On January 4, 1969 the price of a widget was $55.98. On January 4, 1989 the price of a widget was $81.16. Find the average rate of change in the price of a widget from 1969 to 1989. Round to the nearest cent.

The average rate of change is $LaTeX: \displaystyle \frac{81.16-55.98}{1989-1969}= 1.26$ dollars per year.