The time value of money is fundamental to all financial planning, from the decision you make to buy or lease a car to a corporate decision to invest in new machinery. Future value determines the effect of time on money. Using future value and other measures can help you make sound financial decisions. Show
What Is Future Value?The basic principle behind the time value of money is simple: One dollar today is worth more than one dollar you will receive in the future. This is because you can invest the dollar you have today, and it can grow over time at a rate of return, or interest. The dollar that you receive “tomorrow” can’t be invested today, and therefore doesn’t have the same potential to increase in value. NoteFuture value is what a sum of money invested today will become over time, at a rate of interest. For example, if you invest $1,000 in a savings account today at a 2% annual interest rate, it will be worth $1,020 at the end of one year. Therefore, its future value is $1,020. Let's look at what happens at the end of two years: $1,000 becomes $1,044. The first year you earned $20, but the second year, you earn $24. Why? The extra $ 4.00 is the 2% return on the $20 earned at the end of the first year. NoteThe process of earning interest on interest is called compounding, and it has a powerful effect on the future value of an investment. A Real-World Example of Future ValueOne way to apply future value to financial decision making is to consider your tax refund. If you will receive a refund, it means you had more tax withheld from your paycheck than what you owed. You’re effectively overpaying the IRS, which then refunds that overpayment once you file. If you change your withholding, you could invest those overpayments throughout the year and earn interest. By the time you’d receive a refund, you could instead have that same amount plus whatever interest it earned—this is the time value of money in action. (Of course, you need to be disciplined enough to invest the extra amount in your paycheck and not spend it.) NoteBy overpaying the IRS throughout the year, you give it a 0% loan until it gives you a refund. How To Calculate the Future Value of an InvestmentThere are two types of future value calculations:
The easiest way to calculate future value is to use one of the many free calculators on the internet, or a financial calculator app such as the HP 12C Financial Calculator available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Most spreadsheet programs have future value functions as well. If, however, you like math problems, here's how to manually calculate future value: Future Value (FV) of a Lump SumFV = PV x (1+r)n PV = deposit, or present value Future Value (FV) of an AnnuityFV = PMT x [(1+r)n - 1)]/r PMT = payment, or contribution Future Value of an Annuity ExampleA common use of future value is planning for a financial goal, such as funding a retirement savings plan. Future value is used to calculate what you need to save and invest each year at a given rate of interest to achieve that goal. For example, if you contribute $2,400/year to a retirement account ($200/month) and want to calculate what that account will be worth in 30 years, you could use the future value of an annuity formula. For this example, you assume a 7% annual rate of return: FV = $2,400 x [(1+0.07)30 - 1)]/0.07 = Over the span of 30 years, you would contribute a total of $72,000, but because of the time value of money and the power of compounding interest, your account would be worth $226,706 (with an annual 7% rate of return), or more than three times the amount you invested. NoteFuture value is also useful to decide the mix of stocks, bonds, and other investments in your portfolio. The higher the rate of interest, or return, the less money you need to invest to reach a financial goal. Higher returns, however, usually mean a higher risk of losing money. Present Value vs. Future ValueWe can also measure present value. Using it, you can calculate the worth of something today when you know its value in the future. This process is also referred to as "discounting" because, for any positive rate of return, the present value will be less than what it is worth in the future. NoteThe interest rate used to calculate present value is called the "discount rate." To illustrate present value, let’s look at a prior example. We already determined that the future value of $1,000 deposited for one year into an account earning an annual 2% interest rate is $1,020: FV = 1000 x (1+.02)1 = $1,020 We also know that the present value of that $1,020 is $1,000 because it’s what we started out with. Present value is the mirror image of future value. Some common uses for present value include:
Present Value (PV) of a Lump Sum and ExampleNow, let’s use the present value formula to determine the present value of $1,000 paid one year in the future (relative to that same amount paid today and deposited in a 2% interest-bearing account). PV = FV x 1/(1+r)n FV= Future Value PV = $1,000 x 1/(1.02)1 = $980.40 In other words, the value today of $1,000 received a year from now is $980.40. The comparison illustrates why lenders charge interest. Present Value (PV) of an AnnuityYou can also determine the present value of a stream of payments using the present value of an annuity formula. PV of an annuity = PMT x [1 - 1/(1+r)n] / r PMT = Payments Key Takeaways
Which of the following refers to the rate of return or discount rate used to determine future value or present value?The discount rate refers to the rate of interest that is applied to future cash flows of an investment to calculate its present value. It is the rate of return that companies or investors expect on their investment.
Which of the following determines the current value of a future amount?To determine the present value of a future amount, you need two values: interest rate and duration. The interest rate determines how quickly a present amount grows over time, and the duration determines how much time the mount has to grow.
What is the discount rate of return?In corporate finance, a discount rate is the rate of return used to discount future cash flows back to their present value. This rate is often a company's Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC), required rate of return, or the hurdle rate that investors expect to earn relative to the risk of the investment.
What is the rate of return called?This simple rate of return is sometimes called the basic growth rate, or alternatively, return on investment (ROI).
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