Blush Inc., sold a kitchen appliance that costs $1,000.00 with 5-year financing to a customer who made a down payment of $510.00. What should be the size of the loan payments at the end of every month if interest of 9.00% compounded monthly is charged?   You plan to save money for a down payment of $39,000 to purchase an apartment. You can only afford to save $6,000 at the end of every 6 months into an account that earns interest at 4.25% compounded monthly. How long will it take you to save the planned amount?

Now assume that it is several years later. The brothers are concerned about the firm’s current credit terms of net 30, which means that contractors buying building products from the firm are not offered a discount and are supposed to pay the full amount in 30 days. Gross sales are now running $1,000,000 a year, and 80% (by dollar volume) of the firm’s paying customers generally pay the full amount on Day 30; the other 20% pay, on average, on Day 40. Of the firm’s gross sales, 2% ends up as bad-debt losses. The brothers are now considering a change in the firm’s credit policy. The change would entail: (1) changing the credit terms to 2/10, net 20, (2) employing stricter credit standards before granting credit, and (3) enforcing collections with greater vigor than in the past. Thus, cash customers and those paying within 10 days would receive a 2% discount, but all others would have to pay the full amount after only 20 days. The brothers believe the discount would both attract additional customers and encourage some existing customers to purchase more from the firm—after all, the discount amounts to a price reduction. Of course, these customers would take the discount and hence would pay in only 10 days. The net expected result is for sales to increase to $1,100,000; for 60% of the paying customers to take the discount and pay on the 10th day; for 30% to pay the full amount on Day 20; for 10% to pay late on Day 30; and for bad-debt losses to fall from 2% to 1% of gross sales. The firm’s operating cost ratio will remain unchanged at 75%, and its cost of carrying receivables will remain unchanged at 12%. To begin the analysis, describe the four variables that make up a firm’s credit policy and explain how each of them affects sales and collections.

Del Hawley, owner of Hawleys Hardware, is negotiating with First City Bank for a 1-year loan of 50,000. First City has offered Hawley the alternatives listed here. Calculate the effective annual interest rate for each alternative. Which alternative has the lowest effective annual interest rate? a. A 12% annual rate on a simple interest loan, with no compensating balance required and interest due at the end of the year b. A 9% annual rate on a simple interest loan, with a 20% compensating balance required and interest due at the end of the year c. An 8.75% annual rate on a discounted loan, with a 15% compensating balance d. Interest figured as 8% of the 50,000 amount, payable at the end of the year, but with the loan amount repayable in monthly installments during the year

Shonda & Shonda is a company that does land surveys and engineering consulting. They have an opportunity to purchase new computer equipment that will allow them to render their drawings and surveys much more quickly. The new equipment will cost them an additional $1.200 per month, but they will be able to increase their sales by 10% per year. Their current annual cost and break-even figures are as follows: A. What will be the impact on the break-even point if Shonda & Shonda purchases the new computer? B. What will be the impact on net operating income if Shonda & Shonda purchases the new computer? C. What would be your recommendation to Shonda & Shonda regarding this purchase?