Tag Archives: Bond Math Puzzle

Puzzle #8: James Bond

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Win Smith

Few know that a scene was cut from the James Bond movie Goldfinger.  Bond has been captured by Goldfinger and is strapped tightly to a large turntable.  Bond’s feet are at the center of the platter and his head rests … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonds, Fun, Math, Puzzles | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Puzzle #6: Treasury Debt

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Win Smith

Last week was historic for U.S. Treasury debt.  The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped below 1.44% to its lowest level ever, and the total debt held by the public* rose to $11,006,251,094,374.26. Some might argue that $11 trillion in public … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonds, Economics, Fun, Math | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Puzzle #4: Bond Pricing

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Win Smith

Here’s another puzzle I’ve used to teach bond math. It’s not hard, but it requires some understanding of bond concepts that I will explain as we go (I beg the patience of bond mavens). Suppose you are the financial advisor … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonds, Fun, Math, Puzzles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Puzzle #3: Mortgage with Balloon

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Win Smith

Puzzle #1 posed the question: given a $100,000 mortgage at 5% with monthly payments of $536.82 for 30 years, what is the average life of the principal payments? The puzzle was to be solved with just a few simple calculations. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Math, Puzzles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Puzzle #1: Epilogue

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Win Smith

Puzzle #1 posed the question: given a $100,000 mortgage at 5% with monthly payments of $536.82 for 30 years, what is the average life of the principal payments? The puzzle was to be solved with just a few simple calculations. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonds, Fun, Math, Puzzles | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Answer to Puzzle #1

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Win Smith

The answer to Puzzle #1 is now visible as a comment from Ron Page under the original post. Ron has provided the only correct answer so far (he’s missing a pair of parentheses, but it’s clear what he means). His … Continue reading →

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Clue for Puzzle #1

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Win Smith

For anyone who needs a little help with Puzzle #1, I placed a clue in a comment to this post. Other Posts on Puzzle #1: Puzzle #1, Answer to Puzzle #1, Puzzle #1: Epilogue Other Puzzles: Puzzle #2, Puzzle #3, … Continue reading →

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Puzzle #1: Mortgage Average Life

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Win Smith

Here is the first in a series of puzzles that might have something to do with finance or math. The first to respond with a correct answer will be recognized in The Well-Tempered Spreadsheet Hall of Really Smart People. First, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Math, Puzzles | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments