![Investor.gov Logo for Print](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215152801im_/http://www.investor.gov/sites/default/themes/ussec/logo.png)
Bond
A debt security, similar to an IOU. When you buy a bond, you are lending money to the issuer. In return for the loan, the issuer promises to pay you a specified rate of interest during the life of the bond and to repay the principal when it "matures," or comes due.