John and Daphne Are Saving for Their Daughter Ellen's College

Multiple Choice

John and Daphne are saving for their daughter Ellen's college education.Ellen just turned 10 (at t = 0) ,and she will be entering college 8 years from now (at t = 8) .College tuition and expenses at State U.are currently $14,500 a year,but they are expected to increase at a rate of 3.5% a year.Ellen should graduate in 4 years⎯if she takes longer or wants to go to graduate school,she will be on her own.Tuition and other costs will be due at the beginning of each school year (at t = 8,9,10,and 11) . ​
So far,John and Daphne have accumulated $15,000 in their college savings account (at t = 0) .Their long-run financial plan is to add an additional $5,000 in each of the next 4 years (at t = 1,2,3,and 4) .Then they plan to make 3 equal annual contributions in each of the following years,t = 5,6,and 7.They expect their investment account to earn 9%.How large must the annual payments at t = 5,6,and 7 be to cover Ellen's anticipated college costs?

A) $1,965.21
B) $2,068.64
C) $2,177.51
D) $2,292.12
E) $2,412.76