
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Maria needs to borrow $15,000 from the bank. The bank offers her two options:

1. A fifteen-year loan with an annual interest rate of $8\%$, compounded bi-annually, with a condition that at the end of every 5 years, Maria must pay a third of whatever she owes at that point. The rest continues to accrue interest, and at the end of fifteen years, Maria pays off the remaining balance.

2. A fifteen-year loan with a simple interest rate of $9.5\%$, with just one lump-sum payment at the end of the fifteen years.

Which option results in a lower total payment for Maria at the end of fifteen years, and by how much?

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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