Answer:
Given:
- Principal (P) = $12,000
- Monthly payment (M) = $232
- Number of payments (N) = 60
- Number of payments made before paying off the loan early = 24
a) Determine the APR of the installment loan:
To find the APR, we'll use the formula:
APR = ((12 * (M / P)) + 1) / N - 1) * 100
Substituting the given values:
APR = ((12 * (232 / 12000)) + 1) / 60 - 1) * 100
APR ≈ (0.0232 + 1) / 60 - 1) * 100
APR ≈ (1.0232/60 - 1) * 100
APR ≈ (0.017053 - 1) * 100
APR ≈ (-0.982947) * 100
APR ≈ -98.29%
b) Calculate the total interest paid:
To find the interest paid, we'll use the actuarial method:
Interest = (N - n) * M - P
Substituting the given values:
Interest = (60 - 24) * 232 - 12000
Interest = 36 * 232 - 12000
Interest = 8352 - 12000
Interest = -3648
c) Calculate the total amount due to pay off the loan:
Total amount due = Principal - (Number of payments already made * Monthly payment)
Total amount due = 12000 - (24 * 232)
Total amount due = 12000 - 5568
Total amount due = $6,432
Given the discrepancies in the calculations for the APR and total interest paid, it's important to verify the input values and the methodology used in the problem.