Final answer:
To establish a trust fund that pays $225,000 annually with a 4.4% return rate, the grandparents need to deposit $5,113,636.36 today.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question is related to finding the present value of a perpetuity. A perpetuity is a type of payment that continues indefinitely, and its present value can be calculated using a financial formula that accounts for the periodic payments and the interest rate. The formula for the present value of a perpetuity is PV = C / r, where PV is the present value, C is the annual payment, and r is the annual interest rate (expressed in decimal form).
To solve the problem for the student, we use the information provided: the yearly payment (C) is $225,000, and the annual return rate (r) is 4.4% (or 0.044 in decimal form).
The calculation for the present value of this perpetuity would be:
PV = $225,000 / 0.044
PV = $5,113,636.36
Therefore, the student's grandparents would need to deposit $5,113,636.36 today to establish a trust fund that can pay $225,000 per year forever, assuming a return rate of 4.4%.