Antivirus Inc. expects its sales next year to be $4,500,000. Inventory and accounts receivable will increase by $680,000 to accommodate this sales level. The company has a steady profit margin of 8 percent with a 15 percent dividend payout. How much external financing will the firm have to seek? Assume there is no increase in liabilities other than that which will occur with the external financing. External funds needed Biochemical Corp. requires $640,000 in financing over the next three years. The firm can borrow the funds for three years at 10.60 percent interest per year. The CEO decides to do a forecast and predicts that if she utilizes short-term financing instead, she will pay 8.75 percent interest in the first year, 13.25 percent interest in the second year, and 10.15 percent interest in the third year. Assume interest is paid in full at the end of each year. a. Determine the total interest cost under each plan. Interest Cost Long-term fixed-rate Short-term variable-rate b. Which plan is less costly? Short-term variable-rate plan O Long-term fixed-rate plan