I saw this question come up in a Dateline NBC piece on retirement. So here goes: You have an investment that delivers a 7% return each year. However, you are charged a 2% management fee. What is the real rate of return on your money?

Do you know a way to calculate APR with low balance transfer offers with credit cards? All methods I’ve previously read about don’t work, because they assume you make equal payments for the full term until the balance is paid off. This is how mortgages are paid, so the APR formulas work for those.

Two stores are having a sale. In Store #1 the deal is take 25% off then take an additional 25% off. In Store #2 the deal is take 50% off. Which store has the better deal? (Store #1, Store #2, Both are the same)

This question from a DebtSmart Reader, Margie: I purchased property for $27,515.00 at 7.5% for 8 years on a semiannual payment of $2318.00. The first year, three payments were made of $2,318.00; we have paid three years so far. This year, on our due date, we would like to pay off the mortgage. What will be the amount due? ($16,965; $18,695; $21,297; or $22,297) NOTE: Assume that the third payment in year one was made with the second payment.

Rachel was telling Jack about her romantic date with Dave. Jack is a man that is more concerned with the cost of the frolic than the details of their amorous evening. Jack asked Rachel how much the tab was for food only (tax included). Rachel was too focused on Dave to remember the amount for the actual dinners, but she did remember tipping the waiter 16% and that the final bill, tip included, was $159.50. Jack was quite amazed that Rachel would remember so much, but not recall the cost of the dinner before the tip. Of course, Jack knows his math and can easily figure it out. Can you? What is the cost of the dinner before the tip? ($137.50, $140.25, or $142.25)

You have $10,000 that you want to deposit in a money market account. You have a choice between two accounts. Both accounts pay 5% APR (Annual Percentage Rate). One account is compounded daily, meaning that interest is paid daily to the account. The other is compounded monthly meaning that interest is paid monthly. After one year, how much more is earned by depositing the money in the account that is compounded daily? ($1.05, $10.05, $100.05, or $1,000.05)

Here are two mortgages: (Loan 1) Standard mortgage for $166,792 at 6% for 30 years with monthly payments of $1,000.00 or (Loan 2) A biweekly mortgage for $166,792 at 6.1% for 25 years with biweekly payments (once every two weeks) of $500. Which mortgage is better? (Note: There are no prepayment penalties for either loan. Meaning that you can pay as much as you wish, at anytime, without penalty.)

If I have a current mortgage balance of around $66,150 at 8.25% fixed rate, monthly payments, with 21 years left on a 30 year mortgage, How much do I save if get a 15 year mortgage at 4.85% fixed rate, biweekly payments, with $10,190 of credit card debt added which is currently at 9.99%?

Three men checked into a hotel room and were charged $30 for which they paid $10 each. The next day, the manager realized that the men had been overcharged since the real price is $25 for the room. The manager gave the bellhop $5 to return to the three men. On the way to their room the bellhop decided to keep $2 for himself so he wouldn’t have to make change. The bellhop gave $1 to each man. The three men had now paid $9 each, or a total of $27. This, plus the $2 the bellhop kept for himself, makes a total of $29. What happened to the other dollar?

Sandy finds a bank willing to give her a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. They require her to give a 20% down payment on the purchase of her home. The interest rate (APR) is 8.4%, and she must pay 1.5 points, which will be rolled into the mortgage. After property taxes, PMI, etc., Sandy can afford $1,500 per month on the mortgage payment. What is the maximum price of the home that she can purchase? ($212,000, $222,000, $232,000, or $242,000)