AAA Inc. has a current debt-to-equity ratio of 3, and is considering expanding its operations into a new industry. Firms in this new industry face a different set of risks than AAA Inc. However, the executives at AAA Inc. observe that a company in the new industry (BBB Inc.) has a cost of equity of 14%, a cost of debt of 7%, and a debt-to-value ratio of 40%. AAA Inc. plans to finance its expansion into the new industry with 50% debt and 50% equity. The cost of debt for AAA Inc. is also 7%, and the corporate tax rate is 25%. Solve for the discount rate that AAA Inc. should use when evaluating whether to go forward with the expansion.

A.) 9.84% B.) 10.33% C.) 11.20% D.) 12.43%