Patent ID: 7979338

Claim:
A method for obtaining capital, comprising: offering a convertible or exchangeable financial instrument that has an accreted value and that earns returns over a lifetime of the financial instrument, wherein the lifetime comprises at least a first time period and a second time period; determining, by a computer system, a non-call period of the financial instrument, the non-call period comprising at least a portion of the first time period and/or the second time period, wherein the non-call period indicates a time for which an issuer of the financial instrument cannot redeem the financial instrument; determining, by the computer system, a cash payment ratio for the financial instrument; paying at least a portion of the returns earned during the first time period in cash, wherein the portion of the returns paid in cash is determined according to the cash payment ratio and one or more of the returns are calculated by the computer system; and accreting returns earned during the second time period to the accreted value of the financial instrument.