Time value of money: rent contracts problem

Assume there are two possible rent contracts:

Contract 1: Deposit US$150,000. No rent and get back US$150,000 after two years.

Contract 2: Deposit US$10,000. Rent of US$12,000 per year. Get back US$10,000 after two years.

If my discount factor is 1% then contact 1’s NPV > contract 2’s NPV. If my discount factor is 10% then the inverse would be true.

The solutions says that c.8.2% is the breakeven point where both contracts would be equal.

However, assume my discount factor was say 4%. Under the standard calculation, contract 1 would have the following cash flows:

T0: (150,000) T1: 0 T2: (150,000)/((1.04)^2)

This would give an NPV of (11,317).

Contract 2 would have the following cash flows:

T0: (10,000) T1: (12,000)/((1.04)^1) T2: (2000)/(1.04)^2

This gives an NPV of (23,387.57)

BUT

Contract 2 has the added advantage of me having to spend US$140,000 less at the outset. That US$140,000 has the advantage of giving me cash flows of US$5,600 (US$140,000(0.04))(1.04) in the first year (the first year figure would also earn that 4%) and US$5,600 (The amount earned in the second year).

Shouldn’t these cash flows also be added to contract 2 above thus making the solution (breakeven point of 8.2%) wrong?

1 Comments
 

Quia assumenda maiores iste dicta fugiat. Cum dolore qui unde quo. Temporibus molestiae asperiores commodi dolor. Quae numquam omnis in dolor suscipit ea magni. Aliquid qui eum assumenda.

Qui sed quidem aut est sint vel. Libero ipsam ut qui qui est eos doloribus possimus. Doloribus et quia qui dolore voluptatem veniam. Tenetur quas vel distinctio nemo aperiam. Similique consequatur quas numquam. Sunt animi ut et et ut. Est qui ut natus voluptate ut sunt velit fugit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”