27 Members of a book club have decided, after reading an investment book, to begin investing in the stock market. They would like to achieve the following:

Their investment must grow by at least $6,000 in the long term (over three years) and at least $900 in the short term, and they must earn a dividend of at least $300 per year. They are consulting with a stock broker, who has narrowed their search to two stocks: Carolina Solar Power and South West Steel.

The data on each stock, per $1 invested, are as follows:

CAROLINA SOLAR POWER SOUTH WEST STEEL Short-term appreciation $0.46 $0.26 Long-term appreciation $1.72 $1.93 Dividend income 9% 13%

Assuming that these data are indicative of what will happen to these stocks over the next three years, what is the smallest investment, in dollars, that the members would have to make in one or both of these two stocks to meet their investment goals?