Millhouse graduated 5 years ago with a degree in business administration and is currently employed as a middle level manager for the same firecracker company his dad already worked for. His current annual salary of $60,000 has increased at an average rate of 5% per year and is projected to increase at that rate for the future. The firm has had a voluntary retirement savings program in place, whereby, employees can contribute up to 11% of their gross annual salary (up to a maximum of $11,000 per year) and the company will match every dollar that the employee contributes. Unfortunately, Millhouse did not listen to his finance instructor (which is understandable, because you can’t really trust those Germans) and has not yet taken advantage of the retirement savings program. He opted instead to buy a new car, rent an expensive apartment and go out to Moe’s every night. However, with wedding plans on the horizon, Millhouse has finally come to the realization (with the help of his fiancée Lisa) that he had better start putting away some money. Millhouse figures that the two largest expenses down the road would be those related to the wedding and down payment on a house. He estimates that the wedding, which will take place in twelve months, should cost about $10,000. Furthermore, he plans to move into a $200,000 house in 5 years and would need 20% for a down payment. Millhouse knows that an automatic payroll deduction is probably the best way to go since he is not a very disciplined investor. 

1) Had Millhouse availed of the company’s voluntary retirement plan up to the maximum every year for the past five years, how much money would he currently have accumulated in his retirement account, assuming monthly deposits and a rate of return of 6% with interest compounded monthly? How much more would he have, had he opted for a higher risk alternative which was expected to yield 10%, compounded monthly? 

2) If Millhouse starts his retirement savings plan in January of next year (when he turns 28) by contributing the maximum allowable amount into the firm’s retirement savings program, how much money will he have accumulated for retirement, assuming he retires at age 65 (27 years later)? Assume the rate of return on the account to be 8% compounded monthly. 

3) How much would Millhouse have to save each month, starting from the end of next month, in order to accumulate enough money for his wedding expenses, assuming a rate of return of 10% compounded monthly? 

4) If Millhouse starts saving at the end of next month for the down payment on his house, how much money (in addition to the wedding expenses) will he have to save each month? Assume the same terms as in question 3. 

5) If Millhouse saves up a million dollars by the time he retires (at age 65), how much can he withdraw each month in equal dollar amounts, if he figures he will live up to the age of 85 years? Assume that his investment fund yields a rate of return of 8% compounded monthly.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

ANSWER Millhouse would have accumulated 4661356 by now had he followed the higher risk option 5 years agoSalary was 60000 annually the per month salary is 5000 and the total contribution including emp... View the full answer