Time Value of Money

The Time Value of Money means:

Money today is worth more than the same amount of money in the future.

This happens because money today can:

  • Be invested

  • Earn interest

  • Grow over time

Example

If you have $1,000 today, you can invest it at 10% interest.

After 1 year it becomes:

1000 × 1.10 = $1,100

2. Why Time Value of Money Exists

So $1,000 today = $1,100 in one year.

There are several reasons:

Interest earning ability

Money can be invested to earn returns.

a) Inflation

Prices increase over time, so future money buys less.

b) Risk

Future payments are uncertain.

If you delay receiving money, you lose the opportunity to invest it.

3. Key Concepts of TVM

Present Value (PV)

The current value of money today.

Example
The value today of $1,000 received after 2 years.

Future Value (FV)

The value of money in the future after interest is added.

Example
How much $1,000 today will become after 3 years.

Interest Rate (r)

The percentage return earned per period.

Example

  • 5%

  • 8%

  • 10%

Time (n)

The number of years or periods.

Example

  • 3 years

  • 5 years

  • 10 years

4. Future Value Calculation

Formula:

FV = PV(1 + r)ⁿ

Example:

PV = 2,000
r = 10%
n = 3 years

FV = 2000(1.10)³

FV = 2,662

Meaning $2,000 today becomes $2,662 in 3 years.

5. Present Value Calculation

Formula:

PV = FV / (1 + r)ⁿ

Example:

FV = 2,662
r = 10%
n = 3

PV = 2662 / (1.10)³

PV = 2,000

This tells us the value today of future money.

6. Compounding

Compounding means interest is earned on both the original money and the previous interest.

Example

Year 1
1000 → 1100

Year 2
1100 → 1210

Year 3
1210 → 1331

Interest keeps building on itself.

7. Discounting

Discounting is the reverse of compounding.

Instead of moving forward to future value, we move backward to present value.

It helps to determine:

  • Value of future payments

  • Value of investments

8. Applications of Time Value of Money

The concept is widely used in finance such as:

a) Loan calculations

Used to prepare loan repayment schedules.

b) Investment decisions

To determine whether an investment is profitable.

c) Capital budgeting

Businesses use it to evaluate projects.

d) Bond valuation

Used to determine the value of bonds.

e) Retirement planning

Helps calculate future savings.

9. Example Used in Exams

Example question:

You invest 5,000 at 8% for 4 years.

FV = 5000(1.08)⁴

FV = 6,802.44

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