A rich, friendly, and probably slightly unbalanced benefactor offers you the opportunity to invest $1 million today in two mutually exclusive ways. The payoffs are: $2 million after 1-year, a 100%...

A rich, friendly, and probably slightly unbalanced benefactor offers you the opportunity to invest $1 million today in two mutually exclusive ways. The payoffs are: $2 million after 1-year, a 100% return; or $300,000 a year forever.

            Neither investment is risky, and safe securities are yielding 7%.  Which investment should you take?  You can’t take both, so the choices are mutually exclusive.  Should you want to earn a high percentage, or should you want to be rich?

            Applying the net present value method and the internal rate of return method should help to guide you in your decision.  And, the present value of a perpetuity is equal to the cash payment divided by the interest rate.

1. Earn a high percentage.


2. Be rich.