The goal of this project is to explore the topic of the time value of money. The project requires you to work in Excel with the provided spreadsheet. Be sure to fill in the yellow boxes in the Excel file for full credit. Make sure you reference cells in Excel where necessary and do not simply type in answers. Also, type up a one-page report in Word with a separate section for the introduction (description, variables, context, etc.), findings (results, plots, variable relationships, etc.), and conclusion (summary, lessons, etc.). Failure to follow all instructions will result in a deduction of points.

Time Value of Money

Part 1: Future Value

In this part, calculate the future values. Use the Excel FV function to compute the future values.

1. You have just made a $4,000 contribution to your individual retirement account. Assuming you earn an annual rate of return of 5 percent and make no additional contributions, what will your account be worth when you retire in 30 years? (7 Points)

2. Calculate the future values in the table below using the FV Excel function. (7 Points)

Part 2: Present Value

In this part, calculate the present values. Use the Excel PV function to compute the present values.

3. You are committed to owning a $200,000 home. If you believe your mutual fund can achieve an annual return of 10 percent, and you want to buy the home in 15 years, how much must you invest today? (7 Points)

4. Calculate the present values in the table below using the PV Excel function. (7 Points)

Part 3: Interest Rate

In this part, calculate the interest rates. Use the Excel Rate function to compute the interest rates.

5. In 2018, one of the first copper pennies struck at the Philadelphia mint in 1793 was sold for $300,000. What was the rate of return on this investment? (7 Points)

6. Calculate the interest rates in the table below using the Excel Rate function. (7 Points)

Part 4: Number of Periods

In this part, calculate the number of periods. Use the Excel Nper function to compute the number of periods.

7. You expect to receive $20,000 at graduation. You plan on investing it at 6 percent until you have $130,000. How long will you wait from now? (7 Points)

8. Calculate the number of periods in the table below using the Excel Nper function. (7 Points)

Part 5: Relation between Future Value and Number of Periods

In this part, you need to examine the relation between the future value and the number of periods.  

1. For a present value of $5,000, create a table that shows the FV at 0%, 5%, and 10% for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years. (7 Points)

10. In a single graph (scatter plot with straight lines and markers), graph the table above with years on the horizontal axis and FV on the vertical axis for each interest rate and be sure to label the y-axis, x-axis, chart title, and legend. (7 Points)

1. Create a struct MenuItem containing fields for name (a string) and price (a float) of a menu item for a diner. Create a ReadItem() function that takes an istream and a MenuItem (both by reference) and prompts the user for the fields of the MenuItem, loading the values into the struct's fields. Create a PrintItem() function that takes an output stream (by reference) and a MenuItem (by value) and prints the MenuItem fields to the stream in a reasonable one-line format. Create a main() that declares a MenuItem struct, calls ReadItem(), then calls PrintItem(). Test with a few different items.
2. Make another program modified to include an array of 10 MenuItem structs. Modify ReadItem() to not prompt for, but instead just read the data for a struct field-by-field, and call it once for each MenuItem. Then call PrintItem() for each struct to create a menu. Use files, opened and closed in main(), for all input and output. Create a test file with the 10 items and prices, and test with it. Send me the test file and the output file.
3. Make another program modified so that after it reads the MenuItems from the file (as per part 2), it prints a menu (on the screen) for the user, collects an order, and prints a diner check. You should not have to modify PrintItem(). Write a function that takes the array of MenuItems and an array of ints, prints the menu (number the items 1 through 10), and then loops, prompting the user to select items until they have either selected all 10 items on the menu or entered -1 to indicate they are through ordering. Don't allow the user to select an item that isn't on the menu or an item they have already selected. You may assume the user will enter at least one valid selection. Keep the user's selections in the array of integers. Return the number of entries the user made. Then print a diner check with the items the user selected and the total price of the meal. Use another function to print the check, passing the two arrays, the number of items selected, and the output stream to the function. Use the PrintItem() function to print the items, both on the check and on the menu. You may assume no tax. Print all output to the screen.

Hints:

If you use an istream & for an input stream parameter, you may pass either cin or an input file handle to a function. Similarly, if you use an ostream & for an output stream parameter, you may pass in either cout or an output file handle to the function. The only restriction is that you may only use operations that would work on cin or cout in the function. For example, you may not open() or close()inside the function.

You may use either C-strings or C++ string objects for the menu item names. Use multi-word item names like "bacon cheeseburger" not just "cheeseburger". To read a C-string containing white space characters, use

in.getline( data, MAX, '\n' );

where in is either cin or an input file handle (or a parameter of istream & type), data is an array of char at least MAX+1 in length, MAX is the maximum number of characters to read from the input stream, and '\n' is the character at which to stop reading. To read a C++ string object containing white space characters, use

getline( in, data );

where in is either cin or an input file handle (or a parameter of istream & type) and data is a C++ string object. Here, you don't have to worry about the maximum length of the string being read.

On Windows, after extracting a number, you will need to call in.ignore(); to get rid of the newline before you try another getline(). Do this inside the ReadItem() function before it returns. To number the items in the third exercise, print the number before calling PrintItem(). PrintItem() should not end the line itself. You might not need to do this on Mac or Linux systems.

This is for introduction to C++ please don't make code complex. add comments for methods.

Linux Operation

For the following exercises, ensure the following regarding the student1 and student2 accounts:

• The home directories are /home/student1 and /home/student2
• The student accounts are in the students group
• The umask for the student1 and student2 accounts is: 022, (should be by default)
• The “student” account home directories have 755 permissions.
• Execute steps in the “Lab 2 setup supplement” document on D2L to get the above set up.

Also note that, the term “home directory” below, if not specified in detail, refers to the home directory of the current user (e.g. /home/student1 for the student1 account). This does not specify just the “/home” directory.

*** On the lab answers – be sure you use the form fields, so that your answers are show in red ***

SECTION 1 – Absolute/Relative Paths, Files and Directories:

1. Log into the student1 account. Enter the command to tell you what your current directory is:

     .

Now cd to the /tmp directory. Enter two commands, which will change your directory to the home directory for student1:

      and      

Verify these two commands work by displaying your current directory after each one is run.

2. Ensure you are in your home directory for student1. List the contents of the /tmp directory using an absolute path name:      .

List the contents of the /tmp directory using a relative path name:      .

After listing the contents of a directory, does your present working directory change?      .

What command changes your present working directory?      .

3. Ensure you are in your home directory for student1. Change your current directory to the root (/) directory. What command did you use:      .
4. Enter the cd ~ command. What directory are you now in?         .

Explain what “~” represents:      .

5. Ensure you are in your home directory for student1. Create a file called labfile1 with the touch command in the /tmp directory using a relative path name. What command did you use:

     .

Create another file called labfile2 with the touch command in the /tmp directory using an absolute path name. What command did you use:        .

6. What is the file size of files created with the touch command?        .

Now touch one of these files again. What, if anything is different in the file’s characteristics?        .

7. Ensure you are in your home directory for student1. Using the echo command with output redirection, and an absolute path, add 10 lines to the /tmp/labfile1 file. Make each line just one word - line1, line2, through line10. What is the new file size of the /tmp/labfile1 file?      .

In what storage units are files displayed in unix?        .

Ensure you are in your home directory for student1. Use the tail command and a relative path to display the last 5 lines of the /etc/passwd file. What command did you use:        .

Ensure you are in your home directory for student1. Use the head command and an absolute path to display the first 5 lines of the /etc/group file. What command did you use:        .

8. Ensure you are in your home directory for student1. Create a new subdirectory in your home directory called subdir1. What command did you use:        .

Change your current directory to the subdir1 directory using a relative pathname. What command did you use:      .

Change back to your home directory for student1. Create a file called labfile3 in this subdir1 directory using the touch command with a relative pathname. What command did you use:

     .

9. Ensure you are in your home directory for student1. Execute the following commands: ls –al subdir1 and ls –ald subdir1. What is the difference between these 2 commands?

     .

A Discrete Mathematics professor has a class of students. Frustrated with their lack of discipline, he decides to cancel class if fewer than some number of students are present when class starts. Arrival times go from on time (arrivalTime < 0) to arrival late (arrivalTime > 0).Given the arrival time of each student and a threshhold number of attendees, determine if the class is canceled.

Input Format

The first line of input contains t, the number of test cases.

Each test case consists of two lines.

The first line has two space-separated integers, n and k, the number of students (size of a) and the cancellation threshold.
The second line contains n space-separated integers (a[1], a[2],....,a[n]) describing the arrival times for each student.

Note: Non-positive arrival times (a[i] < 0) indicate the student arrived early or on time; positive arrival times (a[i] > 0) ) indicate the student arrived minutes late.

For example, there are n=6 students who arrive at times a = [-1,-1,0,0,1,1]. Four are there on time, and two arrive late. If there must be for class to go on, in this case the class will continue. If there must be k = 4 for class th

, then class is cancelled.

Function Description

Complete the angryProfessor function in the editor below. It must return YES if class is cancelled, or NO otherwise.

angryProfessor has the following parameter(s):

• k: the threshold number of students
• a: an array of integers representing arrival times

Constraints

Output Format

For each test case, print the word YES if the class is canceled or NO if it is not.

Note
If a student arrives exactly on time (ai = 0), the student is considered to have entered before the class started.

Sample Input

2
4 3
-1 -3 4 2
4 2
0 -1 2 1

Sample Output

YES
NO

Explanation

For the first test case, k = 3. The professor wants at least 3 students in attendance, but only 2 have arrived on time (-3 and -1 ) so the class is cancelled.

For the second test case, k = 2. The professor wants at least 2 students in attendance, and there are 2 who have arrived on time (0 and -1 ) so the class is not cancelled.

#include <bits/stdc++.h>

using namespace std;

vector<string> split_string(string);

// Complete the angryProfessor function below.

string angryProfessor(int k, vector<int> a) {

}

int main()

{

ofstream fout(getenv("OUTPUT_PATH"));

int t;

cin >> t;

cin.ignore(numeric_limits<streamsize>::max(), '\n');

for (int t_itr = 0; t_itr < t; t_itr++) {

string nk_temp;

getline(cin, nk_temp);

vector<string> nk = split_string(nk_temp);

int n = stoi(nk[0]);

int k = stoi(nk[1]);

string a_temp_temp;

getline(cin, a_temp_temp);

vector<string> a_temp = split_string(a_temp_temp);

vector<int> a(n);

for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {

int a_item = stoi(a_temp[i]);

a[i] = a_item;

}

string result = angryProfessor(k, a);

fout << result << "\n";

}

fout.close();

return 0;

}

vector<string> split_string(string input_string) {

string::iterator new_end = unique(input_string.begin(), input_string.end(), [] (const char &x, const char &y) {

return x == y and x == ' ';

});

input_string.erase(new_end, input_string.end());

while (input_string[input_string.length() - 1] == ' ') {

input_string.pop_back();

}

vector<string> splits;

char delimiter = ' ';

size_t i = 0;

size_t pos = input_string.find(delimiter);

while (pos != string::npos) {

splits.push_back(input_string.substr(i, pos - i));

i = pos + 1;

pos = input_string.find(delimiter, i);

}

splits.push_back(input_string.substr(i, min(pos, input_string.length()) - i + 1));

return splits;

}

Resources: Pastas R Us, Inc. Database & Microsoft Excel®, Wk 1: Descriptive Statistics Analysis Assignment

Purpose

This assignment is intended to help you learn how to apply statistical methods when analyzing operational data, evaluating the performance of current marketing strategies, and recommending actionable business decisions. This is an opportunity to build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills within the context of data analysis and interpretation. You’ll gain a first-hand understanding of how data analytics supports decision-making and adds value to an organization.

Scenario:

Pastas R Us, Inc. is a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in noodle-based dishes, soups, and salads. Since its inception, the business development team has favored opening new restaurants in areas (within a 3-mile radius) that satisfy the following demographic conditions:

• Median age between 25 – 45 years old
• Household median income above national average
• At least 15% college educated adult population

Last year, the marketing department rolled out a Loyalty Card strategy to increase sales. Under this program, customers present their Loyalty Card when paying for their orders and receive some free food after making 10 purchases.

The company has collected data from its 74 restaurants to track important variables such as average sales per customer, year-on-year sales growth, sales per sq. ft., Loyalty Card usage as a percentage of sales, and others. A key metric of financial performance in the restaurant industry is annual sales per sq. ft. For example, if a 1200 sq. ft. restaurant recorded $2 million in sales last year, then it sold $1,667 per sq. ft.

Executive management wants to know whether the current expansion criteria can be improved. They want to evaluate the effectiveness of the Loyalty Card marketing strategy and identify feasible, actionable opportunities for improvement. As a member of the analytics department, you’ve been assigned the responsibility of conducting a thorough statistical analysis of the company’s available database to answer executive management’s questions.

Report:

Write a 750-word statistical report that includes the following sections:

• Section 1: Scope and descriptive statistics
• Section 2: Analysis
• Section 3: Recommendations and Implementation

Section 1 - Scope and descriptive statistics

• State the report’s objective.
• Discuss the nature of the current database. What variables were analyzed?
• Summarize your descriptive statistics findings from Excel. Use a table and insert appropriate graphs.

Section 2 - Analysis

• Using Excel, create scatter plots and display the regression equations for the following pairs of variables:
• “BachDeg%” versus “Sales/SqFt”
• “MedIncome” versus “Sales/SqFt”
• “MedAge” versus “Sales/SqFt”
• “LoyaltyCard(%)” versus “SalesGrowth(%)”
• In your report, include the scatter plots. For each scatter plot, designate the type of relationship observed (increasing/positive, decreasing/negative, or no relationship) and determine what you can conclude from these relationships.

Section 3: Recommendations and implementation

• Based on your findings above, assess which expansion criteria seem to be more effective.Could any expansion criterion be changed or eliminated? If so, which one and why?
• Based on your findings above, does it appear as if the Loyalty Card is positively correlated with sales growth? Would you recommend changing this marketing strategy?
• Based on your previous findings, recommend marketing positioning that targets a specific demographic. (Hint: Are younger people patronizing the restaurants more than older people?)
• Indicate what information should be collected to track and evaluate the effectiveness of your recommendations. How can this data be collected? (Hint: Would you use survey/samples or census?)

Cite references to support your assignment.

Homework 3 – Programming with C++

What This Assignment Is About: • Classes and Objects • Methods • Arrays of Primitive Values • Arrays of Objects • Recursion • for and if Statements • Insertion Sort

2. Use the following Guidelines • Give identifiers semantic meaning and make them easy to read (examples numStudents, grossPay, etc). • User upper case for constants. Use title case (first letter is upper case) for classes. Use lower case with uppercase word separators for all other identifiers (variables, methods, objects) • Use tabs or spaces to indent code within blocks (code surrounded by braces). This includes classes, methods, and code associated with ifs, switches and loops. Be consistent with the number of spaces or tabs that you use to indent. • Use white space to make your program more readable. For each file in your assignment, provide a heading (in comments) which includes: • The assignment number. • Its author (your name). • A description of what this program is doing.

3. Part 1. Primitive Types, Searching, Recursion (35 points). a) In the file homework_part_1.cpp (available on Canvas), add header comments and function comments b) Implement the function initializeArray that receives two parameters: an array of integers and the array size. Use a for loop and an if statement to put 0s in the odd positions of the array and 5s in the even positions. You must use pointers to work with the array. Hint: review pointers as parameters.

c) Implement the function printArray that receives as parameters an array of integers and the array size. Use a for statements to print all the elements in the array. You must use pointers to work with the array. Hint: review pointers as parameters.

d) Implement the function arrayInsertionSort that receives as parameters an array of integers and the array size, and order the array’s elements in descending order. Implement Insertion Sort algorithm. It should be Insertion Sort, not Selection Sort, not Quick Sort, etc.

e) Implement the recursive function that calculates and returns the factorial of a number. The function receives the number (integer number) as parameter

f) Compile and run the code for homework_part_1.cpp Any changes made to the main method of the file will be penalized unless otherwise instructed

using namespace std;

void initializeArray(int* array, int length)

{

}

void printArray(int* array, int length)

{

}

void insertionSort(int* array, int length)

{

}

int factorial(int num)

{

return 0;

}

int main()

{

int a[] = {2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20};

int b[] = {18, 16, 19, -5, 3, 14, 6, 0};

int c[] = {4, 2, 5, 3, 1};

/* testing initialize_array */

printArray(a, sizeof(a)/sizeof(a[0])); /* print: 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17,

19, 20 */

initializeArray(a, sizeof(a)/sizeof(a[0]));

printArray(a, sizeof(a)/sizeof(a[0])); /* print: 5, 0, 5, 0, 5, 0, 5, 0, 5, 0

*/

/* testing insertionSort */

printArray(b, sizeof(b)/sizeof(b[0])); /* print: 18, 16, 19, -5, 3, 14, 6, 0 */

insertionSort (b, sizeof(b)/sizeof(b[0]));

printArray(b, sizeof(b)/sizeof(b[0])); /* print: 19, 18, 16, 14, 6, 3, 0, -5 */

/* testing factorial */

cout << factorial(5) << endl; /* print: 120 */

c[0] = factorial (c[0]);

c[1] = factorial (c[2]);

printArray(c, sizeof(c)/sizeof(c[0])); /* print: 24, 120, 5, 3, 1 */

return 0;

}

C code please

(1) Prompt the user to enter a string of their choosing. Store the text in a string. Output the string. (1 pt)

Ex:

Enter a sample text:
we'll continue our quest in space.  there will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and,  yes,  more volunteers, more civilians,  more teachers in space.  nothing ends here;  our hopes and our journeys continue!

You entered: we'll continue our quest in space.  there will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and,  yes,  more volunteers, more civilians,  more teachers in space.  nothing ends here;  our hopes and our journeys continue!

(2) Implement a PrintMenu() function, which has a string as a parameter, outputs a menu of user options for analyzing/editing the string, and returns the user's entered menu option. Each option is represented by a single character.

If an invalid character is entered, continue to prompt for a valid choice. Hint: Implement Quit before implementing other options. Call PrintMenu() in the main() function. Continue to call PrintMenu() until the user enters q to Quit. (3 pts)

Ex:

MENU
c - Number of non-whitespace characters
w - Number of words
f - Fix capitalization
r - Replace all !'s
s - Shorten spaces
q - Quit

Choose an option:

(3) Implement the GetNumOfNonWSCharacters() function. GetNumOfNonWSCharacters() has a constant string as a parameter and returns the number of characters in the string, excluding all whitespace. Hint: Using fgets() to read input will cause your string to have a newline character at the end. The newline character should not be counted by GetNumOfNonWSCharacters(). Call GetNumOfNonWSCharacters() in the PrintMenu() function. (4 pts)

Ex:

Number of non-whitespace characters: 181

(4) Implement the GetNumOfWords() function. GetNumOfWords() has a constant string as a parameter and returns the number of words in the string. Hint: Words end when a space is reached except for the last word in a sentence. Call GetNumOfWords() in the PrintMenu() function. (3 pts)

Ex:

Number of words: 35

(5) Implement the FixCapitalization() function. FixCapitalization() has a string parameter and updates the string by replacing lowercase letters at the beginning of sentences with uppercase letters. FixCapitalization() DOES NOT output the string. Call FixCapitalization() in the PrintMenu() function, and then output the edited string. (3 pts)

Ex:

Edited text: We'll continue our quest in space.  There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and,  yes,  more volunteers, more civilians,  more teachers in space.  Nothing ends here;  our hopes and our journeys continue!

(6) Implement the ReplaceExclamation() function. ReplaceExclamation() has a string parameter and updates the string by replacing each '!' character in the string with a '.' character. ReplaceExclamation() DOES NOT output the string. Call ReplaceExclamation() in the PrintMenu() function, and then output the edited string. (3 pts)

Ex.

Edited text: we'll continue our quest in space.  there will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and,  yes,  more volunteers, more civilians,  more teachers in space.  nothing ends here;  our hopes and our journeys continue.

(7) Implement the ShortenSpace() function. ShortenSpace() has a string parameter and updates the string by replacing all sequences of 2 or more spaces with a single space. ShortenSpace() DOES NOT output the string. Call ShortenSpace() in the PrintMenu() function, and then output the edited string. (3 pt)

Ex:

Edited text: we'll continue our quest in space. there will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue!

#include<stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main(void) {

/* Type your code here. */

return 0;
}

Review the Point/Counterpoint at the end of Chapter 45. Do you agree with the Yes or No groups? Why?

A wastewater treatment plant that treats wastewater to secondary treatment standards uses a primary sedimentation process followed by an activated sludge process composed of aeration tanks and a secondary clarifiers.
This problem focuses on the activated sludge process.

The activated sludge process receives a flow of 15 million gallons per day (MGD).
The primary sedimentation process effluent has a BOD5 concentration of 180 mgBOD5/L (this concentration is often referred as S). Before flowing into the activated sludge process, the primary effluent is mixed with the returned activated sludge (RAS) – concentrated biomass - that is continuously pumped out of the bottom of the secondary clarifiers. The returned activated sludge (RAS) ratio is 25%, in other word, an equivalent of 25% of plant flow (15 MGD) is pumped out of the bottom of the secondary clarifiers. The mixture of primary effluent and RAS forms make up the activated sludge, which is also called mixed liquor. The resulting mixed liquor has a total suspended solids (TSS) concentration of 2,500 mgTSS/L and a total volatile suspended solids (TVSS) concentration of 2,125 mgTVSS/L (this biomass concentration is often referred as X).
It flows into aeration thanks that have a total volume of 2.5 million gallons (Mgal) (this volume is often referred as V).

The mixed liquor then flow to secondary clarifiers that have a total volume of 5 million gallons.

Activated that settles at the bottom of the secondary clarifiers is pumped out of the tank. The majority is continuously sent back to the aeration tank as RAS but some is removed from the activated sludge process as waste activated sludge (WAS). The WAS has an average TSS concentration of 10,000 mg/L and a total mass of 10,000 lb of WAS TSS is removed every day.

The final effluent has an average BOD5 concentration of 12 mgBOD5/L and an average TSS concentration of 10 mg/L.

1. Draw a schematic of the activated sludge process and insert the different values given in the question.

2. What is the average RAS flowrate? (answer will be given in the unit of !!"#$" ?? ???) %&'

3. What is the average aeration process hydraulic detention time? Remember to include the RAS flowrate in your calculation (answer will be given in the unit of (hr))

4. What is the aeration process average BOD5 loading rate? Remember that the RAS data is

   not included in this calculation (answer will be given in the unit of ! $(*+, ")

   -... /0!1/ 23&4012 . %&'

5. What is the total mass of biomass present in the aeration tanks? (answer will be given in the unit of (lb TVSS))

6. What is the activated sludge food to microorganism (F/M) ratio? (answer will be given in the unit of ! $( *+, ") )

67 89:;; . %&'

7. The final effluent TSS is assumed to be composed of biomass that was not captured in the secondary clarification process. Therefore, the mass of final effluent TSS has to be included in the total amount of biomass removed (biomass leaving the system). With that said, what is the daily mass of TSS or biomass leaving the system with the final effluent? (answer will be given in the unit of (lb FE TSS))

8. What is the activated system sludge retention time (also called sludge age or mean cell retention time) when only considering the mass of activated sludge present in the aeration tank? (use the biomass TSS values for this question) (answer will be given in the unit of (day))

9. Based on the ”general loading and operational parameters for activated sludge process” table below, which activated process is the plant operating? (answer will be one of the 5 processes listed in the table)

10. Knowing the mass of WAS TSS removed and the WAS TSS concentration, what is the daily volume of WAS removed from the system? (answer will be given in the unit of (gallon/day))

11. Will the sludge age increase if the volume and mass of WAS removed from the system increase? (answer will be given as yes or no)

12. Will the type of bacteria present in the activated sludge and its performance likely to change as the sludge age is increased or decreased? (answer will be given as yes or no)

Meet the Marcottes, Martin and Luz Marcotte that is. Martin is a successful graphics designer who is 38 years old, while Luz is a counseling psychologist, 35 years old and is working at a State facility in Kansas. They have a 10 year old daughter Paloma, who is in the first grade, and a three year old son Joel, who goes to the nearby daycare center. The Marcottes will be facing numerous challenges as the financial planning topics progress, which will require you to practice sound financial decision making, and in other instances where there is a sufficient time horizon, some prudent financial planning.

Currently, Luz is finishing her doctoral program in Psychology, while maintaining a parttime status at the Habilitation Center where she works. The Marcottes own a home, two cars, have approximately $10,000 saved up in various savings and investment accounts, and own some assets around the house. They are also vested in their 401ks that they maintain at their respective places of employment. Presently, there are some financial issues facing this couple, they have not addressed. Although, they both have jobs where they make decent salaries, they have not really thought about their children’s educational needs. Inflation in the cost of college education is a reality for most parents, which has to be kept in mind when planning for the future. Moreover, Martin’s mom who is in her late seventies, has been facing declining health, and will not be able to live by herself, like she has been, for very long. Luz, who is originally from Peru, also sends regular amounts of money to her family, but her folks are also aging and may need some financial assistance in the future.

Lastly, since they lead a fairly hectic lifestyle, they have not given much thought to their own retirements, or the possibility of how they would handle a layoff from work. Consider the situation where Martin has been told by his boss that due to lower sales the company is anticipating layoffs. After getting the word Martin came home and talked to his wife and the kids.

They decided to make up a list of 3 things.(1) bills they have to pay each month (2) areas where they can reduce the spending and (3) sources of funds to help them pay current expenses. Each family member has several ideas on how to cope with the impending financial situation.

Currently the Marcottes monthly take-home pay is $3165. Each month, the money broadly goes for the following items: Rent $880 Utilities $180 Food $560 Auto Expenses $480 Clothing $300 Insurance $280 Savings $250 Personal Items $225

After Martin is laid off, the monthly income will drop to $1550 from his wife’s income and his unemployment benefits. The Marcottes have $12,000 in various savings and investments accounts for the children’s education. Besides this they have about $24,000 in their retirement accounts and investments.

Q1: What items might the Marcottes consider reducing to cope with their financial difficulties? Please explain the detail. What alternative actions can they take to reduce some of their expenses?

Q2: How should the Marcottes use their savings and retirement funds during the financial crisis? Analyze and list in detail.

Q3: What additional sources of funds might be available to them during their time of employment? (think out of the box)

Q4: What other current and future financial actions would you recommend to the Marcottes?

Q5: Based on the information above, how should the Marcottes have in an emergency fund? What steps should they take to reach that amount?