How much principal, to the nearest dollar, should you invest at 4% in order to have $3,000 for a vacation to Europe in 3 years?

T's going to make a difference whether that 4 percent is compounded more

than once a year.

We'll do the calculation assuming it's compounded only once a year, and if it

turns out to be compounded more often than that, then the calculation will

come out on the low side, and you'll wind up with a little bit more than $3,000.

P times (1.04) 3 = $3,000

P = 3,000 / (1.04) 3 = $2,666.980769 or $2,667