The present value interest factor of an annuity (PVIFA) is an important concept used in finance to calculate the present value of a series of future annuities (certain regular cash flow payments). This method can help investors and businesses assess the value of a long-term stream of payments in today’s dollars.

The concept of PVIFA is based on time value of money, which near-universally states that a currency received today is worth more than the same currency received in the future. After all, money can be invested and is therefore more valuable if received now than later. PVIFA helps investors and business owners accurately assess the present value of such a series of payments, allowing them to calculate and compare the intrinsic value of alternative investments more accurately.

To calculate PVIFA, the parties need to know the discount rate, which is generally the interest rate (or rate of return) available in the market. In addition, the investor needs to know the life of the annuity. For example, if they are receiving payments every month for 10 years, the life of the annuity is 120 months.

Once the rate of return and life of the annuity are known, an investor can do a PVIFA calculation by multiplying the rate of return (r) by (1 - (1 + r) ^-n) / r. Where “n” is the term (number of payments).

For example, assume an investor is interested in receiving payments of $100 for the next 10 years at an annual rate of return of 7%. The present value of that stream of payments can be calculated using the following formula:

(7% x (1 - (1 + 7%) ^ -120)) / 7% = 81.856

This means that the present value of the $100 payments for 10 years is worth $81.86 dollars today.

In conclusion, the present value interest factor of an annuity (PVIFA) is used to calculate the present value of a series of future payments by taking into consideration the time value of money. As such, it serves as an invaluable tool for investors and business owners who want to accurately assess the value of alternative investments and can be used to identify the most lucrative investment opportunities available.