Present Value of a Single Sum Calculator

A financial professional will offer guidance based on the information provided and offer a no-obligation call to better understand your situation. Our mission is to empower readers with the most factual and reliable financial information possible to help them make informed decisions for their individual needs. Our goal is to deliver the most understandable https://www.bookstime.com/articles/present-value-of-a-single-amount and comprehensive explanations of financial topics using simple writing complemented by helpful graphics and animation videos. At Finance Strategists, we partner with financial experts to ensure the accuracy of our financial content. According to these results, the amount of $8,000, which will be received after 5 years, has a present value of $4,540.

For example, a future cash rebate discounted to present value may or may not be worth having a potentially higher purchase price. The same financial calculation applies to 0% financing when buying a car. It’s important to consider that in any investment decision, no interest rate is guaranteed, and inflation can erode the rate of return on an investment. The calculation of discounted or present value is extremely important in many financial calculations. For example, net present value, bond yields, and pension obligations all rely on discounted or present value.

Uses of Present Value Concept in Business:

The intersection of the expected payout years (n) and the interest rate (i) is a number called a present value factor. The present value factor is multiplied by the initial investment cost to produce the present value of the expected cash flows (or investment return). Future cash flows are discounted at the discount rate, and the higher the discount rate, the lower the present value of the future cash flows.

Due to the variety of calculators and spreadsheet applications, we will present the determination of both present and future values using tables. In many college courses today, these tables are used primarily because they are relatively simple to understand while demonstrating the material. For those who prefer formulas, the different formulas used to create each table are printed at the top of the corresponding table. Regarding the use of a financial calculator, while all are similar, the user manual or a quick internet search will provide specific directions for each financial calculator. As for a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel, there are some common formulas, shown in Table 11.2.

Present Value of a Single Amount (Explanation)

The present value of a single amount allows us to determine what the value of a lump sum to be received in the future is worth to us today. This is equivalent to saying that at a 12% interest rate compounded annually, it does not matter whether you receive $8,511.40 today or $15,000 at the end of 5 years. At 12% interest per year compounded semiannually, the company needs to invest $334,000 today to accumulate $600,000 in 5 years.

The amount of $5,000 to be received after four years has a present value of $3,415. It means if the amount of $3,415 is invested today @10% per year compounded annually, it will grow to $5,000 in 4 years. An ordinary annuity is one in which the payments are made at the end of each period in equal installments.

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All of these costs combine to determine the interest rate on an account, and that interest rate in turn is the rate at which the sum is discounted. A present value of 1 table that employs a standard set of interest rates and time periods appears next. Understanding the concept of present value and how to calculate the present value of a single amount is important in real-life situations. Examples include investing, valuing financial assets, and calculating cash flow. The present value of a single amount is an investment that will be worth a specific sum in the future.

• Given our time frame of five years and a 5% interest rate, we can find the present value of that sum of money.
• The future value of a single sum is computed by applying the relevant interest rate to the present value of the sum.
• The articles and research support materials available on this site are educational and are not intended to be investment or tax advice.
• A timeline can help us visualize what is known and what needs to be computed.
• The present value is computed either for a single payment or for a series of payments (known as annuity) to be received in future.
• To illustrate, let’s assume that $1,000 will be invested today at an annual interest rate of 8% compounded annually.
• This is equivalent to saying that at a 12% interest rate compounded annually, it does not matter whether you receive $8,511.40 today or $15,000 at the end of 5 years.

The following examples explain the computation of the present value of a single payment. The future value of a single sum is computed by applying the relevant interest rate to the present value of the sum. Once you know these three variables, you can plug them into the appropriate equation.

This means that the future value problem involves compounding while present value problems involve discounting. Calculate the present value of this sum if the current market interest rate is 12% and the interest is compounded annually. A lump sum is a one-time payment or repayment of funds at a particular point in time. For a lump sum, the present value is the value of a given amount today. Assume for simplicity’s sake that the account pays 6% at the end of each year, and it also compounds interest on the interest earned in any earlier years. Present value calculations are often needed in areas such as investment analysis, risk management, and business financial planning, but the concept is also useful outside of business.

But first, you must determine whether the type of interest is simple or compound interest. If the interest is simple interest, you plug the numbers into the simple interest formula. Finding the present value (PV) of an amount of money is finding the amount of money today that is worth the same as an amount of money in the future, given a certain interest rate. The time value of money framework says that money in the future is not worth as much as money in the present. Investors would prefer to have the money today because then they are able to spend it, save it, or invest it right now instead of having to wait to be able to use it.

Formula:

For example, suppose you want to know what interest rate (compounded semi-annually) you need to earn in order to accumulate $10,000 at the end of 3 years, with an investment of $7,049.60 today. Based on this result, if someone offered you an investment at a cost of $8,000 that would return $15,000 at the end of 5 years, you would do well to take it if the minimum rate of return was 12%. For example, suppose you want to know the value today of receiving $15,000 at the end of 5 years if a rate of return of 12% is earned.

If it is compound interest, you can rearrange the compound interest formula to calculate the present value. Calculating the present value (PV) is a matter of plugging FV, the interest rate, and the number of periods into an equation. Things get marginally more complicated when dealing with a multi-period investment. Multi-period investments are investments with more than one period, so n (or t) is greater than one.