Answer: the total amount that you can earn in 15 years is $737245. Option C
Step-by-step explanation:
You receive an annual salary of $32,900 and each year, you are assured of a 5.5% raise. Assuming there was no raise, you get 100% of your previous salary each year. With a raise of 5.5%, you will get 100 + 5.5 = 105.5% of your previous salary for each year. This is a geometric progression and we want to determine the sum of 15 terms(15 years).
The formula for the sum of terms in a geometric progression is
Sn = [a(r^n - 1)]/ r - 1
Sn = sum of n terms
a = the first term
n = number of terms
r = common ratio
From the information given,
a = 32900
n = 15
r = 105.5/100 = 1.055
S15 = [32900(1.055^15 - 1)] / 1.055 - 1
S15 = [32900(2.23247649 - 1)] / 0.055
S15 = 32900 × 1.23247649) / 0.055
S15 = 737245.0277
S15 = $737245
