Answer:
To find the amount that the couple needs to invest now, we can use the following formula:
investment = education cost * (1 + interest rate / number of compounding periods per year) ^ (number of years * number of compounding periods per year)
Plugging in the given values, we get:
investment = $40,000 * (1 + 0.055 / 52) ^ (17 * 52)
Solving this equation, we find that the couple needs to invest $11,226.31 now to have $40,000 for the child's education in 17 years. Rounded to the nearest dollar, this is $11,226.
Explanation: