Financing a Growing Business Thalia, Georgia, and Fariyal started a cupcake business in their final year in college, registering the company as 'Sugary Bites. They needed measuring cups, mixers, a food processor, and other baking equipment to prepare for production. This equipment cost a total of $1500, which the entrepreneurs financed through a loan from a bank at 12.5% compounded monthly, amortized over two years. Within a week, they started making cupcakes and delivering them to their college cafeteria Within two months, Sugary Bites was the talk of the college campus and the bakery business was making modest profits. After graduating, the three budding entrepreneurs decided to expand their operation. They rented a retail store in the city and added ten new cupcake flavours to their product line. They also hired an assistant to run the store and a delivery person to handle personal orders. After two years of successfully managing Sugary Bites, they saved enough money to use as a down payment to purchase a small shop where they could make their cupcakes, and a delivery truck to deliver them. They identified a $108,000 commercial property and secured a mortgage for 80% of its value to purchase it. The fixed interest rate on the mortgage was 3.4% compounded semi- annually for an amortization period of five years. They also purchased a delivery truck for the business at a cost of $18,500 and financed 80% of it at 7% compounded monthly. They made monthly payments of $300 towards this loan. Mortgage d. Calculate the size of their monthly payments rounded to the next $io. e. By how much would their amortization period shorten if they paid the rounded payment from (d), then also made a lump sum payment of $10,000 at the end of the third year of the mortgage, and finally increased their periodic payment by 30% after the 40th payment?