-year period:
Total Interest = ($808.28 x 360) - $180,000 = $101,020.80
Therefore, the correct answer is A. $110,880 (which is not one of the options given).