Money received today is more valuable than the same amount of money a year from now. It is essential to understand the relation between money and time since the value of money is affected by time through Inflation and Loss of Opportunity. Money loses its purchasing power over time due to inflation. As prices rise, the same amount of money today won't be able to purchase the same number of goods a year from now. Another way you lose money over time is through loss of opportunity. Cash received a year before could have earned had it been invested then.
To determine the value of money over time, we will use the formula below.
PV = Present Value
FV = Future Value
IR = Interest Rate
N = Number of Years
| PV = FV / (1+IR) | N |
Effect of Inflation on Value of Money.
"A million today is worth more than a million ten years from now." To understand how much value or purchasing power is lost over time, we will compute the present value of a million ten years from now. We will assume that the inflation rate will be at 4% annually. Using the formula above, we will substitute the interest rate with the inflation rate.Sample:
| FV = | 1000000 | |
| IR = | 4% or .04 | |
| N = | 10 Years | |
| PV = | 1,000,000 / (1+.04) | 10 |
| = | 1,000,000 / 1.4802 | |
| = | 675,564.17 |
How much will your Investment be Worth in the Future?
"Let your money work for you."
The longer your money is invested the better the chance for it to grow. Whether you put it in a savings account, fixed income securities or in stocks, with enough time it can earn huge returns. The earnings earned from your investment will in turn earn money. In order to determine how much an investment could earn for a particular period we will use the Future Value Formula. Using the future value formula will allow you to estimate the returns of your investment. You can compute Future Value of your money using the formula below.
The longer your money is invested the better the chance for it to grow. Whether you put it in a savings account, fixed income securities or in stocks, with enough time it can earn huge returns. The earnings earned from your investment will in turn earn money. In order to determine how much an investment could earn for a particular period we will use the Future Value Formula. Using the future value formula will allow you to estimate the returns of your investment. You can compute Future Value of your money using the formula below.
| PV= | Present Value | |
| IR= | Interest Rate | |
| N= | Number of Years | |
| FV = | PV x (1+0.10) | N |
How much will one hundred thousand be worth if you invested it in equities with an average return of ten percent a year for the next ten years? How much will be the Present Value of your investment ten years from now if inflation rate is at 4 percent per year?
| PV= | 100,000 |
| IR= | 10% or .10 |
| N= | 10 Years |
| FV= | 100,000 x (1+0.10) | 10 |
| = | 100,000 x 2.5937425 | |
| = | 259,374.25 |
| PV= | 259,374.25 / (1+0.04) | 10 |
| = | 259,374.25 / 1.480244285 | |
| = | 175,223.95 |
