Understanding how to properly value a vanilla bond is essential for finance. Find two companies with debt and that pay dividends. You can use the following stock screener to find a company: http://www.google.com/finance/stockscreener. Add the criteria of long-term debt to assets to ensure the company has debt. Add the criteria of dividend per share. Find both company’s financial pages at: http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. Look at the long-term debt on the balance sheet. Determine the coupon price, the length until maturity and the yield to maturity. Calculate today’s price of the bond. 

·         List the pertinent information on the bond you chose and then calculate the price of one bond from both companies.

·         Which bond is receiving the higher price? Explain your answer.

·         From a time value of money frame of mind, what does each rate say about the viewpoint on the time value of money?

·         Which company has a better credit rating? Explain your answer.

·         Based on the credit rating, which company do you believe the bank feels more secure will pay back the loan? Explain your answer.

·         Why does the bank charge more interest for one company than another?

·         What does the credit rating say to an investor?

·         Which bond looks is more financially attractive? Explain why you chose the answer you did.

I created an outline of how MY SPECIFIC paper should look:

Introduction on what a vanilla bond is

· List 2 companies with debt that pay dividends: (used this website: http://www.google.com/finance/stockscreener.)

o AFLAC Incorporated (AFL)

o Best Buy Co. Inc (BBY)

· Create Table: (using this website: http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.)

o List criteria of long-term debt to assets

o List criteria of dividend per share

o Put long term debt on balance sheet

o Put coupon price

o Put length until maturity and yield to maturity

o Put today’s price of the bond

· Will list pertinent information on the bond chosen and will put calculations of one of the bonds from both companies

· Will explain which bond is receiving the higher price

· Thinking about time value of money, I will explain what each rate says about the viewpoint on the time value of money

· Will explain which company has a better credit rating and why

· Based on what the credit rating is, I will explain which company I believe the bank feels more secure about paying back a loan.

· I will explain here why the bank charges more interest for one company than another

· I will explain what a credit rating says to an investor

· I will explain which bond looks more financially attractive and will also explain why I chose the answer I did

· Conclusion paragraph

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