Investopedia contributors come from a range of backgrounds, and over 25 years there have been thousands of expert writers and editors who have contributed. Investopedia / Hilary Allison The present ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Dr. Melody Bell is a personal finance expert, entrepreneur, educator, and researcher. Melody ...

After you retire, your income will mainly come from savings and Social Security. However, annuities provide an additional steady income stream to help you enjoy your golden years with greater ...

In the world of finance, an annuity is a contract between you and a life insurance company in which you give the company a lump sum or series of payments, and in return, the insurer promises to ...

An even cash flow of regularly scheduled payments defines an annuity. If you borrow money to start your business, the monthly payments are calculated using an annuity formula. Two basic annuity ...

Image source: Flickr user Ken Funakoshi. A perpetual annuity, also called a perpetuity, promises to pay a certain amount of money to its owner forever. A classic example would be that of a perpetual ...

Net present value (NPV) represents the difference between the present value of cash inflows and outflows over a set time period. Knowing how to calculate net present value can be useful when choosing ...

Net present value and the profitability index are helpful tools that allow investors and companies make decisions about where to allocate their money for the best return. Net present value tells us ...

The basic premise of finance is that money has time value -- a dollar in hand today is worth more than a dollar in the future. The study of finance seeks to make it possible to compare the value of a ...

Recurring or ongoing payments are technically annuities. Whether making a series of fixed payments over a period, such as rent or car loan, or receiving periodic income from a bond or certificate of ...