Investment Calculator: Calculating Total Profit~~

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the final value and total profit of an investment using a compounding interest formula. The original poster is learning Visual Basic 6 and seeks guidance on applying the formula and understanding the concept of total profit.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the use of the compounding interest formula and its variables, with some suggesting alternative equations like simple interest. Questions arise about how to calculate total profit and the implications of different compounding frequencies.

Discussion Status

Several participants have provided insights into the compounding interest formula and its application. However, the original poster continues to seek clarification on calculating total profit, indicating an ongoing exploration of the topic.

Contextual Notes

The original poster is learning a programming language and is unsure about the financial concepts involved, which may affect their understanding of the problem. There is also a mention of different compounding intervals that may influence calculations.

neik
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Hi everybody,

I have given an equation to calculate the final Value (FV) of an investment as follows:

[tex]FV= Principal*(1+{R/N})^{NT}[/tex]

Where:
Principal = initial investment amount,
R = annual interest rate,
N = number of times compounding is performed per year; this can be quaterly (4 times), monthly (12 times), or daily (365)
T = number of investment years

i was asked to find the final amount and total profit after x years.
and also the total amount after the first month, second month, third month, etc...

actually I'm learning VB6 now, and i have no idea about this equation

can someone give me some hints to solve this?

thanks in advance.
 
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Sometimes you will find that the equation I=PRT, is easier to use for some questions.
I=interest earned
P=princepal invested
T=time

EDIT: I didn't notice that you said months, oops
sorry, disregard my post :)
 
Last edited:
What you have is the equation for compounding interest from a single payment. In other words, you put "X" amount of dollars into an account, how much will you have after "Y" amount of time. The important part is that it is for a single payment.

The general term of the equation is:

[tex] F = P (1 + i)^n[/tex]

where:
F = Future worth of the investment
P = Present worth of the investment
i = anual interest rate (IN DECIMAL FORM!)
n = number of compounding periods

There's one little snag to this equation. The number that you use for the interest rate is dependent upon how often you are compounding. If you are compounding annually, n will be the number of years compounding and i will be the anual percentage rate (in decimal form). However, if you want to compound monthly, like you said in your question, n will be the number of months compounding and i will be the anual percentage rate divided by 12. If you want to compound daily, divide i by 365. The equation you stated is the same equation I have given except it takes this step into account.

It's a pretty straight forward equation to use once you get the little trick down. It's very easy to set this up in a spreadsheet. I would suggest doing that and using that as a sanity check on your VB code results.
 
hi, thanks for responding

but i still don't know how to calculate the "total profit"
any ideas?
 
neik said:
hi, thanks for responding

but i still don't know how to calculate the "total profit"
any ideas?
Is it simple interest?
 
neik said:
hi, thanks for responding

but i still don't know how to calculate the "total profit"
any ideas?
Using your terminology, "Total Profit" is normally determined from:

[tex]\ \ \ (Total \ Profit) \ = \ (Final \ Value) \ - \ (Original \ Principle)[/tex]



~~
 
Last edited:

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