Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Marguerita is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...