On January 1, 2015, RA Company issued for $537,616 its 20-year, 13% bonds that have a maturity value of $500,000 and pay interest semiannually on January 1 and July 1.
Required
a. Explain why investors would pay $537,616 for bonds with a maturity value of only $500,000.
b. Briefly discuss the conceptual merits of using the market rate as opposed to the coupon rate to calculate the carrying value of the bonds.