document.write( "Question 1028986: I have some question on how to understand this type of problems. I would like to know what could be the best way to understand it. \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "A) Suppose you enroll in an IRA that pays an APR of 8%, compounded monthly, if you contribute $90/month for 15 years how will the IRA contain at the end of that time? \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "B) Suppose you contribute $110 how much will the IRA contain?
\n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #644049 by Theo(13342)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
the easiest way to figure this out is to use a financial calculator.
\n" ); document.write( "one such calculator can be found here.
\n" ); document.write( "http://arachnoid.com/finance/index.html\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "using this calculator, you would divide the annual percentage rate by 12 to get the monthly percentage rate.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "you would multiply the number of years by 12 to get the number of months.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "you would enter the monthly payment as a negative number (it's what you are paying out, so it's negative).\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "you would leave the present value and future value as 0.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "you would set the payments to be at the end of the period (this is usually what is done).\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "you would then click on the FV button and it will tell you how much money you would have at the end of the 15 year period.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the assumption is that all interest earned in the intermediate years is re-invested immediately into the annuity fund.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "your results will be as shown below:\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the first one shows 90 invested monthly.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"$$$\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the second one shows 110 invested monthly.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"$$$\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the link to the calculator also shows the formulas used. \r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "they can be a bit hard to follow, but they'll give you the same answer if you give them the right information.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the formulas work from the interest rate and not the interest percentage rate.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "basically you take the percentage rate and divide it by 100 to get the rate.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the key is in the time intervals involved.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "with monthly compounding, the annual rate is divided by 12 and the number of years if multiplied by 12.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the actual month by month calculations are shown in the following spreadsheet.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "only the first several months are shown, and then only the last several months are shown.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the stuff in the middle is just more of the same.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "multiplying the previous month's remaining balance by (1 + .08/12) gives you the previous month's remaining balance plus the interest that is earned by it.
\n" ); document.write( "you then add the monthly payment to that to get the current month's remaining balance.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"$$$\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"$$$\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "you can see that the spreadsheet analysis and the financial formulas give you the same result.\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" );