Simulation that enables investors to determine variations in the rate of return on an investment property in accordance with changes in a critical factor. It is an experiment with decision alternatives using a what-if approach....

A mortgage on which half the monthly payment is paid twice a month. It should be called a 'semi-monthly mortgage' but market practice often trumps logic. In contrast to a biweekly, a bimonthly mortgage involves no extra payments. The 24 half payments a year add to the same total as 12 full payments....

System for calculating the relationship between a pension plan's present cost and its present future benefits. This relationship shows the extent to which a pension plan's benefits are funded. The objective is to identify on a year-by-year basis the cost of benefits accrued for the particular year. ...

In insurance, combination of the loss ratio and the expense ratio. The combined ratio is important to an insurance company since it indicates whether or not the company is earning a profit on the business it is writing, not taking into account investment returns on the premiums received. The propert...