Final answer:
To reach a balance of $15,000 with monthly payments of $225 at an APR of 6.5 percent compounded monthly, you will need to make 93 payments.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the number of payments needed to reach a balance of $15,000, we can use the formula for the future value of an annuity:
![FV = P * [(1 + r)^n - 1] / r](https://img.qammunity.org/2024/formulas/mathematics/college/7hjsxzn7ec0jvje1mgllohf8xtx9uyty1e.png)
Where FV is the future value, P is the payment amount, r is the interest rate per period, and n is the number of periods. In this case, P = $225, r = 6.5% or 0.065, and FV = $15,000.
Plugging in these values, we can solve for n:
![15,000 = $225 * [(1 + 0.065)^n - 1] / 0.065](https://img.qammunity.org/2024/formulas/business/high-school/nkcw6jhybbl5xdpjg60mseefifkqq26tx6.png)
By solving this equation, we find that approximately n = 92.7.
Since n represents the number of payments, we must round up to the nearest whole number, giving us a total of 93 payments.