Patent ID: 8484117

Claim:
A method that provides liquidity in a plurality of entities, the method carried out by a plurality of computer processors that interact over at least one network and are coupled to at least one computer memory, the method comprising: defining the plurality of entities in the at least one computer memory using at least one computer processor; designating, in the at least one computer memory, entities from the plurality of entities as belonging to one of a set of classes, wherein the entities include at least one small business, using the at least one processor; and for a class including at least one small business: electronically receiving an index representative of the class; storing data indicating an initial payout to each entity in the class using the at least one processor; computing a future payment stream owed by each entity in the class based on the initial payout to each entity the future payment stream of each entity including at least one adjustable payment, using the at least one processor; and adjusting the at least one adjustable payment of each entity using the at least one processor in response to a change in the index relative to the performance of such entity.