In: Finance
A college graduate earns about $1,500 per month more than someone that only has a high school diploma. If a “working life” starts next month and lasts 45 years, how much is a college degree worth today if market interest rates are 3.91% APR, compounded monthly?
Given,
Monthly earning = $1500
Number of years = 45 years
APR = 3.91% or 0.0391
Solution :-
Monthly rate (r) = 0.0391/12 = 0.0032583333
Number of months (n) = 45 years x 12 = 540
Now,
Present value = monthly earning/r x [1 - (1 + r)-n]
= $1500/0.0032583333 x [1 - (1 + 0.0032583333)-540]
= $1500/0.0032583333 x [1 - (1.0032583333)-540]
= $1500/0.0032583333 x [1 - 0.17262396294]
= $1500/0.0032583333 x 0.82737603706 = $380889.23
So, college degree worth today is $380889.23