savings bond

Definition

A low-risk debt security issued by a government (typically the U.S. Treasury) that pays interest over time, designed to encourage personal savings. Bonds are purchased at a discount and increase in value until maturity.

Example Usage

Her grandparents gave her U.S. savings bonds as a graduation gift to help fund her college education.

Origin

U.S. savings bonds were first issued during World War I to finance the war effort and later became a popular civilian savings instrument.

Fun Fact

Series EE savings bonds have historically been popular gifts for children's milestones, promising to double in value after 20 years.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

Related Terms

Beginner

borrow

To temporarily steal someone else's money with the legal promise to give it back, plus interest as a rental fee. In golf, it's calculating the slope of the green so your putt doesn't veer off into the rough like your financial planning.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

clawback

A provision requiring executives to return compensation if certain conditions aren't met or if it was based on fraudulent numbers. It's the corporate version of 'give that back right now.'

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

comply

To follow the rules without complaining—like a well-trained corporate puppet. The art of yielding assent and adapting yourself to conform with requirements, usually while internally screaming.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

Off-Balance-Sheet Financing

Using clever accounting structures to fund operations while keeping the debt off the balance sheet. It's how companies hide how leveraged they actually are until the structure inevitably collapses.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

Falling between two chairs

Being stuck in a frustrating limbo where you don't qualify for assistance but also can't afford to live comfortably—the economic equivalent of being too tall for some doorways and too short for others.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

off-balance-sheet

Assets, liabilities, or financing activities that don't appear on the balance sheet through various legal structures and accounting loopholes. It's the financial equivalent of having a secret family—technically possible, but eventually problematic.

💰 Finance / Accounting

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