Using a Present Value Annuity Calculator Will Save Your Portfolio

By Saul Johnson | October 15, 2008

by Paul Oglesby

Many annuity investors find the present value annuity calculator to be very useful. While the concept of present value can be difficult to understand, the present value annuity calculator is quite simple to use and can give you the answers you want in an instant.

The definition of present value, as used in the present value annuity calculator, is the value of a given date of a future payment or payments. In the case of the present value annuity calculator, it is the value of future annuity payment or series of future annuity payments discounted taking into account the time value for money as well as many other factors.

The present value concept is useful, not only for the present value annuity calculator but for many other financial calculations. Many businesses and financial institutions make use of present value calculators. In real estate investing, investors rely heavily on present value calculators to help them invest in real estate.

Investors can either use the present value annuity calculator online whenever they want to calculate annuity payments or they can download the present value annuity calculator application and install it as a desktop application for use whenever they want even when they are not connected to the Internet. Each present value annuity calculator can have different interfaces and you have to learn about the interface of the present value annuity calculator you choose before you use it.

The discount factor is used in the present value annuity calculator to calculate present value. The discount factor is expressed as the reciprocal of one plus a rate of return. If you know the discount factor, then the present value is simply the discount factor multiplied by expected payoff in one year.

The rate of return is one of the most important input in the present value annuity calculator. The rate of return is similar to interest rate. It is the reward that investors get for investing the money and getting paid on a later date. The discount factor uses the rate of return in its calculation.

People call the rate of return by many names. Some of the names for the rate of return are discount rate, hurdle rate and the opportunity cost of capital. It is called the opportunity cost because it is the return forgone by investing in one project rather than in securities.

The more common use of the present value annuity calculator is to calculate the net present value rather than just the present value. When calculating the net present value, the present value annuity calculator uses the required investment in its calculation.

Although it is hard to grasp the concept of present value, it is not hard to use the present value annuity calculator. The present value annuity calculator can even display results in simple to understand charts and graphs. The present value annuity calculator is very useful when you try to understand how annuities work.

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