Asked by Chuck Bass

If $10,000 is invested for 5 yr at 6% APR, will the return be greater if interest is compounded semiannually or if it is compounded monthly?

semiannually

monthly

The return will be the same either way.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Monthly.

Calculation:
- Semiannual (m = 2): A = 10000*(1 + 0.06/2)^(2*5) = 10000*(1.03)^10 ≈ $13,439.16.
- Monthly (m = 12): A = 10000*(1 + 0.06/12)^(12*5) = 10000*(1.005)^60 ≈ $13,483.46.

Monthly compounding yields about $44.30 more.