
TIME VALUE OF MONEY 3-41
v.05/13/94 v-1.1
p.01/14/00
UNIT SUMMARY
In this unit, we focused on the changes in the value of money over
time.
Future value —
simple /
compound
interest
The future value of money at the end of a defined period of time
results from adding the amount of interest that may be earned on an
investment to the principal amount.
• Simple interest is paid on the principal at the end of the payment
period at a defined rate.
• Interest also may be compounded, which means that interest is
reinvested after each payment period and earns interest in each
subsequent period. Interest may be compounded at the end of
discrete annual or non-annual periods, or continuously throughout
the life of the investment.
Present value –
discount
Sometimes we want to know the current value of a cash flow that will
occur at some future date. Discrete or continuous discounting is the
process for equating a future cash flow with its present value. The
discount rate may be referred to as the opportunity cost of an
investment or the investor's required rate of return.
Annuity
An annuity is a security that involves a series of equal payments
made at regular time intervals. To derive the future value of an
annuity, each payment is compounded for the remaining life of the
security. A payment made at the end of the first year of a ten-year
annuity is compounded for nine years, the second payment is
compounded for eight years, etc. All compounded payments added
together equal the future value.
Calculating the present value of an annuity is the reverse process of
compounding. The payment due at the end of the tenth year is
discounted over the ten year period, the ninth payment is discounted
over nine years, etc. The present values of all payments added together
equal the present value of the annuity.