ANSWER LETTER (A) ONLY
Ivana has just moved to Edmonton to take up a position in the
provincial government, earning $72,000 a year. Edmonton is a big
city, so she has decided to lease a car, as well as buy a downtown
condo. She has saved some money living at home with her parents up
until now. But Ivana is a bit worried about her financial affairs
as she has always had trouble managing money. For example, her last
credit card statement showed a balance of $2,750 and she doesn’t
want to take the money she has saved for a down payment to pay it
off. It seems she carries a balance from month to month all the
time and she knows that at a rate of 22%, compounded daily, she is
paying a lot of interest.
Part a (1 mark)
Ivana’s credit card requires a minimum payment of 3% of the
balance. Assume she sets her mind to paying this same amount each
month until the balance is paid off and that she doesn’t charge
anything new to the card. How long will it be before the balance is
reduced to zero?
Calculation of credit card repayment period
Part b (1 mark)
Ivana knows that the financial institution will calculate both
the GDS and TDS ratio on any mortgage loan she arranges in order to
determine whether or not she qualifies. Identify two weaknesses of
these ratios.
First weakness
Second weakness
Part c (1 mark)
Ivana wants to lease a Subaru Crosstrek. Assume the listed
price is $35,000. There are no provincial taxes in Alberta so she
will only pay the Federal GST of 5%. Ivana can make a down payment
of $2,000 and estimates that the value of the car after a 4-year
term would be $17,000. The applicable rate would be 6%, compounded
monthly. Lease payments are required at the beginning of the month,
and the applicable taxes only apply to the monthly payment, not to
the full value of the car. What would be Ivana’s monthly car lease
payment?
Calculation of monthly lease payment
Part d
If Ivana wishes to satisfy a maximum 40% TDS ratio, what is
the most she could pay per month toward a condo mortgage? Assume
her condo fees (1/2), municipal taxes and heating combined amount
to $600 a month and factor in the payment on her credit card and
car lease.
Calculation of maximum possible condo mortgage based on a 40%
TDS ratio
Part e (1 mark)
At a rate of 3%, compounded semi-annual, how much mortgage
could Ivana afford if she takes a 25 year amortization with monthly
payments?
Calculation of maximum mortgage