Problem 1: Assume that you are in the 40% federal-plus-state marginal tax bracket and that capital gains taxes are deferred until maturity. Assuming equal investment risk and a horizontal yield curve, rank the following investment opportunities on the basis of the effective annual yields:
a. A $100 par value perpetual preferred stock with an annual coupon of 12%, quarterly payments, and selling at $105.
b. A $1,000 par value, 20-year, non callable, semiannual bond with a coupon of 12% currently selling at $1,050.
c. A $1,000 par value, 20-year, non callable, semiannual bond with a coupon of 6% selling at a price of $637.
d. How would the situation change if the ranker had been:
(i) a pension fund investment manager or
(ii) a corporation that is in the 40% federal-plus-state bracket?