Which of the following investments has the highest effective annual return $($EAR$)?$

$($Assume that all CDs are of equal risk.$)$

a$)$ a bank CD that pays $7\mathrm{.}00$ percent interest compounded daily

b$)$ a bank CD that pays $7\mathrm{.}10$ percent compounded monthly

c$)$ a bank CD that pays $7\mathrm{.}30$ percent annually

d$)$ a bank CD that pays $7\mathrm{.}25$ percent compounded semiannually

Your company has received a $$50,000$ loan from an industrial finance company. The

annual payments are $$6,202\mathrm{.}70.$ If the company is paying $9$ percent interest per year, how

many loan payments must the company make?

a$)19$

b$)13$

c$)12$

d$)15$