In 1995, Oseola McCarty donated $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi to establish a scholarship fund (New York Times, November 12, 1996, pp. A1, A22). What is unusual about this donation is that the entire amount came from what she was able to save each month from her work as a washerwoman, a job she began in 1916 at the age of 8, when she dropped out of school. How much would Ms. McCarty have had to put into her savings account at the end of every 3 months to accumulate $150,000 over 79 years? Assume that she received an interest rate of 5.25% compounded quarterly. Solution $32.49 formula for payment PMT=FV/(((1+i)^N-1)/i) FV = future value = 150,000 i = interest rate = 0.0525/4 = 0.013125 (quarterly) N = number of periods = 79 x 4 = 316 (3 month periods) PMT = 150,000/(((1+0.013125)^316 - 1)/0.013125) = $32.49.