Discount
A discount is the amount by which a price is below a reference value, such as a bond's face value or a seller's stated price.
Present-value concepts for discounting single amounts, recurring payments, terminal proceeds, and other dated cash flows.
Present Value and Discounting Factors explains how future cash flows are translated to a common earlier date. Use the process pages for rate and timing logic, then use the factor or annuity pages for the matching cash-flow pattern.
This branch sits inside Time Value, Present Value, and Compounding. Move to the broader section when both accumulation and discounting are part of the decision.
| Concept | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Present Value | Measures one or more future cash flows at an earlier valuation date. |
| Discounting | Applies supported rates and timing conventions to move future cash flows backward. |
| Present Value Interest Factor | Provides the discount multiplier for one future payment, including a property reversion. |
| Present Value Interest Factor of Annuity | Sums discount factors for equal end-of-period payments. |
| Present Value of an Annuity | Values a finite regular payment stream and distinguishes ordinary-annuity from annuity-due timing. |
| Inwood Annuity Factor | Applies the ordinary-annuity factor to finite level income, capital recovery, and reversion analysis in valuation. |
| Discount | Separates a price below a reference amount from the process of discounting cash flows. |
“Reversion factor” and “reversionary factor” are treated as property-valuation uses of the present value interest factor rather than separate canonical pages.
This section is educational and does not provide individualized investment, property, valuation, accounting, tax, actuarial, project, or legal advice.
Choose a subsection first. Deeper term pages live inside each subsection, which keeps large topic hubs readable.
A discount is the amount by which a price is below a reference value, such as a bond's face value or a seller's stated price.
Discounting converts future cash flows into value at an earlier date using rates matched to timing, risk, currency, inflation, and purpose.
The Inwood annuity factor values finite level income at a single yield and supports appraisal analysis of income, capital recovery, and reversion.
Present value converts a future cash flow into today's equivalent using a discount rate matched to timing, risk, inflation, and currency.
Present value interest factor is the discount multiplier for one future amount, determined by the rate, number of periods, and compounding convention.
PVIFA is the multiplier used to calculate the present value of equal end-of-period payments at a stated rate over a finite number of periods.
Present value of an annuity measures equal, regularly timed payments at an earlier date using a rate and timing convention matched to the cash flows.